Sample NY Stairway Injury Cases and NY Elevator Injury Cases
$560,000 Verdict for Slip and Fall on Staircase in the
Bronx (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.
$350,000 Settlement
for Trip and Fall on a Stairway in the Bronx
In August 2008, the residents in a Bronx
apartment building complained to the landlord about repair debris
left in the hallways and the stairwells of their building. The
landlord failed to respond to their complaints. A woman who worked
as a home health aide awoke and left for her job one morning and
slipped on a grease-like substance on the stairs and fell several
steps with her right foot bent backwards.
An ambulance came and took her to St.
Barnabas Hospital. Diagnosed with a broken ankle, the woman spent
six days in the hospital until doctors could perform surgery (open
reduction, internal fixation or ORIF), which involved placing one
plate with eight screws on one side of her ankle and two screws on
the other side of her ankle. The damage to her ankle had made
it impossible for her to return to work as a home health aide. In
September 2010, Ms. Schlitt negotiated a settlement of $350,000
settlement for the woman.
$75,000 Settlement for Hempstead Woman Hurt by Elevator
Doors (Elevator Case)
The woman entered an office building in
Hempstead on her way to work. The elevator door, while closing,
struck the woman on the right shoulder causing injuries that
exacerbated a pre-existing condition of that shoulder. Working with
elevator engineers, Ms. Schlitt proved an argument that the elevator
doors closed more rapidly than they were programmed to close, thus
causing the woman’s injuries. The defense settled before trial for
$75,000.
$40,000 Settlement for Utility Worker Injured Reading Meters in the
Bronx (Work-Related Injury 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.
$30,000 Settlement for Porter Hurt in
Manhattan Elevator Fall (Elevator Case)
A man working as a porter entered the
service elevator in a Manhattan apartment building. He pressed the
buttons for a high floor and began to ride the elevator up. The
elevator suddenly dropped to the basement. The elevator fall caused
some soft tissue injuries in his neck and knee that required some
physical therapy. The case settled before trial for $30,000.
$20,000 Settlement for a Trip and Fall
on Defective Steps in the Bronx (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 Stairway Injury Caused by Uneven Steps in
Manhattan Building (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.
Carol L. Schlitt - New York Stairway and Elevator Lawyer
If you or a loved one believe you have a stairway or elevator case, you should contact a New York personal injury who has experience with stairway and elevator cases. 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.