New York Injury Talk Blog

A huge cause of accidents in both New York City and New York State are slip and falls. Because of the dense, somewhat chaotic, and unpredictable environment in cities, individuals must be especially careful in these environments. But really all it takes is a negligent property or business owner anywhere that is open to consumer traffic. Just recently, an elderly woman filed one of these suits against Walmart for slipping and falling on a spilled beverage that was left on the floor by the staff.

U.S. tort law identifies slip and fall cases as involving an individual that slips (or trips) and has an accident that would not have happened without the property or business owner’s neglect.

Frequent factors that produce these kinds of incidents that may justify New York premises liability on the part of the owner include:

• Spills or wet floors: If there is any kind of liquid or slippery agent on floors, customers must be adequately warned by the business in the form of signage and barriers around the hazardous zone.
• Crooked or irregular walking surfaces: This may cause a consumer accident when unlabeled.
• Treacherous steps: The owner must restore any dangerous steps to safe condition or rope them off out of service until fixed.
• Job injury: Too often a danger is overlooked in the workplace that results in injury due to a slip and fall accident that could have been prevented.

However, it’s not easy to prove property or business owner neglect in these kinds of cases. Make sure you have professional legal guidance to be certain your rights are properly protected and adequate compensation is pursued. If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident that you think was caused by a negligent business or property owner, call 212-986-7353 to speak with a Manhattan slip and fall attorney with Wingate, Rusotti & Shapiro, LLP.

A man was killed in a New York City subway train accident the morning of March 17, 2009, according to a CBS News report. NYC Transit authorities are looking into how and why the wrongful death in New York occurred at the Lexington Avenue and 60th Street supway station. Officials are also looking into how the victim came to be on the tracks.

For millions of New Yorkers, the subway is the primary mode of transportation. We use it routinely to get to work, school and other destinations. Unfortunately, we hear about fatal accidents and minor slip and fall accidents in New York on the subway, either because of poor conditions in the subway or because of a train operator's negligence. Sometimes, proper warning signs are not posted to warn subway riders about the dangers that could cause them to get seriously injured or killed.

In New York, the Transit Authority is responsible for maintaining the subway system and can be held liable for any injuries caused to subway riders. If you have been seriously injured, or if you have lost a loved one as a result of a subway accident, please contact an experienced New York subway accident attorney at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro LLP to find out more about your options and legal rights. You may be entitled to monetary compensation to pay for medical expenses, pain, suffering, loss of earnings and other damages. We will fight for you rights and make sure that you receive the justice and compensation you are entitled to. Call us today for a free consultation and evaluation of your case.

The New York Times cites a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that while older women suffer more injuries on escalators than older men, it seems that 85% of all escalator injuries result from a NY slip or a fall.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s report is based on data collected and analyzed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which was published in the March issue of the Accident Analysis and Prevention journal.

Dr. Joseph O’Neil, an associate professor of pediatrics at Indiana University, indicated he had no idea why accident rates on escalators for both men and women had doubled from 1991 to 2005. The report shows that nearly 40,000 people over 65 were injured while riding an escalator-an average of 2,660 per year. Dr. Neil further commented that normally riding an escalator is not seen as a dangerous thing to do but that older adults ‘need to use caution’.

According to WebMD, there are several things older adults can do to prevent slip & falls:

1. Exercise regularly to improve muscle strength, tone and sense of balance.
2. If you have any problems with dizziness call your doctor to check to see if you have an inner ear infection.
3. Have your vision and hearing checked on a regular basis.
4. Know all the side effects of your medication and how they might affect your balance.

Continue reading "ESCALATOR INJURIES FOR OLDER ADULTS ON THE RISE" »