$525,000 Sidewalk Trip and Fall Settlement in the Bronx

A section of sidewalk in the Bronx was raised and cracked — the kind of defect that catches a pedestrian's foot without warning. Our client tripped on the uneven concrete and fell, sustaining injuries that required extended medical care. The property owner had a duty to repair the sidewalk. They didn't.

Trip and Fall on Defective Sidewalk in the Bronx

Our client was walking along a sidewalk in the Bronx when her foot caught a raised section of defective concrete. The sidewalk had deteriorated to the point where one section sat noticeably higher than the adjacent slab — creating an uneven edge that functioned as a trip hazard for any pedestrian who walked over it. The difference in elevation was enough to catch the toe of a shoe and send the walker stumbling forward with no time to recover balance. Our client tripped on this raised edge and fell to the ground.

The fall produced injuries that required emergency medical evaluation and an extended course of treatment. Trip-and-fall injuries from sidewalk defects often involve the upper extremities (wrists, arms, shoulders) because the body instinctively extends the hands to break the fall, and the knees and hips because the initial stumble forces the lower body into awkward positions before the ground impact. Our client's injuries demanded sustained medical attention including specialist consultations, physical therapy, and ongoing monitoring.

Property Owner Liability for Defective Sidewalk Concrete

Property owners in New York City are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk adjacent to their property. When concrete slabs shift, crack, or rise to create uneven surfaces, the property owner bears the duty to repair the condition before it causes a pedestrian injury. The raised and defective concrete that tripped our client was not a minor surface irregularity — it was a structural defect in the sidewalk that created a clear trip hazard visible to anyone who inspected the surface.

Our attorneys documented the sidewalk defect through photographs and measurements, investigated the property owner's maintenance history, and established that the raised concrete had been present long enough for the owner to discover and repair it. The evidence demonstrated a straightforward premises liability claim: a known hazard on the property owner's sidewalk, a failure to repair it, and a pedestrian injury directly caused by that failure. We presented this evidence through mediation in Bronx County Supreme Court, where the medical documentation of our client's injuries drove the resolution to a result that reflected the severity of the harm.

"Raised concrete on the sidewalk. You've seen it everywhere in the city — one slab sitting higher than the next. But just because it's common doesn't mean it's acceptable. Property owners are legally required to fix it. This property owner in the Bronx didn't, and our client tripped on the raised edge and went down. The injuries were real, the treatment was extensive, and the property owner was responsible for all of it." — Andrew Levine, Founding Partner

$525,000 Mediation Result for a Bronx Sidewalk Trip and Fall

This $525,000 mediation result covers emergency treatment, specialist care, physical therapy, lost wages, and the lasting physical limitations our client now manages. It holds the property owner accountable for a raised and defective sidewalk that should have been repaired before a pedestrian was injured.

If you tripped on a cracked, raised, or broken sidewalk in the Bronx, our premises liability attorneys have experience with defective sidewalk claims and are ready to review your case.