We take trip-and-fall and slip-and-fall cases in New York, including cases against New York City and its agencies.
You may have caught your foot on a raised sidewalk flag, missed a broken stair in your building, or slipped on a wet floor in a store. Where it happened matters. It decides who may be responsible, and the first deadline can be as short as 90 days.
What to do after a fall
Most of what shows how a fall happened goes away quickly. Sidewalks get patched and floors get mopped.
- See a doctor, and tell them where and how you fell.
- Photograph the spot before anyone fixes it. Put a coin, a key or your shoe next to the crack or the step so the photo shows its size, and note the street address.
- Keep the shoes you were wearing. Don't clean them.
- Write down the names and phone numbers of anyone who saw you fall or helped you up.
- Tell the owner, the store manager or the building super what happened, and ask for a copy of any report they make.
- Keep your medical papers, bills and receipts together.
Deadlines that can apply
In New York the general deadline to sue for a personal injury is three years, with exceptions (CPLR §214). Falls on public property are the exception people miss.
A claim against New York City, a county, a town or a village starts with a notice of claim, served within 90 days of the fall (General Municipal Law §50-e). A judge can allow a late notice but doesn't have to. The lawsuit itself has to start within one year and 90 days of the fall, and no sooner than 30 days after you serve the notice (§50-i). For the City, the notice goes to the New York City Comptroller.
Our notice of claim guide goes through what the notice must say, how to file it and the 50-h hearing that can follow.
Some public bodies have their own laws with the same 90-day notice and the same one year and 90 days to sue. Two of them: the New York City Transit Authority (Public Authorities Law §1212) and housing authorities (Public Housing Law §157).
Not legal advice. We checked these laws on November 10, 2026. Which deadline applies to you depends on where you fell and who owns that place, so call us early.
Who may be responsible
On most New York City sidewalks, the owner of the property next to the sidewalk has to keep it reasonably safe. That includes repairing broken flags and clearing snow and ice, and the owner can be liable for injuries when that isn't done (NYC Administrative Code §7-210; see the Department of Transportation's guide for property owners).
There is one exception. If the property is a one-, two- or three-family house, the owner lives there, and it is used only as a home, that rule doesn't apply to the owner. For those sidewalks the City can still be responsible.
A claim against the City over a broken street or sidewalk has another hurdle. Under Administrative Code §7-201(c)(2), the City generally must have had written notice of that defect and failed to fix it within 15 days.
Inside a store, an apartment building or an office, these sidewalk rules don't decide the case. Who is responsible there depends on who owned or ran the place and on the facts of your fall.
Talk to a lawyer about your fall
The consultation is free. Call 718.376.0216, or send us a message telling us where and how you fell.
We meet clients at our Manhattan office, 425 Madison Ave, Suite 505, by appointment only. We can work with clients in English and Russian.
We take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there is no attorney's fee unless we recover compensation in your case. Your written fee agreement will explain any costs and expenses you may be responsible for, whatever the outcome.