Hempstead Slip and Fall Lawyer

Floors get wet. Sidewalks crack. Property owners cut corners on maintenance. These everyday hazards send thousands of Nassau County residents to emergency rooms each year, leaving them with broken bones, head injuries, and medical bills that can spiral out of control.

Our experienced Hempstead slip and fall lawyers have handled slip, trip, and fall cases for over a decade. At Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, our attorneys have successfully recovered compensation for fall victims by proving property owners knew about dangerous conditions and failed to act.

Getting hurt on someone else’s property shouldn’t leave you drowning in debt or fighting insurance companies alone. Our experienced slip and fall attorneys in Hempstead, New York, provide free consultations around your schedule to ensure everyone gets the legal help they need.

We handle all the investigation, paperwork, and negotiations while you focus on getting better. No recovery means no fee—it’s that simple.

Do I Have a Slip and Fall Case in New York?

You have a valid slip and fall case if someone else’s carelessness caused your fall and injuries. This means proving that a property owner failed to keep their premises reasonably safe, and that failure directly led to your accident.

Not every fall creates a legal case. If you tripped over your own feet or fell because of something you did, there’s no one else to hold responsible. But if you slipped on a wet floor without warning signs, tripped on a broken sidewalk, or fell down poorly lit stairs, you may have grounds for a premises liability claim.

The law requires us to prove four key elements:

• Duty of care: The property owner had a legal responsibility to maintain safe conditions.
• Breach of duty: They knew or should have known about the dangerous condition but failed to fix it.
• Causation: This specific hazard directly caused your fall.
• Damages: You suffered real injuries and losses as a result.

Our skilled Hempstead slip and fall accident lawyers can review the facts of your case and determine if you have valid grounds to pursue compensation.

Who Is Liable for a Slip and Fall in Hempstead?

Multiple parties could be responsible for your fall, depending on where it happened and who controlled the property. In Hempstead, we’ve seen cases involving store owners, apartment building managers, construction companies, and even the town itself.

Commercial property owners like grocery stores and restaurants have a duty to inspect their premises regularly and fix hazards promptly. If you fell in a business, the owner or manager is often the primary defendant. But sometimes a cleaning company or maintenance contractor could also share blame if their negligence contributed to the accident.

For residential properties, landlords are typically responsible for common areas like stairwells and parking lots. However, tenants might be liable if the dangerous condition was in an area under their control.

Municipal liability comes into play when you fall on public sidewalks, in parks, or on other government property. The Town of Hempstead or Nassau County could be responsible, but these cases have special rules and much shorter deadlines.

Property owners often try to escape responsibility by claiming the hazard was “open and obvious” or that a storm was still in progress. Our skilled Hempstead personal injury lawyers know how to counter these defenses and hold the right parties accountable.

What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall?

The actions you take immediately after a fall can make or break your case. Your first priority is always your health, but protecting your legal rights is also crucial.

Get Medical Care and Report the Fall

Seek medical attention right away, even if you feel okay. Adrenaline can mask serious injuries, and some conditions like concussions or internal bleeding don’t show symptoms immediately. Go to a local hospital like NYU Langone or Mount Sinai South Nassau to get checked out.

Always report your fall to the property owner or manager. Ask for a written incident report and get a copy for your records. This creates an official record of what happened and when.

Photograph the Hazard and Scene

Use your phone to take pictures of exactly what caused you to fall before anyone can clean it up or fix it. Capture the area from multiple angles, including wide shots that show the lack of warning signs or barriers. These photos can be the most important evidence in your case.

Gather Witnesses and Save Evidence

If anyone saw you fall, get their name and contact information. Witness testimony can be powerful evidence, especially when property owners deny responsibility. Keep the shoes and clothes you were wearing in a safe place—they might contain important evidence about the conditions that caused your fall.

Avoid Recorded Statements to Insurance Companies

Insurance adjusters may contact you within days of your accident, often sounding friendly and helpful. They’ll ask for a recorded statement about what happened. Politely decline until you’ve spoken with an attorney. These statements are designed to get you to say something that can be used against you later.

Contact a Hempstead Slip and Fall Lawyer

Evidence disappears quickly after an accident. Security footage gets erased, hazards get fixed, and witnesses forget details. The sooner you contact an attorney, the better chance we have to preserve crucial evidence and build a strong case.

Where Do Slip and Falls Happen Most in Hempstead?

Hempstead’s mix of busy commercial areas, aging buildings, and heavy foot traffic creates numerous opportunities for dangerous conditions. As a local trip and fall lawyer in Hempstead, we’ve handled cases in virtually every type of location.

Supermarkets and Retail Stores

Grocery stores along Hempstead Turnpike see frequent spills in produce sections and near refrigerated cases. Broken floor tiles, cluttered aisles, and inadequate lighting in storage areas also create hazards. Big box retailers often have issues with merchandise blocking walkways and spills that go unnoticed for hours.

Apartment Buildings and Condos

Older residential buildings throughout Hempstead often have problems with broken handrails, worn carpeting on stairs, and poor lighting in hallways and stairwells. Parking garages and laundry rooms are common accident sites due to water leaks and inadequate maintenance.

Sidewalks and Public Areas

Cracked and uneven sidewalks are a major problem throughout Nassau County. Main Street and other busy pedestrian areas see frequent falls due to broken concrete, tree roots pushing up pavement, and inadequate snow removal after storms.

Restaurants and Bars

Spills from drinks and food, greasy floors near kitchens, and wet areas around restrooms create slip hazards. Many establishments fail to place warning signs or clean up spills promptly, especially during busy periods.

Construction and Work Sites

Falls on construction sites can involve both workers and pedestrians. Debris, uneven surfaces, and inadequate barriers around work zones put everyone at risk. These cases may involve multiple parties including contractors, subcontractors, and property owners.

How Do We Prove Your Slip and Fall Case?

Building a winning slip and fall case requires fast action and thorough investigation. We know exactly what evidence to look for and how to preserve it before it disappears.

The key to most cases is proving the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition. This requires digging into maintenance records, cleaning schedules, and prior incident reports. We also look for surveillance footage, which many businesses delete within 30 days.

Evidence We Gather Includes:

• Surveillance footage: We send immediate preservation letters to prevent deletion.
• Incident reports: Official records of your fall and any prior accidents in the same area.
• Maintenance logs: Records showing when areas were last cleaned or inspected.
• Weather reports: Documentation of conditions that may have contributed to your fall.
• Expert testimony: Engineers and safety specialists who can explain how the condition violated safety standards.

We also interview witnesses while their memories are fresh and document the scene before any repairs are made. This comprehensive approach gives us the strongest possible foundation for your case.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Slip and Fall?

If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence, New York law allows you to seek compensation for all your related losses. As your Hempstead slip and fall attorney, we fight to recover every dollar you deserve.

Your compensation typically falls into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the concrete financial losses you can calculate, while non-economic damages compensate you for pain and suffering.

Medical Expenses and Future Care

This includes all costs related to treating your injuries, from the initial emergency room visit through ongoing rehabilitation. We pursue compensation for hospital bills, doctor visits, physical therapy, medications, medical equipment, and any future medical care you’ll need.

Lost Income and Earning Capacity

You can recover wages for time missed from work while recovering from your injuries, and those who slip and fall at work may have additional compensation options beyond standard workers’ compensation claims. If your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous job or limit your ability to earn income in the future, we’ll fight for compensation for your reduced earning capacity.

Pain and Suffering

This compensates you for the physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life caused by your injuries. While harder to calculate than medical bills, pain and suffering often represents the largest portion of a slip and fall settlement.

The total value of your case depends on factors like the severity of your injuries, the strength of evidence against the property owner, and how the accident has impacted your daily life.

What Factors Influence Your Case Value?

Several key factors determine how much compensation you might recover in a slip and fall case. The severity of your injuries and the strength of evidence proving negligence are typically the most important considerations.

More serious injuries that require extensive treatment and cause lasting problems generally result in higher settlements. Broken bones, head injuries, and back problems that require surgery or long-term care are valued more highly than minor bruises or sprains.

The clarity of the property owner’s negligence also plays a major role. Cases where we can show the owner knew about a hazard for days or weeks before your accident are stronger than those involving conditions that developed shortly before the fall.

Other important factors include:

• Your age and occupation: Younger victims and those in physical jobs often receive higher awards for lost earning capacity.
• Pre-existing conditions: While these don’t prevent recovery, they can affect the value if the fall aggravated an existing problem.
• Comparative fault: If you share some blame for the accident, your recovery will be reduced proportionally.
• Quality of medical documentation: Detailed medical records that clearly link your injuries to the fall strengthen your case.

An experienced local slip and fall attorney in Hempstead can evaluate these factors and give you a realistic assessment of your case’s potential value.

How Long Do You Have to File a Slip and Fall Claim in NY?

New York law sets strict deadlines for filing personal injury lawsuits, known as statutes of limitations. Missing these deadlines almost always means losing your right to compensation forever.

The time limit depends on who you’re suing. For most private property owners, you have three years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit. However, claims against government entities have much shorter deadlines and special requirements.

Defendant	Notice of Claim	Lawsuit Deadline
Private property owner	None required	3 years
Town of Hempstead	90 days	1 year + 90 days
Nassau County	90 days	1 year + 90 days
New York State	90 days	Varies by court

For government claims, you must file a formal Notice of Claim within 90 days of your accident. This document provides specific details about what happened and puts the government entity on notice of your intent to sue.

Because these deadlines are so short and the requirements so specific, it’s crucial to contact a Hempstead trip and fall attorney immediately after any accident on public property.

Can You Recover If You Were Partly at Fault?

Yes, you can still recover compensation even if you bear some responsibility for your fall. New York follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which means your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you’re not completely barred from recovery.

For example, if you were looking at your phone when you slipped on an unmarked wet floor, a jury might find you 20% at fault for not paying attention. If your total damages were $100,000, you would recover $80,000 after the reduction for your share of responsibility.

Insurance companies routinely try to shift as much blame as possible onto accident victims to reduce their payouts. They might claim you were wearing inappropriate shoes, walking too fast, or should have seen the hazard. We know how to fight back against these tactics and protect your right to fair compensation.

The key is having an attorney who can present evidence showing that the property owner’s negligence was the primary cause of your accident, regardless of any minor contribution on your part.

Worried you might share blame? We fight back against unfair fault allegations. Call 718-249-7447 for honest answers.

What Does It Cost to Hire a Slip and Fall Lawyer?

Hiring Grigor Law costs you nothing upfront. We handle all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid if we successfully recover money for you.

Our fee is a percentage of whatever we recover through settlement or trial verdict, typically one-third of the total amount. We also advance all costs associated with investigating and building your case, including expert witness fees, court filing costs, and medical record fees.

If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing—contact us to learn more about our no-risk representation. This arrangement allows anyone to afford quality legal representation regardless of their financial situation. It also ensures we’re motivated to get you the best possible outcome since our fee depends on your success.

We believe this approach levels the playing field against well-funded insurance companies and property owners who have teams of lawyers working to minimize their liability.

Why Choose Grigor Law in Hempstead?

When you’re dealing with serious injuries and mounting bills, you need a law firm that combines aggressive advocacy with genuine compassion. Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers brings both to every case we handle.

Chrissy Grigoropoulos has built her reputation in Nassau County courts through meticulous preparation and relentless advocacy for her clients. Insurance companies and defense attorneys know that when they see her name on a case, they’re dealing with someone who won’t back down or accept lowball offers.

We’re deeply rooted in the Hempstead community, with our office conveniently located on Main Street. Our multilingual team serves clients in Spanish, Greek, French-Creole, and Korean, ensuring language is never a barrier to getting the help you need.

What sets us apart is our commitment to honest communication. We won’t make promises we can’t keep or inflate your expectations. Instead, we provide realistic assessments and work tirelessly to exceed them. Our clients appreciate this straightforward approach and the personal attention they receive throughout their cases.

Slip and Fall FAQs

Do I Need to File a Notice of Claim for Falls on Public Sidewalks in Hempstead?

Yes, if you fell on a public sidewalk maintained by the Town of Hempstead or Nassau County, you must file a formal Notice of Claim within 90 days of your accident. This requirement applies to all government-owned property and missing this deadline will prevent you from filing a lawsuit.

Can I Still Recover Compensation If the Wet Floor Had a Warning Sign?

Possibly, depending on the circumstances. Even with warning signs, property owners must ensure the signs are adequate, properly placed, and visible. If the sign was small, poorly positioned, or the spill had been there for an unreasonable amount of time, you may still have a valid claim.

What If the Property Owner Claims I Was Trespassing When I Fell?

Property owners owe different levels of care depending on your legal status when you were injured. Even trespassers are protected from willful or wanton conduct, and the property owner’s characterization of your status may be incorrect. We can evaluate whether you were actually an invited guest, licensee, or had another legal right to be on the property.

How Quickly Do Businesses Typically Delete Security Camera Footage?

Security camera footage is often overwritten or deleted after a few weeks unless the owner is asked to preserve it. Some delete it even sooner, which is why we send preservation letters immediately after being retained. Waiting even a few weeks can result in crucial evidence being permanently lost.

Will My Health Insurance Cover Medical Bills From a Slip and Fall Accident?

Your health insurance should cover your initial medical treatment, but they may seek reimbursement from any settlement or verdict you receive. We work with health insurers to negotiate reductions in these liens, allowing you to keep more of your recovery for your pain and suffering.

Can I Pursue a Claim If I Fell at Work but a Third Party Was Responsible?

Yes, you may be able to file both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate personal injury lawsuit. For example, if you fell due to a dangerous condition created by a contractor or vendor rather than your direct employer, you could have a third-party liability claim in addition to your workers’ comp benefits.

What Happens If the Property Owner’s Insurance Company Contacts Me Directly?

Politely decline to give any statements or sign any documents without first consulting an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to get information that can be used to minimize or deny your claim. Let us handle all communications with insurance companies to protect your interests.

Skilled Slip and Fall Accident Law Firm in Hempstead, New York

Time is not on your side after a slip and fall accident. Evidence disappears, witnesses forget details, and strict legal deadlines begin running immediately. Don’t risk your right to compensation by waiting to seek help.

At Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, we understand the pain and uncertainty you’re facing. We’re here to take the burden of the legal fight off your shoulders so you can focus on healing and getting your life back on track.

Our team is ready to provide the aggressive representation and compassionate support you need during this difficult time. We’ve helped countless Hempstead residents recover the compensation they deserved after serious falls, and we’re prepared to fight just as hard for you.

Contact Grigor Law today for your free, no-obligation consultation. You can also visit our office at 32 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550. Hablamos español. Μιλάμε ελληνικά. We’re here when you need us most.