Brooklyn Slip & Fall Accident Lawyer
Most people who get hurt in a slip and fall believe the hardest part is proving they fell. It is not. The hardest part is proving why they fell, and who is legally responsible for the conditions that caused it. That distinction is everything in New York premises liability law. At Cohan Law Firm, our Brooklyn slip and fall accident lawyers have spent years recovering millions for injury victims across New York City, and we know exactly what insurance companies look for, what they try to deny, and how to build a case that holds negligent property owners accountable.
The Misconception That Cost Many Victims Their Cases
Here is the part most people get wrong: a slip and fall is not automatically someone else’s fault just because you fell on their property. New York law requires you to prove that the property owner or manager either created the dangerous condition, knew about it, or should have known about it through reasonable care. That last part, what the law calls “constructive notice,” is where most claims live or die. A puddle that appeared two minutes before you fell is very different from one that had been sitting there for six hours while employees walked past it.
Insurance adjusters know this. Within days of your accident, they begin building a case that the hazard appeared suddenly, that you were not watching where you were going, or that you were wearing inappropriate footwear. They are not looking for the truth. They are looking for an exit. That is why the way you respond in the hours and days after a fall matters enormously, and why having experienced legal representation early in the process makes a real difference in how your case unfolds.
Brooklyn properties span an enormous range, from Fulton Street retail corridors and Atlantic Terminal to aging apartment buildings in Flatbush and Crown Heights, to grocery stores along Church Avenue. Each type of property comes with its own legal standards, its own maintenance obligations, and its own documentation trail. Cohan Law Firm understands the full picture.
What New York Premises Liability Law Actually Requires
New York General Obligations Law and a well-established body of case law set out the framework for slip and fall liability. Property owners owe a duty of reasonable care to anyone who enters their premises lawfully. This includes customers, tenants, guests, and in many circumstances, even individuals who enter for a purpose the owner should have anticipated. The duty extends to inspecting the property regularly, correcting known hazards in a timely manner, and posting adequate warnings when a hazard cannot be immediately fixed.
What makes Brooklyn cases particularly interesting from a legal standpoint is the density and variety of the built environment. You may fall on a sidewalk that is legally the maintenance responsibility of the adjacent property owner under New York City Administrative Code Section 7-210. You may fall in a building hallway where the landlord’s duty under the Multiple Dwelling Law applies. You may fall in a store where a franchisee’s obligations differ from a corporate owner’s. Each scenario requires a different legal approach, and mixing them up produces weak claims.
New York also follows a comparative fault rule, meaning that even if you are found partially responsible for your own fall, you can still recover damages. However, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance companies love to argue that the victim shares the blame. Our attorneys anticipate that argument and work to neutralize it with evidence gathered early in the investigation, including surveillance footage, maintenance logs, incident reports, and witness statements.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Injuries Across Brooklyn Properties
In dense urban environments, hazardous conditions accumulate faster than many property owners respond to them. Cracked sidewalk slabs, uneven stair edges, wet floors without warning signs, broken handrails, inadequate lighting in stairwells, ice and snow left unaddressed after a storm, loose floor mats in entryways, and freshly mopped floors without any posted notice are among the most common causes of serious injuries we see at Cohan Law Firm. These are not freak accidents. They are predictable failures by property owners who prioritized cost savings over the safety of the people on their premises.
The injuries from these falls can be severe. Head and brain injuries, neck and back injuries, fractures, and in serious cases, outcomes that require long-term care or result in permanent disability. According to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the leading cause of emergency department visits in the United States, and a significant portion of those result in hospitalizations. In a city with the foot traffic density that Brooklyn sees daily, these numbers translate into real people facing real financial and physical hardship.
What often surprises clients is that the injuries sustained in a fall are frequently more serious than what emergency room notes initially reflect. Adrenaline, the chaos of the moment, and a natural tendency to minimize the situation can all mask injury severity. We always advise people to follow up with specialists, get proper imaging done, and document every symptom. That medical record becomes a cornerstone of your case, and gaps in it become ammunition for the other side.
How Cohan Law Firm Builds and Fights Your Case
From the moment you contact us, our approach is proactive. We do not wait for the insurance company to set the terms of the conversation. We investigate immediately, often sending a team to document the scene before the property owner has a chance to repair the hazard and erase the evidence. Surveillance camera footage in particular has a short lifespan on most commercial properties, sometimes as little as 30 days before it is overwritten. Moving quickly to preserve that footage can be the difference between a strong case and a very difficult one.
At Cohan Law Firm, over $100 million has been recovered for accident victims across New York City. That track record was built by treating every case as if it were the firm’s most important one, because to the person living with the injury, it is. Our team keeps clients informed and updated at every stage. We combine aggressive legal strategy with genuine care for the people we represent. As one client put it, we treat people like family members rather than case numbers, and that approach shows in how we prepare, negotiate, and when necessary, litigate.
We operate on a contingency fee basis, which means no fees unless we win. We know that a serious injury already creates financial strain. Adding legal bills to that burden before a case is resolved is not how we operate. Our Brooklyn slip and fall clients get access to experienced advocacy without upfront costs, and we work to maximize every element of their recovery, including medical expenses, lost wages, future care needs, and pain and suffering.
Brooklyn Slip & Fall Accident FAQs
How long do I have to file a slip and fall lawsuit in New York?
In most slip and fall cases involving private property in New York, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident. However, if your fall occurred on New York City property or involved a city-owned sidewalk, you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the accident. Missing that deadline can permanently bar your claim. This is one of the most consequential procedural deadlines in premises liability law, and the sooner you contact an attorney, the more protected you are.
What if I was partly at fault for my fall?
New York follows a pure comparative negligence rule. You can still recover compensation even if you were partly responsible for the fall. If a jury finds you 30 percent at fault, you recover 70 percent of your total damages. Insurance companies often inflate a victim’s share of fault to reduce what they owe, which is exactly why having legal representation during negotiations matters so much.
Can I sue a landlord for a slip and fall in a Brooklyn apartment building?
Yes. Landlords in New York, particularly those governed by the Multiple Dwelling Law, have a duty to maintain common areas, stairwells, hallways, and building entrances in a reasonably safe condition. If a landlord failed to repair a known hazard or ignored proper maintenance, they can be held liable for resulting injuries. Documentation of prior complaints or repair requests can significantly strengthen these cases.
What evidence is most important in a Brooklyn slip and fall case?
Surveillance video is often the most powerful evidence available, but it must be preserved quickly before it is overwritten. In addition, photographs of the scene taken immediately after the fall, any incident report filed with the property owner, witness contact information, medical records documenting your injuries, and maintenance logs or inspection records from the property all contribute to building a compelling case. An experienced attorney can send formal preservation demands and subpoena records that you would have no right to obtain on your own.
Does it matter where exactly in Brooklyn the fall happened?
Yes, the location affects which legal standards apply, who the responsible party is, and in some cases, which court handles the claim. A fall at a privately owned retail store follows different rules than a fall on a city-maintained staircase in a subway station, which would involve the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Identifying the right defendant and the right legal framework from the beginning is critical to a successful outcome.
What compensation can I recover after a slip and fall injury?
Recoverable damages typically include past and future medical expenses, lost wages and diminished earning capacity, rehabilitation and physical therapy costs, pain and suffering, and in cases of particularly egregious negligence, potentially punitive damages. The full picture of what your injury has cost you, financially and personally, is what a thorough case evaluation examines. Do not settle for a quick insurance offer before you fully understand the long-term impact of your injuries.
Serving Throughout Brooklyn and New York City
Cohan Law Firm proudly represents slip and fall injury victims across Brooklyn and the surrounding boroughs. From the commercial stretches of Downtown Brooklyn near Metrotech Center to the residential neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Sunset Park in the southwest, to the rapidly developing areas of Williamsburg and Greenpoint along the East River waterfront, we are familiar with the properties, streets, and legal landscape that define this borough. We also serve clients in Flatbush, Crown Heights, Canarsie, East New York, and Brownsville, where older building stock and high-density residential use create frequent maintenance challenges. Our reach extends throughout all five boroughs, including Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens, as well as Long Island, ensuring that wherever your accident occurred, our team can respond. Kings County Supreme Court at 360 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn handles many premises liability cases arising from the borough, and our attorneys are deeply familiar with how those proceedings work from initial filing through trial.
Contact a Brooklyn Premises Liability Attorney Today
The longer a slip and fall case sits unaddressed, the more evidence disappears and the harder it becomes to build the kind of thorough case that produces results. Surveillance footage gets erased. Witnesses forget details. Property owners repair the hazard and argue it never existed. The window to act is real, and it closes faster than most people realize. If you were hurt on someone else’s property and you believe their negligence played a role, speaking with a Brooklyn premises liability attorney at Cohan Law Firm costs you nothing and could make an enormous difference in what you recover. We offer free, confidential consultations, we work on a no win, no fee basis, and we are ready to fight for the full compensation you deserve. Hablamos Español.