A slip, a trip, a fall on an icy sidewalk or a wet supermarket floor — it can happen in a second, and the injuries can last far longer. If it happens to you in Brooklyn, what you do in the first hours and days can make a real difference. Here are five steps to take.
1. Get medical attention — even if you feel "okay"
Adrenaline hides pain. Injuries like concussions, soft-tissue damage, and fractures often feel worse a day or two later. Seeing a doctor promptly protects your health and creates a medical record that connects your injuries to the fall. Gaps in treatment are one of the first things an insurer will point to.
2. Report the fall — and get it in writing
If you fell in a store, restaurant, or building, tell the manager or owner and ask that an incident report be created. Get the name of the person you spoke with. If they write a report, ask how you can get a copy. This creates an official, dated record that the fall happened.
3. Document everything at the scene
Evidence disappears fast — the spill gets mopped, the ice melts, the broken step gets fixed. If you're able:
- Take photos and video of exactly what caused your fall, from several angles.
- Capture the surrounding area and any missing warning signs.
- Note the date, time, and lighting conditions.
- Get names and phone numbers of any witnesses.
If you're too hurt to do this, ask someone with you to do it.
4. Be careful what you say — especially to insurers
It's natural to say "I'm fine" or "I wasn't looking." Try not to. Casual comments can be twisted later into an admission that the fall was your fault. You are also not required to give the property owner's insurance company a recorded statement, and it's usually wise not to before speaking with a lawyer.
5. Talk to a lawyer before too much time passes
Premises liability cases — the legal term for injuries caused by unsafe property — turn on proving the owner knew, or should have known, about a hazard and failed to fix it. That proof depends on evidence that fades quickly. A lawyer can help preserve surveillance footage and records before they're gone, and can identify any deadlines that apply to your claim.
A note on "was it my fault?"
Many people assume that if they were partly careless, they have no case. New York uses a rule called comparative negligence, which can allow an injured person to recover even if they were partly at fault — with the recovery reduced by their share. In other words, being partly at fault doesn't automatically mean you're out of options. This is exactly the kind of thing worth asking a lawyer about.
The bottom line
Slip-and-falls are easy to shrug off and easy to under-treat — and both mistakes can cost you. Protect your health first, preserve the evidence, and get advice before the trail goes cold.
This article is general information, not legal advice. If you were injured in a fall in Brooklyn, contact Franklin Law — our intake assistant can start gathering the details any time, day or night.