Legal Blog of Attorney Lawrence B. Saftler

Sidewalk Law Produces Results – For Everyone!

By lsaftler on July 16, 2008

Sometimes, not always, claims and lawsuits bring beneficial results to the public at large, as opposed to the financial rewards an injured victim receives from the claim or lawsuit my office successfully handles for them. In a past blog, I have written about the new law promulgated by the City of New York and how adjoining landowners are now responsible for maintaining their surrounding sidewalks, as opposed to the City of New York, or face financial liability to an injured sidewalk defect victim. See the Administrative Code of the City on New York,Title 7, Chapter 2, Section 7-210.

Of recent vintage, I personally know of at least 3 different cases which I have pursued on behalf of injury victims, where not only were we successful in prosecuting the claims of the injured victims, but were able to eyewitness corrective repairs to the very site of the accident by the adjoining landowners to the benefit of the public as a whole, who will never have to worry about falling from the very same defect that caused my clients’ injuries. In all three cases, the sidewalk were repaired with level grade fresh concrete, where in one instance specifically, literally thousands of pedestrians walk the same location daily. One such location is in front of the Lincoln building in New York City, directly across the street from Grand Central Station, where a new sidewalk was recently installed and whatever defects there were before now no longer exists.

This is a great side benefit from the new sidewalk law created by the City. Mayor Bloomberg deserves credit for the manner in which he has governed, creating laws which not only serve to lower the payments and financial burden made from City coffers and the taxpayers of New York City to pay injured sidewalk victims for sidwalk accidents, but also creating responsibility to those who have and should have a greater stake in the safety of the streets in front of their premises, that of the adjoining landowner.  

Posted in Accidents, Defects, Fall Downs, Personal Injury, Sidewalk & Street | 1 Comment

Lawrence Saftler quoted in the Queens Courier on Sidewalk Falls

By lsaftler on July 16, 2008

On July 10th, 2008, Lawrence Saftler was quoted in the Queens Courier relating to the new statute providing for liability to adjoining property owners, as opposed to the City of New York,  for injured victims from sidewalk defects and falls. The article was written by Stephen Bronner.

Posted in Accidents, Defects, Fall Downs, In the News, Personal Injury, Sidewalk & Street | 3 Comments