Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers in New York

Slip and fall cases turn on one word: notice. It is not enough that you fell and got hurt. New York makes you prove the property owner either created the hazard or knew about it — actually or constructively — with enough time to fix it or warn you.

That is where most of these claims are won or lost. A store that mopped a floor and left no sign created the danger. A landlord who ignored a loose stair tread for three weeks had constructive notice. We chase the evidence that pins the timeline down before it disappears.

What you have to prove

• A dangerous condition existed — spilled liquid, a torn mat, a broken step, poor lighting, a raised sidewalk flag.
• The owner caused it or knew about it. Constructive notice means the hazard was there long enough that a reasonable inspection would have caught it.
• The condition caused your fall and injury. Owners love to argue you weren’t watching where you walked.

Slip-and-fall claims follow New York’s pure comparative negligence rule: even if a jury finds you partly at fault, you still recover — your award is just reduced by your share. That matters, because the defense will always try to put fault on you. (The stricter modified rule New York adopted in May 2026 applies only to motor vehicle cases.)

The storm-in-progress rule

On snow and ice claims, New York gives owners a shield called the storm-in-progress doctrine. A property owner is not required to clear snow or ice while a storm is still falling; the duty kicks in a reasonable time after it stops. We pull certified weather data to show the storm had ended — or that the ice you slipped on was old, refrozen, or from a defective downspout, not the fresh storm at all. Our related snow and ice accident page goes deeper on this fight.

How we build the case

We move fast to preserve surveillance video before it is overwritten, photograph the scene, identify maintenance and inspection logs, and interview witnesses while memories are fresh. In one matter we recovered $600,000 for a slip-and-fall client, and $430,000 in another. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

What drives value

• Severity of injury — fractures, herniated discs, surgery, permanent limitation
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Medical bills, past and future
• How clean the liability proof is, and how sympathetic the hazard

Deadlines are unforgiving. The general statute of limitations is three years, but if you fell on city, MTA, or Housing Authority property you may have as little as 90 days to file a Notice of Claim. Miss it and the case is usually gone. Talk to a lawyer early — see our premises liability overview or contact us for a free review.