New York Wet Floors Slip and Fall Accidents

Someone who is hurt on a wet floor because another person did not properly clean up a spill, used unsafe cleaning practices or failed to remove a hazard, could be held responsible in a premises liability accident filed by a New York wet floor accident attorney. A New York wet floor accident lawyer is the primary legal professional involved in the pursuit of compensation for an injured victim. Injured victims must take action as soon as possible after an incident has occurred.

This is important both for falling under the statute of limitations in New York and gaining the protections afforded to the victims of personal injury accidents, but also for the ability to collect evidence as soon as possible. Statements from eyewitnesses, photos from the scene of the incident and video captured from surveillance cameras may all be used to illustrate that a property owner or manager had reason to be aware of the wet floors issue but failed to remove it. A wet floors accident attorney in New York will be used to put together the paperwork required to file a legal claim. It is important to realize that many slip and fall incidents that ultimately develop into legal claim are resolved outside of court and not in litigation. However, the right attorney will have experience in the litigation realm as well to give the injured victim peace of mind and confidence that should the case get to that level, there is an advocate on their side. All property owners and managers throughout New York have a responsibility to ensure that their premises are reasonably free and clear of hazards. This includes wet floors. Wet floors can develop as a result of a number of different circumstances, but it is still the responsibility of the property manager or owner to respond to the situation as soon as possible and to carry out regular maintenance and reviews of the area to identify that any hazards have not emerged. Wet floors, for example, could be caused by a spill in the area

Any property owner or manager should have clearly documented guidelines for how to respond to a spill that will enable someone to be on the scene immediately before someone is at risk of slipping and falling.

Another cause of wet floors could be unsafe cleaning practices, such as cleaning materials that are not properly dispensed on the floor or removed off of the floor. When these issues occur, it is the responsibility of the property owner or manager to develop better cleaning protocol and to remove the obstacles and hazards immediately. When wet floors do occur, property owners and managers should respond by dispensing an employee to the area until proper cleaning can be achieved. Hazardous warning signs and other indications that an obstacle is present, should be replaced in the vicinity.

If the employer does not take any of these steps and especially in situations in which other people have reported the issue or previously fallen due to this wet floor condition, such as a leaking ceiling that should have been repaired but never was, the premises owner could be held responsible in a legal claim.

These issues are often complicated for the injured victim who must now focus on not being able to return to work and dealing with a variety of pain related problems in his or her daily life.

Premises liability law in New York allows injured victims to recover damages in settlements or in law suits. Consulting with an injury attorney is extremely important for pursuing a claim of this type. You need a lawyer who has extensive experience in this field to help you pursue a claim to increase your chances of maximum recovery under the law when you’ve been hurt- too much depends on your case outcome to leave this to chance.