Slip & Fall/Trip & Fall
Everyone suffers from the occasional bump or bruise caused by incidents like slipping on ice, bumping into objects, or stumbling down a curb. In many cases, these incidents are just random acts of clumsiness or carelessness. However, each year, hundreds of thousands of individuals are injured in slip and fall accidents that could have been prevented if property owners had been more diligent about taking care of their premises.
New York slip and fall lawyer, Harley Fastman, has seen a great number of injuries caused by such accidents, some very serious and even deadly. Most of them could have been avoided with a little attention to detail – specifically, small details such as fixing broken pavements, providing better lighting, or clearing the premises after a snowfall.
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere – office buildings, stores and shopping malls, garages, parks, and even other people’s homes. The key to determining negligence, however, is a thorough investigation of the area and the gathering of all the facts surrounding the incident. At the Law Offices of New York trip and fall lawyer Harley Fastman, we do all that…and more.
A study by CNA Insurance noted that approximately one million individuals are injured each year in trip and fall accidents in the U.S. and that some 16,000 people die annually because of such incidents. Many of these individuals are senior citizens.
The most common causes of slip and fall accidents include:
• Poor walking surface conditions – potholes, uneven pavement, ice, etc.
• Poor visibility/lighting
• Lack of slip resistant materials on walkway surfaces
• Lack of handrails/guardrails or handrails/guardrails in poor condition
• Poor accessibility to a particular area
• Obstructions on the floor or walkways
