NYC Personal Injury Lawyer » Brooklyn Sidewalk Cellar Door Attorney

Brooklyn Sidewalk Cellar Door Attorney

Thousands of sidewalk cellar doors throughout Brooklyn allow basement access to urban property owners. These were once commonly used for coal deliveries and are still used for commercial goods deliveries and storage. Today, Brooklyn residents rarely think twice when crossing sidewalk cellar doors. Unfortunately, poor cellar door maintenance can present a serious safety hazard to pedestrians. If you suffered an injury caused by a sidewalk cellar door in Brooklyn, you deserve legal representation from a Brooklyn slip and fall lawyer that gets results.

Call (212) 564-2800 today.

How Do Brooklyn Sidewalk Cellar Doors Cause Injuries?

New York City’s Administrative Code for Sidewalk Rules puts requirements in place for property owners whose property abuts sidewalks, including property owners with sidewalk cellar doors. A cellar door must be:

• Flush with the surrounding sidewalk
• Free of protruding hardware
• Free of dents and gaps
• Have a slip-resistant surface
• Strong enough to resist bending or depressing inward when stepped on by pedestrians
• Closed at all times unless in active use for loading or unloading, in which case, an employee or other individual must stand by and warn pedestrians away from the open door

In addition to safety requirements for sidewalk cellar doors, both commercial and private property owners in Brooklyn must prevent cracks and other dangerous conditions on the sidewalk area surrounding their cellar doors.

Brooklyn Sidewalk Cellar Door Accidents

Walking is something we accomplish without thought, but when an irregularity arises underfoot, it can throw a pedestrian off-balance, causing a fall. Sidewalk cellar door or grate irregularities can cause a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident with the pedestrian landing on the hard sidewalk or cellar door. Common sidewalk cellar door injuries include the following:

• Soft-tissue injuries, such as sprains, strains, torn ligaments, and tendon injuries to knees, ankles, shoulders, and elbows
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Fractures
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Abrasions, contusions, and lacerations
• Facial and dental trauma
• Spinal cord injuries

Injuries from sidewalk cellar door accidents range from mild injuries, such as a sprained ankle, to moderate injuries like an ACL tear or a severe injury from falling into an open cellar door.

What Compensation Can I Recover In a Claim Against a Negligent Property Owner After a Sidewalk Cellar Door Accident?

If you suffered an injury in a fall caused by a poorly maintained cellar door, you can recover your injury-related losses through a premises liability claim against the property owner. New York CPLR § 1411, the law of pure comparative negligence. Typically, compensation comes from the property owner’s liability insurance. Common recoverable damages in these claims include the following:

• Reimbursement for medical expenses
• Anticipated future medical expenses related to the injury
• Out-of-pocket costs
• Lost earnings
• Future income loss or diminished future earning capacity
• Compensation for pain and suffering

If the injury caused permanent harm like scarring, disability, disfigurement, or the loss of one of the senses, catastrophic injury damages could also be available. A premises liability lawyer in Brooklyn will assist in getting you the compensation you deserve.

How Can a Sidewalk Cellar Door Attorney In Brooklyn Help?

Insurance companies are not on your side, even if they sound compassionate on the phone. Their objective is to protect their profits, which conflicts with your goals to recover the full and fair compensation you deserve.

Call or contact The Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel for skilled, assertive legal representation throughout the process of your Brooklyn sidewalk cellar door injury claim.