New York City Premises Liability Lawyers
All property owners, residential and commercial, have a duty to ensure safe environments for all visitors. If you have been harmed by a hazardous condition on another’s sidewalk, personal residence, restaurant, mall, hotel, office building, school, park, theater, museum or other property, you could be eligible to file a premises liability claim and receive compensation for your injury. Cohan Law Firm maintains a comprehensive premises liability practice covering Brooklyn, The Bronx, and all of New York City. Our firm handles slip and fall and trip and fall injuries, dog bites, assaults, drowning, lead poisoning, and all the different ways people can get hurt because of a property owner’s negligence. Call our experienced New York City premises liability lawyers if you or a loved one has suffered a slip and fall or other injury on another’s dangerously unsafe property.
Slip and Fall/Trip and Fall
Property owners are liable for accidents that happen on their property because of the property owner’s negligence or failure to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition. Common premises liability accidents property owners can be liable for include:
- Slipping and falling on a wet surface
- Tripping over an obstruction on or defect in the floor
- Getting struck by falling merchandise
- Electrical shock/electrocution
Holding a property owner liable for one of the above incidents requires proving the owner (or manager or employee) had actual or constructive notice of the danger yet failed to correct it, restrict access, or put up a warning in a reasonable time. An owner has actual or constructive notice if they created the defect, if they knew about it, or if you can prove they should have known about it through reasonable inspection. For instance, if the owner had received complaints about the hazard or if it was the type of hazard that occurred regularly (such as spills or merchandise left on the floor), then they either knew about it or should have known about it.
Proving these facts can be one of the more challenging aspects of slip and fall and trip fall cases, which is one of the reasons the help of a skilled and experienced attorney is needed. Additionally, special rules apply to sidewalk accidents in NYC regarding who is responsible for maintaining the sidewalk in a safe condition. Make sure you speak with a lawyer who has handled your type of accident claim before or who has sufficient general knowledge to know how to investigate the accident, gather the evidence, and prove the facts necessary to get you maximum compensation under the law.
Dog Bites
Dog bites and animal attacks cause severe physical and psychological injuries and take the lives of dozens of people each year. New York’s dog bite law is a confusing mix of negligence and strict liability legal theories, requiring a knowledgeable and experienced dog bite lawyer to evaluate the circumstances of your injury and get you the best recovery possible. Generally speaking, the dog’s owner is liable for the victim’s medical costs if the owner was negligent in controlling the animal, such as allowing it to roam off-leash or leaving the gate to their yard open so the dog could escape. If the owner had prior knowledge that the animal might be dangerous, such as if the dog had bitten before or acted aggressively, then the owner can also be liable to compensate the victim for their pain and suffering. Owners are strictly liable for medical costs if the dog had previously been declared dangerous, even if the owner wasn’t negligent.
In addition to these shifting theories of liability, dog owners and their insurance companies might also throw up any number of defenses, such as claiming the dog was protecting its owner or home, the animal was provoked, or the dog was in pain when it acted aggressively. It takes a skilled and dedicated premises liability lawyer to fight for your rights as an injury victim in this complicated field of New York premises liability law.
Negligent Security
Premises liability law includes a duty for property owners to keep their premises reasonably safe and secure to deter or prevent crimes from occurring on their property. Reasonable security measures differ depending on the location of the premises and the type of activity that occurs there, but typical reasonable measures include maintaining working locks and adequate lighting. Keyed or gated entries, alarm systems, video cameras, and security personnel or patrols might also be required depending on the circumstances.
Negligent security is a complicated area of premises liability law, especially in New York City. The same case can be decided differently in The Bronx versus Brooklyn because of the way these cases are handled in the First Department versus the Second Department of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division. Cohan Law Firm handles premises liability cases in all five boroughs and understands the laws that apply throughout NYC. If you’ve been the victim of robbery, assault, or sexual assault in your apartment building, in a parking garage or stairwell, or elsewhere because of inadequate security on the premises, call our New York premises liability lawyers to discuss your potential claims for justice and compensation for your injuries.
Comprehensive New York City Premises Liability Practice
Our firm’s premises liability practice covers slip and falls, trip and falls, negligent security, and other injuries on all types of property in New York, including:
- Sidewalk Accidents
- Subway Injuries
- Hotels
- Grocery Stores
- Retail Stores
- Bars & Nightclubs
- Elevator & Escalator Accidents
- Lead Exposure
- Playground Accidents
- Big Box Stores
- Hardware & Home Improvement Stores
- Swimming Pools
- Restaurants
- Airports
- Apartment Complexes
- Sports Arenas
Contact Cohan Law Firm Today
If you or a loved one have been harmed in a slip and fall, trip and fall, dog bite or assault in NYC, Cohan Law Firm is ready to listen to you and help you get the compensation you need and deserve to deal with your expenses and make up for the harm done to you. Call our experienced NYC premises liability lawyers for a free consultation.
