LIBRARY > ACCIDENTS > ON THE STREET

New York's streets are so poorly maintained that it's no wonder people hurt themselves tripping and falling. In order to keep New York's litigation costs down, city lawmakers have established barriers that either shift the responsibility for defective sidewalks to nearby owners of private property or serve to keep accident victims from making claims against the City for injuries resulting from a trip or fall on a defective City sidewalk.

Unfortunately preventing injury through proper maintenance is not a priority, the City has found that it is easier and cheaper to blame the victims.

The City has passed legislation shifting the responsibility for accidents caused by defective or dangerous sidewalks, in many instances, onto private property owners. The lawyers at Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman have developed an expertise in addressing the issues raised by this legislation and protecting the rights of injured people.

The lawyers at Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman are experts at overcoming the legal obstacles designed to prevent trip-and-fall victims from being fairly compensated for their losses. Consult with our attorneys as soon as possible to investigate any injury that results from a trip or fall on a defective sidewalk to protect your rights.

We've won millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for people who've sustained serious injuries, such as broken bones when they've tripped and fallen on broken sidewalks.

If the City is the proper party to be sued for such an accident, a written claim must be filed within 90 days of the accident or the opportunity to bring suit against the City will have been lost.

TGL partner Jeffrey Lichtman, a past president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, has worked tirelessly to prevent the City from passing legislation which would have further eroded an injured person's right to be compensated for a slip or fall on a defective sidewalk. He has led the fight against the city's continued attempts to pass laws that would make it even more difficult to sue the city for a trip-and-fall accident on a City sidewalk.