Long Island · Nassau & Suffolk · Slip and fall
Long Island Slip and Fall Lawyer
A fall in a Nassau restaurant and a fall on a Suffolk apartment stairway may look similar on an intake form. The evidence may be quite different.
A claim depends on the condition that caused the fall, who controlled that precise spot, and what they knew or should have known beforehand. The fact that someone fell does not settle those questions.
What the evidence has to connect
Condition
The precise hazard: spill, ice, damaged step.
Control
Who owned, leased or maintained that spot.
Notice
Whether they created it or had time to fix it.
Injury
How the fall caused the harm treated.
First, the exact spot
Locate the hazard before naming the responsible party
A spill inside a store, ice near an entrance and a damaged step in a common area may involve different inspection routines and different people responsible for maintenance. An owner, tenant or contractor might have handled the area.
A walkway maintained by a public entity raises still other questions, including potentially shorter notice or suit requirements. It is safer to identify the exact address and spot than to assume every incident on private-looking property belongs to the same defendant.
Licatesi Law Group reviews falls across Nassau and Suffolk. For a focused county intake, use the firm's Nassau County slip and fall page.
If it is safe and possible
- Photograph the condition and its surroundings.
- Keep your shoes and any report you were given.
- Note who saw the fall and who received a complaint.
- Tell a lawyer promptly that a camera might exist.
You do not need to confront staff or obtain restricted footage yourself. Do not postpone medical care to gather evidence.
Notice evidence
A photo shows a condition, not necessarily notice
In many premises claims, establishing a dangerous condition is only part of the work. The investigation also asks whether a responsible party created it, or had legally sufficient notice and a chance to address it. Each kind of evidence has limits.
Photo taken after the fall
Can show: What the area looked like then.
Limit: How long a spill was there, or whether anyone complained before.
Witness account
Can show: What someone saw, and roughly when.
Limit: Memory differs; collect contact details early.
Earlier complaint or repair request
Can show: That someone may have known about the condition.
Limit: Must match the precise spot and time.
Inspection or cleaning log
Can show: A schedule for the area.
Limit: Not necessarily what happened at the moment of your fall.
Camera record
Can show: The sequence before and during the fall.
Limit: May not exist or be kept; availability is never assured.
Incident report
Can show: The time and place recorded by the property.
Limit: Can contain mistakes; keep your copy as given.
Try to separate the condition from its possible cause. An uneven tile might have been there for some time; a spilled drink might have appeared moments earlier. The precise location, earlier complaints and maintenance records can matter more than a general description such as “the floor was unsafe.”
If the surface was repaired afterward, note what you actually observed and when, without assuming the repair admits fault. Keep any messages, receipts or incident paperwork you already have. Do not reconstruct an inspection history you have not seen.
Published firm results
Premises liability results
The firm reports a $250,000 settlement after a client fell due to a dangerous defect at a burger restaurant. That published description does not identify the hazard, defendant or litigation history, and it is not a typical settlement figure.
The other premises liability results below come from the firm's archive. Their published descriptions do not say they arose on Long Island.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.
See the full verdicts and settlements archive$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.
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.
Treatment, losses and deadlines
Treatment, losses and the clock
Keep the date of your first evaluation, follow-up appointments, bills, work restrictions and pay information. A claim may involve treatment costs, lost income and the consequences of the injury, depending on the evidence. A case cannot be valued from a fall description alone.
An incident report and a medical record serve different purposes. One may identify the time and place; the other may document the injury and symptoms reported during treatment. If either contains a mistake, save your copy and raise it in the case review rather than correcting it yourself.
- The ordinary period is not a safe assumption
- New York's ordinary personal-injury period is generally three years under CPLR 214. Exceptions depend on the facts, and this general period cannot establish your personal deadline.
- Public property can change the requirements
- A town, county or other public entity may trigger different notice or filing requirements. If you suspect public control, say so immediately.
- Shared fault is fact-specific
- New York's comparative-fault provision, CPLR 1411, requires a fact-specific analysis. It should not be confused with the distinct 2026 motor-vehicle Article 51 rule.
Questions
Long Island slip and fall questions
The general slip and fall page explains the wider service. This page is the Nassau-and-Suffolk contact point.
It depends on who created the condition or controlled that precise spot, and what they knew or should have known before the fall. An owner, tenant, contractor or public entity may be involved. Identifying the exact address and location of the hazard comes before naming anyone.
The case is not automatically over. Explain what you saw, where you were walking, who spoke with you, and whether an incident report or camera may exist. Medical records help establish the injury and its timing, but they do not replace evidence about the condition of the property.
New York's ordinary personal-injury period is generally three years under CPLR 214, but that is not a safe deadline to assume. A public entity may trigger different notice or filing requirements, and exceptions depend on the facts. Ask an attorney to review the location, date and responsible parties promptly.
Mention it immediately. Claims involving a public entity can carry shorter notice or suit requirements than claims against a private owner. An attorney needs the exact location and date to identify which entity may be involved and which requirements apply.
A property insurer may raise that question, and the answer is not automatic either way. New York's comparative-fault provision, CPLR 1411, calls for a fact-specific analysis. It should not be confused with the separate 2026 motor-vehicle rule that applies to certain auto cases.
Ask about your fall
If you suspect a town or another public entity controlled the location, mention that immediately rather than waiting for a complete file. Call (516) 227-2662 or request a consultation.
The firm must assess responsibility and deadlines from the individual facts.
What to bring
- The address and the exact spot where you fell
- The approximate time
- Any photos or incident report
- Your treatment dates and records