Outdoor slip and fall accidents and what causes them

One of the most common types of personal injury lawsuits in New York is one that arises after someone was injured on another person’s property. This is due to the fact that such accidents may be caused by a plethora of differing conditions. Icy sidewalks during the winter or a supermarket’s aisle becoming cluttered are just two examples of the common causes of slip and fall accidents.

These types of accidents are typically relatively straightforward when it comes time to determine culpability. If the area where an individual slipped, fell or tripped is a part of that individual’s property and that individual failed to ensure that appropriate precautions were not taken or a problem with the property that caused the accident was not resolved, that property’s owner or possessor may usually be held legally responsible if someone is injured. What follows are common causes that lead to these kinds of accidents.

If, during the winter months, ice or snow accumulates outside an owner/possessor’s property to an unnatural degree, the individual may be held liable if someone slips or falls. This typically occurs when ice melts off of a roof, drops onto the ground, and then refreezes. Another common cause is poor outdoor lighting in parking lots, falling on stairs or steps that lead to and from a store, tripping over curbing, and falls due to uneven surfaces, cracks or holes. If the owner/possessor knew of the dangerous conditions but failed to remedy them, he or she may be held liable.

Slip and fall accidents in New York typically lead to weighty medical bills as well as time away from one’s work. So that they may receive proper compensation for these medical expenses and their lost wages, individuals who are injured in this manner typically choose to file a suit against the person — or company — who is responsible for any and all conditions that may have caused the accident. A typical first step in this process of filing a potential claim is to consult with an experienced attorney to assess the viability of one’s claim.