A wet floor with no warning sign. An icy sidewalk no one bothered to clear. A broken stair in a dark hallway. Property owners are required to keep their premises safe — and when they don't, Segal Law Firm makes them answer for it.
Slip-and-fall cases are routinely dismissed by insurers as 'minor.' They're not. A bad fall can mean a herniated disc, a hip replacement, a brain injury, or years of physical therapy. We make sure your case is valued for what it actually cost you.
What property owners actually owe you
Under New York law, owners of stores, restaurants, apartment buildings, hotels, sidewalks and other properties have a duty to keep them reasonably safe — and to warn visitors about hazards they know about (or should know about).
To win, we have to prove the owner had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition and failed to fix or warn about it. That means securing surveillance footage, maintenance logs, sweep sheets and incident reports — fast, before they 'disappear.'
What you may recover
- Medical bills (past & future)
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Surgery & rehabilitation
- Permanent disability
- Out-of-pocket expenses
What to do right after a fall
These steps protect both your health and your claim.
Photograph the hazard immediately
Wet floor, broken stair, icy patch, missing handrail. Within hours it will be cleaned, salted or repaired.
Report it in writing
Ask for a manager. Insist on a written incident report. Get a copy before you leave the property.
See a doctor today
Don't 'walk it off.' Soft-tissue and disc injuries often worsen overnight, and treatment gaps destroy claims.
Don't post on social media
Defense lawyers and insurers monitor your accounts. A vacation photo can be twisted to suggest you weren't really hurt.
Why fall victims trust Segal
We move fast on evidence
Preservation letters within 24 hours so surveillance footage and sweep logs are saved before they're erased.
Notice — proven
We track down maintenance schedules, complaint history, prior incidents — the kind of proof that closes the 'we didn't know' defense.
We push back on bias
Insurers love to call slip-and-falls 'the plaintiff's fault.' We prove who actually failed to keep the property safe.
Personal attention
Direct attorney contact, same-day callbacks, clear updates. You're not a file number here.
Surveillance footage may be erased in days.
Most stores and buildings overwrite their video within 30 to 90 days — sometimes within a week. We send preservation letters immediately so it can't 'disappear.'
The cases we handle
Every kind of dangerous property in New York
Slip on wet floors
Grocery stores, bodegas, restaurants, lobbies. We prove how long the hazard existed and whether anyone was monitoring it.
Ice & snow falls
Sidewalks, parking lots, building entrances. NYC has strict snow-removal rules — and most owners ignore them.
Broken stairs & sidewalks
Cracked steps, loose handrails, raised pavement. Often the result of deferred maintenance the owner knew about for years.
Inadequate lighting
Dark stairwells, unlit parking lots, dim hallways. Common in apartment buildings and parking garages.
Falling merchandise
Improperly stacked products in stores. Big-box retailers are routinely cited for unsafe shelving practices.
Negligent security
Assaults in poorly-secured buildings, parking lots, hotels and bars. Owners can be liable for foreseeable crime.
Pool & recreation injuries
Drowning, slip injuries, missing barriers, lack of supervision at gyms, hotels, condo pools.
Dog bites & animal attacks
New York law allows recovery from owners and sometimes landlords when dangerous animals cause injury.
Frequently asked
Answers before you call
I didn't take photos at the scene. Do I still have a case?+
Probably yes. We can often pull surveillance footage, incident reports, witness statements and prior complaint history if we act quickly. Don't assume your case is gone — call us.
What if I was partially at fault?+
New York follows comparative fault. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of blame — but you can still recover. Insurers love to inflate your share, so it's important to have an attorney push back.
How long do I have to file?+
Generally three years for slip-and-fall against a private owner. But if the fall happened on city, state or NYCHA property, you may have only 90 days to file a notice of claim. Call us early.
How do you prove the owner knew about the hazard?+
Maintenance logs, prior complaint records, surveillance footage, witness testimony, and sweep schedules. We subpoena it all.
Are slip-and-fall settlements small?+
Not when the injury is real. A bad fall can mean a herniated disc, a hip fracture, or a brain injury — cases that settle for six and seven figures when properly proven.
What does it cost?+
Nothing upfront. Contingency only. No fee unless we recover for you.
Contact
Hurt on someone's property? Let's talk.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. We act fast to preserve evidence.