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Slip, trip and fall claims in Bronx County

Bronx Slip and Fall Lawyer

Many Bronx falls happen in and around apartment buildings, so the first question is who owns the building: a private landlord, a co-op, NYCHA or the City. That decides who answers and how fast you must act.

Our Corona office serves the Bronx. Free consultation, no fee unless there is a recovery.

(516) 227-2662
A five-story brick apartment building with fire escapes on University Avenue in the Bronx, under a clear sky.

Who is responsible

Who owns your building?

A lease, a rent bill or a sign in the lobby usually names the owner or managing agent. If you are not sure, tell us the address and we will find out.

A private landlord
The owner and its managing agent. Complaints to the super, repair requests and building violation history show what they knew.
First deadline: Generally 3 years; no notice of claim
A co-op or condominium
The co-op corporation or condominium board and its managing agent for common areas; a unit owner for spaces it controls.
First deadline: Generally 3 years
NYCHA
The New York City Housing Authority, for its lobbies, stairs, walkways and grounds.
First deadline: Notice served on NYCHA itself; suit within 1 year 90 days (PHL 157)
A City-owned building
The City of New York, if it controlled the spot.
First deadline: Comptroller notice within 90 days (NYC Comptroller)
The sidewalk outside
Usually the abutting owner, including snow and ice. For an owner-occupied one- to three-family home used only as a residence, the City may be responsible with prior written notice.
First deadline: See § 7-210 and § 7-201

NYCHA is a public authority, so notice goes to NYCHA itself, not to the City Comptroller. Our guide to suing a city or municipality explains notices of claim.

The street staircase up to the elevated 167th Street station at River Avenue in the Bronx.

Elevated stations

Falls on elevated subway stairs

Outdoor station stairs collect rain, snow and ice. A claim against New York City Transit needs a notice of claim under the General Municipal Law rules and a lawsuit within one year and 90 days (Public Authorities Law 1212).

For snow or ice from a storm still in progress, or within a reasonable time after it, the authority is generally not liable (Solazzo); a general awareness that stairs get wet is not notice of the specific condition. Other hazards, such as a broken step or a leak, turn on notice and reasonable care. If it is safe, photograph the step, the station name and the weather, and note the time.

Deadlines

Who you claim against sets the deadline

These are the usual first deadlines for an ordinary negligence claim for personal injury, generally counted from the day of the fall. Wrongful death and other special claims run on different clocks.

A private owner, landlord, store or other business
No notice of claim. A lawsuit generally must be started within three years of the injury (CPLR 214).
The City of New York
A notice of claim filed with the Comptroller within 90 days of the incident, through eClaim or in person or by mail (email is not accepted), and a lawsuit within one year and 90 days (NYC Comptroller).
New York City Transit (subway stations, stairs and platforms)
A notice of claim under the General Municipal Law 50-e rules, which generally means within 90 days, and a lawsuit within one year and 90 days of the fall (Public Authorities Law 1212). Other transit operators have their own rules.
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
Notice is served on NYCHA itself, not the Comptroller, under the notice-of-claim rules, and a lawsuit generally must be started within one year and 90 days (Public Housing Law 157).
The State of New York
In the Court of Claims: the claim filed and served within 90 days after it accrues, or a notice of intention served within those 90 days (Court of Claims Act 10).
The injured person is a child
CPLR 208 can extend the time to sue, but notice deadlines against public bodies still need attention right away.

Snow and ice. An owner is generally not liable for snow or ice from a storm still in progress, or for a reasonable time after it ends (Solazzo), unless its clearing created a new hazard or made the storm's hazard worse (Henenlotter). After that, an untreated walk can be negligence. The City's four-hour clearing rule, not counting 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (§ 16-123), is evidence, not automatic liability. See our New York slip and fall page.

If you were partly at fault. In a fall case your share of fault generally reduces the damages in proportion; it does not bar the claim (CPLR 1411). The 2026 change that can bar recovery applies to no-fault motor-vehicle injury actions, not to falls on property.

An owner may argue the hazard was open and obvious. That removes the duty to warn about it, but not the separate duty to keep the property reasonably safe, and it can bear on your share of fault (Westbrook v WR Activities-Cabrera Markets). A condition that is both open and obvious and not inherently dangerous can defeat a claim.

Premises Liability Results

Results for people hurt on unsafe property

These are the firm's published premises liability results. Not all are slips or trips, and the descriptions do not identify the county or borough, so they are not presented as Bronx results. Past results do not predict the outcome of another case.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.

See the full verdicts and settlements archive
  • Appellate result

    Michael Licatesi Wins Again in the Appellate Division

    The plaintiff was injured after falling from a defective step at a commercial property. Our Expert Witness provided evidence that the step's slope did not meet regulatory standards, and was a construction defect that the property owner failed to maintain and secure.

    Read the case study
  • $175,000

    $175,000 Settlement

    49 year old fell at a bar with disputed liability resulting in a dismissed case which Michael Licatesi, Esq overturned at the appellate level resulting in a monetary recovery

  • $950,000

    $950,000 RECOVERY

    Co-defendant neighbor aware that spill would flow onto her and is outside warning pedestrians negligently fails to apply salt or otherwise address the dangerous condition

  • $4,000,000

    $4,000,000 Jury Verdict — Overturned Dismissal on Appeal

    $4,000,000 jury verdict secured after overturning a dismissed case on appeal and obtaining a 100% liability finding for the plaintiff who suffered spine surgery as a result of a fall.

  • $225,000

    $225,000 Apartment Building Slip-and-Fall Settlement

    The Licatesi Law Group secured a $225,000 settlement after our client slipped and fell in their apartment building.

  • $250,000

    $250,000 Settlement — Fall at a Burger Restaurant

    Our client was injured after falling due to a dangerous defect at a burger restaurant. We fought to hold the responsible parties accountable and secured a $250,000 settlement for our client.

Meeting with us

Serving the Bronx from Corona

We do not have a Bronx office. Our Corona office at 100-17 Northern Boulevard serves Bronx clients, and we also meet by phone or video. See our Bronx location page.

Fell in another borough? See Brooklyn, Queens or Manhattan slip and fall.

Bronx neighborhoods we serve include

  • Fordham
  • Kingsbridge
  • Riverdale
  • Parkchester
  • Pelham Bay
  • Soundview
  • Mott Haven
  • Concourse
  • Tremont
  • Belmont
  • Morris Park
  • Co-op City

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Bronx Slip and Fall Cases

Talk to a Bronx slip and fall lawyer

Tell us the address, who owns or manages the building and what the surface was like. We will explain who may be responsible, which deadline applies and what to request before it is repaired. The consultation is free.

(516) 227-2662

What to bring

  • Building address and exact spot
  • Lease, rent bill or owner name
  • Photos, report number and witness names
  • Medical records so far

Photo credits: 1910 University Avenue by Deansfa, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized; 167th Street station staircase by DanTD, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.