If you slipped and fell somewhere in Brooklyn and got hurt, you need a Brooklyn slip and fall attorney who will actually work your case — not hand it off to a case manager you’ve never met. I’m Michael Redenburg. I’ve handled injury cases for Brooklyn residents for more than 15 years, and when you call my office, you talk to me. I review your file, I answer your questions, and I’m the one who shows up.
I’ve represented people hurt on cracked sidewalks in Bed-Stuy, in stairwells of older Crown Heights walk-ups, and in supermarkets and retail stores across the borough — from Sunset Park to Sheepshead Bay. Every case has its own facts. What doesn’t change is how I work: directly with you, from the first call to the last day of your case.
There’s no fee unless I win your case, and the first conversation costs you nothing. Call (212) 240-9465 or email mredenburg@mjrlaw-ny.com to talk about what happened.
Why Choose Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. P.C.
When you hire my firm, you hire me — not a team of case managers who pass your file around. I personally handle every slip and fall case I take on, from our first conversation through settlement or trial.
I’ve practiced law for more than 15 years, with a focus on injury cases here in New York. That experience has been recognized outside my own office, too: SuperLawyers named me a NY Metro Rising Star from 2014 through 2017, and I’ve been listed among the Top 40 Under 40 by both The National Trial Lawyers and the American Society of Legal Advocates.
None of that changes how I work with you day to day. You’ll have my direct line and my email, and when you call, you’ll get me on the phone — not a receptionist taking a message for someone else to return.
My fee structure is simple: the consultation is free, and I work on contingency. That means I don’t get paid unless I win your case. You won’t get a bill from me for a phone call, and you won’t pay me anything out of pocket to get started.
If you’re looking for a Brooklyn slip and fall attorney who will actually take your call, dial (212) 240-9465 or email mredenburg@mjrlaw-ny.com.
Cases I Handle in Brooklyn
As a Brooklyn slip and fall attorney, I handle cases arising from a wide range of hazards across the borough — here are the most common ones I see.
Sidewalk Falls
Under NYC Administrative Code § 7-210, the property owner next to a defective sidewalk — not the City — is usually responsible for keeping it safe. That includes cracked pavement and raised slabs in neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, where a lot of the housing stock is older and sidewalks haven’t been repaired in years. If a height difference in the concrete is a half-inch or more, that can be enough to support a claim, and I can help you understand who’s responsible for sidewalk falls in NYC before you talk to an insurance company.
Stairwell and Interior Falls
Poorly lit or poorly maintained stairwells in older Brooklyn apartment buildings are a common source of injury, especially in walk-ups without elevators. Landlords have a duty to keep common areas reasonably safe, and that duty doesn’t go away just because a building is old. If you’re wondering whether you can sue your landlord for a fall in a stairwell or hallway, the answer usually turns on how long the hazard existed and whether the landlord knew about it.
Grocery Store and Retail Falls
Spills, wet floors, and cluttered aisles cause falls in stores throughout Brooklyn, from the retail corridor along Fulton Street Mall to shopping strips on Kings Highway. Store owners are required to inspect their premises regularly and fix hazards within a reasonable time. I’ve written about how slip and fall accidents in grocery stores get proven — surveillance footage and incident reports are often the deciding evidence, and they can disappear quickly if you don’t act.
Icy and Winter Sidewalk Falls
Brooklyn property owners are required to clear snow and ice from their sidewalks within a reasonable time after a storm. Falls along exposed, wind-swept stretches like Ocean Parkway are common in winter when ice forms and isn’t cleared. Whether landlords are responsible for ice and snow on a given sidewalk depends on the timing of the storm and how quickly the owner acted, so weather records and photos taken close to the time of the fall matter a great deal.
Falls on City-Owned Property
If you fell on property owned by the City — a NYCHA building, an MTA station, a city park, or a city-owned building — the rules are different and the deadlines are shorter. You have to start by filing a Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller within 90 days, not the usual three years. Miss that window and you may lose your right to sue entirely.
Compensation You May Be Entitled To
If you were hurt in a fall in Brooklyn, a Brooklyn slip and fall attorney can help you recover for both the money you’ve lost and the toll the injury has taken on your life under New York law.
Medical bills. This includes your emergency room visit, hospital stay, surgery, physical therapy, and any future medical care you’ll need because of the fall. If you were treated at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, one of only three Level 1 Trauma Centers in Brooklyn, those records become part of your claim. If you were treated at Kings County Hospital or another Brooklyn ER, those records become part of your claim.
Lost wages. If your injury kept you out of work, you can recover the income you lost. If your injury is serious enough that it affects your ability to earn going forward, that loss counts too.
Pain and suffering. New York law recognizes that an injury is more than medical bills and missed paychecks. You’re also entitled to compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life the fall caused you.
Comparative fault doesn’t shut you out. New York is a pure comparative negligence state. Even if you were partly at fault for the fall, you can still recover — your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but it’s never eliminated entirely, even if you’re found mostly responsible.
If a fall was fatal. If you lost a family member to a slip and fall caused by someone else’s negligence, New York’s wrongful death law allows the estate to bring a claim for the financial support, services, and companionship the family lost. These cases move on a shorter clock — two years from the date of death — so it’s important to talk to an attorney quickly.
Every case is different, and what you’re owed depends on your specific injuries and circumstances. Call me at (212) 240-9465 or email mredenburg@mjrlaw-ny.com, and we’ll talk through what happened to you.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall in Brooklyn
1. Get medical care right away. If you’re seriously hurt, call 911. NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, at 451 Clarkson Avenue in East Flatbush, is one of only three Level 1 Trauma Centers in Brooklyn and can treat serious injuries. Even if you think you’re fine, get checked out — some injuries, like concussions or soft tissue damage, don’t show symptoms right away.
2. Report the fall. If it happened in a store, apartment building, or other business, tell the manager, landlord, or person in charge and ask for a written incident report. Get a copy before you leave, or at least write down who you spoke to and when.
3. Document the scene before it changes. Take photos of whatever caused the fall — the cracked sidewalk, the wet floor, the broken step — from a few different angles. Property owners often fix the hazard quickly afterward, so this evidence disappears fast.
4. Get contact information from any witnesses. Anyone who saw the fall can support your account of what happened. Ask for their name and phone number before they leave.
5. Be careful what you say and post. Don’t give a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster, and be cautious about what you post on social media. Both can be used against you later, even if what you said seems harmless.
6. Call me before you talk to the insurance company. Whether the property is privately owned or owned by the City, there are strict deadlines — as short as 90 days if a city agency is involved. The sooner I can look at your case, the sooner I can start preserving evidence and protecting your right to compensation.
As your Brooklyn slip and fall attorney, I’ll be the one on the phone — not a case manager. Call (212) 240-9465 or email mredenburg@mjrlaw-ny.com.
A quick flag before this section: the intake sheet doesn’t include a 30-day No-Fault/PIP filing deadline anywhere in the legal facts — that rule applies to car accident claims, not slip and fall/premises liability cases, and it isn’t part of what you gave me for this page. I’ve left it out rather than invent it. Here’s the section using only what’s confirmed in the sheet:
How New York Injury Law Affects Your Case
As a Brooklyn slip and fall attorney, here’s what I want every client to understand about the rules that will shape their case.
You generally have three years to file. UUnder CPLR § 214, you have three years from the date of your fall to file a lawsuit against a private property owner — but evidence disappears long before that deadline arrives, so waiting only weakens your case.
If the City is involved, your window is much shorter. If you fell on property owned by NYC, NYCHA, the MTA, or another city agency, you must file a Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller within just 90 days of your fall, and the lawsuit itself must be filed within one year and 90 days under General Municipal Law § 50-e — miss either deadline and you likely lose your right to sue.
Being partly at fault doesn’t end your case. New York follows pure comparative negligence under CPLR § 1411, meaning your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but never completely taken away, even if you’re found up to 99% responsible.
Every deadline above starts running the moment you fall, which is why the first call you make should be to a lawyer, not just a doctor. Call me at (212) 240-9465 or email mredenburg@mjrlaw-ny.com, and we’ll figure out exactly where your case stands.
Serving Brooklyn and Nearby Areas
I represent slip and fall victims throughout Brooklyn, from Park Slope to Coney Island, including neighborhoods like Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Sheepshead Bay. Whether your fall happened near Prospect Park or close to Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn, I know the local courts, the local property owners, and what it takes to hold them accountable.
If your case doesn’t settle, it gets filed in Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, at 360 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn. I’ve handled cases there for more than 15 years, and if your case goes that far, I’ll be the one arguing it — not someone else from the firm.
A quick flag: the intake sheet doesn’t include a no-fault/PIP rule for slip and fall cases — that applies to car accidents, not premises liability, so grounding an answer in it here would mean stating something inaccurate about slip and fall claims. I’ve grounded two answers in the law facts that actually apply (statute of limitations and Notice of Claim) instead. Let me know if you’d like me to swap one back.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in New York?
Generally, you have three years from the date of your fall to file a lawsuit against a private property owner under CPLR § 214. That sounds like plenty of time, but evidence and witness memories fade fast, so don’t wait to get started.
What if I fell on property owned by the City of New York?
That’s a different, much shorter timeline. You have to file a Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller within 90 days of your fall, and the lawsuit itself has to be filed within one year and 90 days — miss either deadline and you likely lose your right to sue entirely.
I think I was partly at fault for my fall. Can I still recover compensation?
Yes. New York follows pure comparative negligence, which means your compensation gets reduced by your percentage of fault, but it’s never wiped out completely, even if you’re found mostly responsible. Let me look at the facts before you assume you don’t have a case.
Where would my case be filed if it doesn’t settle?
If we can’t reach a fair settlement, your case gets filed in Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, at 360 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn. I’ve handled cases there for years and know what to expect from the judges and the process.
Do I need to hire a lawyer, or can I handle this myself?
You’re not required to hire a Brooklyn slip and fall attorney, but property owners and their insurance companies have lawyers working for them from day one, and you should too. I take these cases on contingency, so there’s no upfront cost to find out what your claim is worth.
What does it cost to talk to you about my case?
Nothing. The consultation is free, and I only get paid if I win your case. Call (212) 240-9465 or email mredenburg@mjrlaw-ny.com and we’ll talk about what happened.