New York Slip and Fall Cases & Trip and Fall Cases
$560,000 Verdict for Slip and Fall on Staircase in the
Bronx (Slip and Fall Case/Stairway Case)
A 13 year-old girl tripped and fell on
the staircase of her Bronx apartment building because of a
long-standing broken step. She fractured her tibia and
fifth metatarsal. The jury deliberated for one hour before
returning a verdict holding the defendant solely responsible for the
incident and awarding the now 19 year-old girl a total of $560,000
for past and future pain and suffering.
$300,000 Settlement for Trip and Fall in Manhattan (Trip
and Fall Case)
On a warm June morning, a man and his
friend from work walked south on the pedestrian mall on Nassau
Street in downtown Manhattan. When they reached Maiden Lane, the two
men waited for traffic to clear and then began to cross the street.
A truck driving along Maiden Lane caused an unsecured metal plate in
the roadway to lift and fall onto the foot of the man’s foot,
crushing it and pinning him to the roadway. The man suffered
multiple fractures in his foot. Attorney Carol Schlitt navigated the
construction bureaucracy that included the
City of New York and
Con Ed,
before determining that the road plate belonged to a private
construction firm operating in New York City. After conducting an
extensive investigation and legal research, both parties agreed to
mediate the case before trial and Ms. Schlitt earned a $300,000
settlement for her very happy client.
$265,000 Settlement Paid for Slip and Fall at Metro-North
Station in Garrison, Putnam County (Slip and
Fall Case)
In February 2003, a woman parked her car
at the Garrison train station and walked to pay her parking fee at
the pay station. What she could not see and did not expect was the
black ice that covered the pay station floor. She slipped and fell
on the ice, hurting her neck and shoulder. The neck injury required
surgical repair at the
Hospital for Special Surgery and post-operative therapy at
Burke Rehabilitation
Hospital. Attorney Carol Schlitt sued both
Metro-North,
which owns and operates the train station, and the parking lot
contractor. She conducted an extensive investigation to document
responsibility for snow and ice removal at the facility and in
pre-trial motions attorney Schlitt won a court ruling that
Metro-North
bore full liability for clearing ice from the pay station. On the
eve of trial,
Metro-North settled the case for $265,000.
$160,000 Settlement for Slip and Fall on Ice in Nassau County (Slip and Fall Case)
A man walked to use a stand-alone ATM in
downtown Glen Cove. On his way out of the parking lot where the ATM
stood, he slipped and fell on uncleared ice. He fractured his ankle
and went by ambulance to
Glen Cove Hospital. Doctors transferred the man to
North Shore University Hospital for surgery. Attorney Schlitt
conducted an investigation to determine who was responsible for
clearing the ice near the ATM and then used a combination of
eyewitness testimony, weather reports and analysis of medical and
public records to build a strong case. The defense settled the case
shortly after conducting depositions and agreed to pay $160,000.
$150,000 Settlement for Slip and Fall on an Uncleared
Sidewalk in the Bronx (Slip and Fall Case)
On President’s Weekend in 2003, a 26
year-old man visited his friend in the Woodlawn section of the
Bronx. Leaving the apartment building, he slipped and fell on an
uncleared walkway, suffering a
bimalleolar fracture of his right ankle. An ambulance
transported him to
North Central Bronx Hospital, where he was treated and released.
He ultimately underwent surgery on his ankle at
Jacobi Hospital. Attorney Schlitt employed eyewitness testimony
and physical evidence to build a strong argument on liability and
she constructed a clear and compelling case on damages. The landlord
settled the case on the eve of trial for $150,000.
$135,000 Settlement
for Trip and Fall over Uneven Bricks in Brooklyn (Trip and Fall
Case)
A woman visiting family tripped over some
uneven bricks along the property line of two houses. She suffered
significant injuries, including some broken bones in her face. The
two property owners attempted to blame each other, with neither
accepting responsibility for the incident. Ms. Schlitt used expert
testimony at trial to demonstrate that the brick work had created a
trap, “an accident waiting to happen,” is how Ms. Schlitt explained
it to the jury. The defendants opted to settle for $135,000 before
the jury ruled on the case.
$62,500 Settlement Trip and Fall Injury Caused by Cement Dumped on Williamsburg Sidewalk (Trip and
Fall Case)
The owner of a building and an adjacent
lot had dumped excess cement on a sidewalk in Brooklyn. A man
tripped and fell over the pile of cement, spraining his ankle.
Treatment of the ankle caused vascular damage to his leg. Attorney
Carol Schlitt demonstrated that the building owner caused the
injury, which ultimately led to the vascular problem. The defendants
agreed to settle the case before going to trial for $62,500.
$45,000 Settlement for Trip and Fall Injury to an
Insurance Adjustor in Brooklyn Auto Repair Garage (Trip and Fall
Injury Case)
On the afternoon of the incident, an
insurance adjuster acting in his professional capacity visited an
auto repair garage to inspect two vehicles that were under repair.
While inspecting the cars, the man stepped into a deep, uncovered
hole. A metal plate usually covered the hole, but the plate had been
damaged the day before and not replaced, nor did the garage place
any warnings around the hole. The man fractured his right wrist.
Attorney Schlitt settled the case on the eve of trial for $45,000.
$40,000 Settlement for Trip and Fall by Utility Worker Injured Reading Meters in the
Bronx (Trip and Fall Case/Stairway Case)
A
Con Ed
utility worker entered a property in the Bronx to read the electric
meter. While walking down a set of outdoor steps, squirrels leaped
out of a hole in the wall, knocking the man down. He fell to the
bottom of the steps and tore his leg on the handrail, which had a
jagged edge. The lacerations from the defective handrail caused a
hematoma on his thigh that required
debriding and the man missed a month of
work. While Worker’s Compensation shielded his employer form paying
additional damages, Ms. Schlitt pursued a case against the property
owner on two counts: failing to rid the location of the squirrel
infestation (the squirrels had built a nest in a hole in the wall)
and failing to maintain the handrail. Ms. Schlitt assembled a team
that included a civil engineer with expertise on stairway design and
building codes and an exterminator with expertise on animal removal.
Seeing the witness list and understanding the strength of the Ms.
Schlitt’s case, the defense settled on the eve of trial paying
$40,000.
$20,000 Settlement for a Trip and Fall
on Defective Steps in the Bronx (Trip and Fall Case/Stairway Case)
On the afternoon of the incident, a young
mother arrived to pick up her son from a day care center that was
housed in a large building with multiple tenants. While walking up
the four steps that lead from the sidewalk to the entrance of the
building, the woman tripped and fell on the damaged fourth step. Her
fall resulted from a riser that was of an uneven height and out of
compliance with
New York City Building
Code. That particular step
was damaged and the landlord had not maintained it properly. The
poorly maintained step caused the woman to fall backward and injure
her back and right wrist. While she broke no bones, the soft tissue
injuries required her to wear a splint and receive physical therapy.
The owner of the building settled the case for $20,000.
$19,000 Settlement for Trip and Fall on Stairs in the Bronx Caused by Uneven Steps (Trip and Fall Case/Stairway
Case)
A 32 year-old woman attending an opera
audition was directed to take a particular stairwell. While walking
down those stairs, she fell on the third step from the bottom, as
the steps were uneven and in poor condition. She tumbled the
remaining three steps and crashed onto the landing. She hurt her
wrists, back and legs and suffered soft tissue injuries. By working
with an expert in stairway design, Ms. Schlitt proved that the
stairs were not compliant with New York City building code and posed
a hazard. As the case neared trial, the defense settled for $19,000.
$9,000 Settlement for Slip and Fall in
East Meadow Supermarket (Slip and Fall Case)
A Nassau County woman was shopping at her
local supermarket when she slipped and fell due to spilled water on
the floor near the fresh flowers. She injured her right shoulder.
She went to the
Nassau County Medical Center Emergency Room and was
discharged home. She received two months of treatment for soft
tissue injuries in her shoulder. This client had some issues that
would have made going to trial difficult. Ms. Schlitt negotiated a
settlement for $9,000.
$8,000 Settlement for Slip and Fall in
North Babylon Supermarket (Slip and Fall Case)
An elderly Suffolk County woman slipped and fell due to spilled water while shopping at her local supermarket. She had pain and bruising of her chin, her left thigh and buttocks, left shoulder and hip. She sought immediate help from the Good Samaritan Emergency Room and followed up with her private orthopedist. She recovered fully with minimal physical therapy. Ms. Schlitt negotiated a settlement for $8,000.
Carol L. Schlitt - New York Slip and Fall Lawyer
If you or a loved one believe you have been hurt due to a slip and fall in New York, you should contact a New York slip and fall lawyer. If you think you have a case or if you have questions, you can call me and I will be glad to discuss your rights, answer your questions and help you with a potential case. You can call me at 1-800-660-1466 or send me an e-mail at Carol@SchlittLaw.com. The consultation is free and I will be glad to help you.
I hope you have found this information
helpful.
Carol L. Schlitt
New York Personal Injury Attorney
1-800-660-1466
Carol@SchlittLaw.com.