Ridgewood Slip and Fall Lawyer

When property owners in Ridgewood, New York, neglect basic safety, people get hurt. Wet floors left unmarked, broken pavement ignored for months, ice-covered steps without salt or warning signs—these hazards can cause serious injuries to Ridgewood residents.

If you’re dealing with injuries from a preventable fall, you need an experienced Ridgewood slip and fall lawyer who understands both the law and what you’re facing right now.

At Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, we’ve helped countless Ridgewood residents fight back after property owners failed to keep their premises safe.

We know what you’re going through because we’ve walked this path with hundreds of clients. The medical bills pile up fast, work becomes impossible, and insurance companies start calling with lowball offers. As your slip and fall attorneys in Ridgewood, New York, we step in to handle the legal battle while you focus on healing.

Injured in a slip and fall? Call (718) 249-7447 for your free consultation. We don’t get paid unless you do.

Do You Have a Valid Slip and Fall Case in New York?

You have a case if someone else’s negligence caused your fall and injuries. Slip and fall cases fall under premises liability law, which means property owners must keep their spaces reasonably safe for visitors.

To win your case, we need 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: The hazardous condition directly caused your fall and injuries.
• Damages: You suffered real harm like medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering.

Not every fall creates a valid case. If you tripped over your own shoelaces or fell due to your own clumsiness, there’s no negligence to prove. But if you slipped on a wet floor without warning signs or tripped on a broken sidewalk the owner knew about, that’s different.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Your Ridgewood Slip and Fall?

Multiple parties might share responsibility for your injuries, depending on who controlled the property where you fell. Identifying all liable parties is crucial because it affects how much compensation you can recover.

Common defendants in slip and fall cases include:

• Property owners: Landlords and building owners responsible for overall maintenance and safety.
• Business operators: Store managers and restaurant owners who lease space but control daily operations.
• Management companies: Third-party firms hired to maintain apartment buildings or commercial properties.
• Contractors: Snow removal, cleaning, or maintenance companies whose negligence created the hazard.
• Government entities: NYC or the MTA for falls on public sidewalks, subway stations, or bus stops.

Under NYC Administrative Code §7-210, property owners are generally responsible for maintaining sidewalks next to their buildings. However, claims against government entities have special rules, including a strict 90-day deadline to file a Notice of Claim.

What to Do Immediately After a Slip and Fall Accident

The steps you take right after a fall can make or break your case. Your first priority is getting medical help, but documenting everything is also critical for protecting your legal rights.

Seek Medical Attention and Report the Incident

Get to a hospital or urgent care clinic immediately, even if you feel okay. Injuries like concussions or internal damage don’t always show symptoms right away. Tell the property owner or manager about your fall and ask for a written incident report, but don’t sign anything they give you.

Never say “I’m fine” or downplay your injuries. Insurance companies will use these statements against you later. Stick to the facts about what happened without admitting fault or minimizing your pain.

Document the Scene and Gather Evidence

Take photos and videos of the exact spot where you fell, showing the hazardous condition that caused your accident. Capture the surrounding area, your injuries, and the shoes you were wearing. If anyone witnessed your fall, get their names and contact information before they leave.

Write down everything you remember about the accident while it’s fresh in your memory. Note the time, date, weather conditions, and lighting. This information becomes crucial evidence later.

Preserve Important Evidence

Ask the property owner to preserve any surveillance video of your accident. Security camera footage can be overwritten quickly, so act promptly to preserve any recordings. Keep the clothes and shoes you wore during the fall in a safe place—they can be important evidence.

Start keeping a daily journal of your pain levels, medical treatments, and how your injuries affect your daily activities. This documentation helps prove the full impact of your accident.

Avoid Giving Statements to Insurance Companies

Insurance adjusters will call you within days, sounding helpful and concerned. Don’t be fooled—their job is to pay you as little as possible. They’re trained to ask questions that can be twisted to deny or reduce your claim.

Politely tell them you’re represented by our experienced Ridgewood slip and fall lawyers and refer all calls to us. Never give a recorded statement or sign any documents without your lawyer reviewing them first.

Common Locations Where Slip and Fall Accidents Happen in Ridgewood

Ridgewood’s busy streets, older buildings, and heavy foot traffic create numerous hazards that can cause serious injuries. We’ve represented clients hurt in falls throughout the neighborhood, from Myrtle Avenue shops to residential apartment buildings.

Supermarkets and Retail Stores

Grocery stores see frequent spills in their aisles—everything from produce to cleaning products creates slippery surfaces. Wet floors from mopping or leaky freezers often lack proper warning signs. Cluttered walkways and merchandise left in aisles create tripping hazards.

Apartment Buildings and Residential Properties

Many of Ridgewood’s older apartment buildings have dangerous conditions like broken handrails, poor lighting in stairwells, and worn carpeting on stairs. Loose tiles in lobbies and uneven flooring create unexpected hazards for residents and visitors.

Sidewalks and Public Walkways

Cracked and uneven sidewalks along Fresh Pond Road and Seneca Avenue pose constant dangers, especially where tree roots have pushed up concrete slabs. Broken curbs and poorly maintained crosswalks catch pedestrians off guard.

MTA Stations and Public Transportation

The Myrtle-Wyckoff and Fresh Pond Road subway stations see numerous slip and fall accidents from wet platforms, gaps between trains and platforms, and sudden stops that throw passengers off balance. Bus accidents happen when drivers brake suddenly or accelerate too quickly.

Parking Lots and Garages

Poorly lit parking areas, potholes, and uneven pavement create hazards, especially in winter when snow and ice aren’t properly cleared. Shopping center parking lots often have drainage problems that create puddles and ice patches.

Types of Injuries Caused by Slip and Fall Accidents

Falls can cause devastating injuries that affect every aspect of your life. What seems like a simple tumble can result in serious medical conditions requiring months or years of treatment.

The most common slip and fall injuries include:

• Traumatic brain injuries: Even minor head impacts can cause concussions or more severe brain damage requiring extensive rehabilitation.
• Broken bones: Hip fractures, wrist breaks, and ankle injuries often require surgery and lengthy recovery periods.
• Spinal cord injuries: Herniated discs, compression fractures, and nerve damage can cause chronic pain and mobility issues.
• Soft tissue injuries: Torn ligaments, muscle strains, and joint damage may not heal properly without proper treatment.

Older adults face higher risks of serious complications from falls. A broken hip can lead to permanent disability, while head injuries can cause lasting cognitive problems. Even younger victims can suffer injuries that prevent them from working or enjoying activities they once loved.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Slip and Fall?

New York law allows you to seek compensation for all the ways your accident has impacted your life. We fight to recover every dollar you deserve, not just what insurance companies want to pay.

Economic damages cover your financial losses:

• Medical expenses: Emergency room visits, surgery, physical therapy, medications, and future medical care.
• Lost income: Wages you’ve missed while recovering and any reduction in your future earning capacity.
• Out-of-pocket costs: Transportation to medical appointments, home modifications, and household help.

Non-economic damages compensate for intangible losses:

• Pain and suffering: Physical pain and emotional distress caused by your injuries.
• Loss of enjoyment: Inability to participate in hobbies, sports, or activities you once enjoyed.
• Emotional trauma: Anxiety, depression, or fear of falling again.

If a slip and fall accident results in death, family members can pursue wrongful death claims to recover compensation for their losses, including funeral expenses and loss of financial support.

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

Time limits for filing slip and fall lawsuits vary depending on who owns the property where you were injured. Missing these deadlines can destroy your case completely, so acting quickly is essential.

For accidents on private property, you generally have three years from the date of your fall to file a lawsuit. This might seem like plenty of time, but evidence disappears quickly, witnesses move away, and surveillance video gets deleted.

Government property cases have much shorter deadlines. If you slipped and fell on NYC property or MTA premises, you must file a Notice of Claim within just 90 days. This formal document notifies the government of your intent to sue and preserves your right to seek compensation.

The sooner you contact a Ridgewood slip and fall lawyer, the better we can protect your rights and preserve crucial evidence.

Can You Still Recover Compensation if You Were Partly at Fault?

Yes, you can still win your case even if you were partially responsible for your accident. New York follows pure comparative negligence rules, which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you’re never 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. You’d still recover 80% of your total damages. If your case was worth $100,000, you’d receive $80,000.

Insurance companies always try to shift blame onto accident victims to reduce their payouts. They’ll claim you weren’t watching where you were going, were wearing inappropriate shoes, or should have seen the obvious hazard. We know how to fight back against these tactics and protect your right to fair compensation.

Why Insurance Companies Fight Slip and Fall Claims

Insurance companies make money by collecting premiums and paying out as little as possible in claims. They have teams of adjusters, investigators, and lawyers working to deny or minimize your compensation.

Common tactics they use include:

• Quick settlement offers: They’ll offer fast cash before you know the full extent of your injuries.
• Recorded statements: They ask leading questions designed to get you to admit fault or downplay your injuries.
• Surveillance: They may hire investigators to film you doing activities that contradict your injury claims.
• Delay tactics: They drag out the process hoping you’ll get desperate and accept less money.

Having an experienced slip and fall attorney in Ridgewood levels the playing field. We know their tricks and have the resources to fight back effectively.

How We Prove Your Slip and Fall Case

Building a winning slip and fall case requires thorough investigation and aggressive evidence gathering. We leave no stone unturned in proving the property owner’s negligence caused your injuries.

Securing Surveillance Video and Witness Testimony

Most businesses and apartment buildings have security cameras that capture accidents. We immediately send preservation letters demanding they save all relevant footage before it’s automatically deleted. We also track down witnesses and take detailed statements while their memories are fresh.

Obtaining Maintenance and Inspection Records

Property owners are required to keep records of cleaning schedules, maintenance work, and safety inspections. These documents often reveal they knew about dangerous conditions but failed to fix them. We subpoena these records and use them to prove negligence.

Working with Expert Witnesses

We hire engineers, safety experts, and medical professionals to strengthen your case. They can testify about building code violations, proper maintenance standards, and the full extent of your injuries. Expert testimony often makes the difference between winning and losing.

Investigating Similar Incidents

If other people have been injured in the same location, it proves the property owner knew about the dangerous condition. Our Ridgewood personal injury lawyers research accident reports, insurance claims, and court records to find evidence of prior incidents.

Why Choose Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers for Your Case?

When you’re up against powerful property owners and their insurance companies, you need a law firm with the experience and determination to fight for your rights. Chrissy Grigoropoulos has built her reputation on taking tough cases and winning.

Our advantages include:

• Local knowledge: We know Ridgewood’s streets, buildings, and common hazards that cause accidents.
• Multilingual service: Our team speaks Spanish, Greek, French-Creole, and Korean to serve our diverse community.
• 24/7 availability: Legal emergencies don’t wait for business hours, and neither do we.
• No upfront fees: You pay nothing unless we successfully resolve your case.
• Proven results: Hundreds of five-star reviews from clients who got the compensation they deserved.

We’re not just your lawyers—we’re your neighbors who understand what you’re going through. When insurance companies see our name on a case, they know we mean business.

Contact a Ridgewood Slip and Fall Lawyer Today

If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident, time is working against you. Evidence disappears, witnesses forget details, and legal deadlines approach quickly. The sooner you call us, the better we can protect your rights and build a strong case.

Our consultations are always free, and you’ll speak directly with an attorney who cares about your case. We’ll explain your rights, answer your questions, and help you understand what to expect. There’s no pressure and no obligation—just honest answers from experienced advocates.

Don’t let property owners and insurance companies take advantage of you during this difficult time. You deserve fair compensation for your injuries, and we’re here to fight for every dollar you’re owed.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I Slipped on a NYC Sidewalk, Do I Sue the City or the Property Owner?

You typically sue the adjacent property owner because they’re responsible for sidewalk maintenance under NYC law. You’d only sue the city if they created the defect through construction work or negligent tree planting.

How Quickly Must I File a Notice of Claim Against NYC or the MTA?

You have exactly 90 days from your accident date to file this required document. Missing this strict deadline will almost certainly prevent you from recovering any compensation from government entities.

Can I Still Win My Case if There’s No Surveillance Video of My Fall?

Yes, we can build strong cases using witness testimony, photos of the hazard, your medical records, maintenance logs, and expert witness testimony about the dangerous condition.

What Happens if I Was Wearing High Heels When I Slipped and Fell?

Your choice of footwear might reduce your compensation under comparative negligence rules, but it won’t prevent you from recovering damages if the property owner was also negligent.

Will Filing a Slip and Fall Lawsuit Affect My Immigration Status?

No, your immigration status has no bearing on your right to seek compensation for injuries caused by someone else’s negligence. We protect your privacy throughout the legal process.

Who Pays My Medical Bills While My Slip and Fall Case Is Pending?

Your health insurance typically covers immediate medical expenses, or you may pay out of pocket initially. We then seek full reimbursement from the responsible party’s insurance company.

Can I Sue if I Fell at Work Due to a Dangerous Condition?

You may have both a workers’ compensation claim against your employer and a separate lawsuit against the property owner if they created or failed to fix the hazardous condition.

What if the Property Owner Claims the Dangerous Condition Was “Open and Obvious”?

This defense doesn’t automatically bar your case in New York. Even obvious hazards can be unreasonably dangerous, and property owners may still have a duty to fix them or provide adequate warnings.