You Need an Experienced New York Premises Liability Lawyer
When you’re hurt on someone else’s property, we can help.
People who own or manage property have a legal responsibility to keep their premises safe. We’ve seen firsthand what happens when they don’t take that responsibility seriously. Lives can be permanently changed or cut short because a property owner left their premises in a dangerous condition. If this happened to you, you may be looking at medical expenses, lost income, physical and emotional pain, and other costs – and you deserve to be made whole again.
We know New York law, and we’re passionate about standing up for people injured due to the negligence of others. We have gotten big results in multiple premises liability cases, including:
- $2.2 million for a convenience store customer who fell through a trap door
- $1.137 million for a victim of excessive force by a security guard
You have rights, but you have to fight for them – and that starts by choosing the right attorney. If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, contact us right away for a free consultation with a New York premises liability attorney.
What is a premises liability case?
Premises liability law is the subset of personal injury law that deals with dangerous conditions on property. In a premises liability claim, the defendant (that is, the at-fault party) is typically the owner or manager of the property, or an occupant who has some responsibility for the premises, such as a tenant. (For the purposes of this page, we refer to the at-fault party generically as the property owner.)
Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents are perhaps the most common premises liability cases, but any incident that occurs due to a property owner’s negligence falls under premises liability law. Another application of premises liability law is a negligent security claim; that is, a claim filed by a victim of a crime that could have been prevented with reasonable security measures on the premises.
How premises liability cases work in New York
New York is a “reasonable care” state for premises liability cases. This means that property owners are required to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition and prevent foreseeable accidents from occurring. In other words, property owners are required to remedy unsafe conditions on the property or warn visitors of potentially dangerous conditions that are not open and obvious.
The reasonable care standard replaced the old common-law standards that assigned different responsibilities depending on the injured person’s status as an invitee, licensee, or trespasser. In New York, even trespassers have some rights, depending on the circumstances of the injury.
In general, to win a premises liability case in New York, we have to prove that your injury was caused by a dangerous condition on the premises, and that one of the following three criteria was satisfied:
- The property owner (or an agent of the owner, such as an employee) created the dangerous condition.
- The property owner knew about the dangerous condition and failed to address it.
- The property owner should have known about the dangerous condition and failed to address it.
Proving this can be a difficult, factually intensive process that requires in-depth investigation and a solid legal strategy. That’s why choosing the right premises liability attorney will make all the difference.
You can count on us to build a strong case on your behalf
Your premises liability claim starts with your story. You were there, you know what happened, and you know how it has affected your life. When you come to our office for your free consultation, we’ll listen to that story – and start thinking about the resolution of your case.
If you decide to move forward, we’ll do two things right away. First, we’ll contact the insurance company for the property owner (and any other interested parties) to let them know that you have hired our firm. From that point forward, we will handle day-to-day negotiations and communication with the insurance company, while keeping you involved in the overall strategy and direction of your case.
Second, we will launch an immediate investigation to secure valuable evidence pertinent to your claim. We pore over documents, including incident reports directly related to your injuries as well as records that may show a pattern of dangerous conditions or recklessness on the part of the property owner. We interview witnesses, collect physical evidence, and when necessary, retain experts who can explain the safety standards that the property owner violated. Usually, when the insurance companies see our preparation, they offer a fair settlement. When they don’t, we are ready to take them to trial.
The road to recovery after a premises liability injury can be long, but we will walk it alongside you, every step of the way. We handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us a penny out of pocket. If we win, our fee is a percentage of the money we recover for you; if we don’t win, you don’t pay. No recovery, no fee. It’s that simple.
Contact an experienced premises liability lawyer today
Again, you need to act quickly in a premises liability case. Evidence can disappear fast. There are also legal deadlines that need to be met, especially if you were hurt on property owned by the City of New York or another government entity. The sooner you talk to us, the stronger your case will be.
Don’t go it alone after an injury on someone else’s property. Choose a lawyer who knows how to hold negligent property owners accountable. Contact Keogh Crispi, P.C. today to schedule your free consultation.