The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides thousands of New Yorkers with affordable housing options. Unfortunately, the NYCHA’s negligence and failure to maintain its properties have led to many accidents over the years. If you were injured in a premises liability accident as a resident or guest at a Queens NYCHA building or a NYCHA property in another borough, you may be entitled to compensation by pursuing a personal injury lawsuit for your damages.
What are Some Common Safety Hazards in Queens NYCHA Properties?
All property owners are required by law to keep their premises free from hazards — including the NYCHA. An owner or landlord may be held liable for any injuries that arise due to its failure to promptly repair any dangerous conditions that they knew or should have known about. While there can be a wide variety of reasons accidents occur in housing owned by the New York City Housing Authority, lack of routine maintenance and failure to make necessary repairs are two of the most common.
Safety hazards that may lead to Queens NYCHA accidents can include the following:
- Broken staircases — Broken steps or handrails can cause someone to trip and fall, resulting in injuries such as broken bones, back injuries, brain injuries, and nerve damage.
- Malfunctioning elevators — Failure to properly maintain elevators in Queens NYCHA buildings can lead to injuries caused by free falls, sudden stops, door trapping, and misleveling.
- Missing smoke detectors — If smoke detectors are broken or missing, fires can quickly spread through a building, resulting in burn and smoke inhalation injuries.
- Electrical hazards — Damaged wiring, improper grounding, faulty electrical outlets, outdated wiring, or exposed wiring can all cause electrical hazards that result in fires or electrocution.
- Floors and walls in disrepair — When floors or walls are in disrepair, they can cave in, leading to trips and falls or crush injuries.
- Ceiling collapses — Whether resulting from failure to make repairs, plumbing issues, water damage, or something else, ceiling collapse accidents can result in traumatic brain injury, broken bones, paralysis, nerve damage, and other serious injuries.
- Poorly maintained sidewalks — A sidewalk in disrepair with cracks or depressions can cause trip and fall accidents, leading to broken bones, spinal cord injuries, soft tissue damage, and traumatic brain injury.
- Negligent security — Negligent security in NYCHA buildings can result in injuries caused by assault or other criminal activity.
In order to prove your premises liability case against the NYCHA, it’s essential to have the evidence necessary to support your claim. If possible, take photos or video of your injuries and the hazard that caused the accident. In addition, gather the contact information for any witnesses and retain a copy of any complaints you made about the condition. An experienced NYCHA accident attorney can assist you with obtaining any additional evidence you will need.
Compensation for Queens NYCHA Accidents
Depending on the facts and circumstances, a NYCHA accident can require extensive medical treatment and cause you to lose a significant amount of time from work. If you can establish that the NYCHA’s negligence or carelessness caused your injuries, you may be able to hold them liable for the economic and non-economic damages you incurred in the accident.
Economic damages for a Queens NYCHA accident can include unreimbursed medical expenses, lost wages, future lost earnings, and out-of-pocket costs. Non-economic damages — also referred to as “pain and suffering” — are meant to compensate for the physical pain, emotional anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life you suffered due to your injuries.
Importantly, you only have a limited amount of time to pursue compensation from the NYCHA, or your claim could be forever barred. Since the NYCHA is a city entity, there are much shorter statutes of limitation and different procedural rules involved in filing a claim. Specifically, a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days of the date of the accident. You then have one year and 90 days to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Contact an Experienced Queens NYCHA Accident Attorney
If you were injured in a Queens NYCHA accident, it’s vital to have a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer who can help you secure the maximum monetary recovery available for your injuries. The Dearie Law Firm, P.C., has handled premises liability matters for over three decades, including claims involving the NYCHA, and is dedicated to achieving the best possible results in each unique case. Contact us today for a consultation.