$550,000 Ice Fall Femur Fracture Settlement in Brooklyn

Ice near 763 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. One slip, one fall, and a fractured left femur — one of the strongest bones in the body, broken by the force of the impact. Two surgeries. Months out of work. All from a surface that the property owner had a duty to keep clear.

Ice Fall and Femur Fracture on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn

Our client was walking near 763 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn when he slipped on ice and fell. The fall fractured his left femur — the thighbone, which is the longest and strongest bone in the human body. A femur fracture requires enormous force, and the fact that a fall on ice produced this injury speaks to the severity of the impact. Emergency medical services transported our client for surgical evaluation, and the fracture was confirmed through imaging as requiring immediate operative repair.

The first surgery involved hardware placement — metal rods, plates, or screws — to stabilize the fractured femur and allow the bone to heal in proper alignment. Femur fracture surgery is a major orthopedic procedure with a recovery measured in months, not weeks. Our client was non-weight-bearing for an extended period, required physical therapy to rebuild strength and range of motion in the leg, and was unable to work throughout the recovery. A second surgery was later required to remove the hardware — another operative procedure with its own recovery period, adding to the cumulative time our client spent in medical treatment and out of work.

Property Owner Liability for Ice at 763 Eastern Parkway

Property owners in Brooklyn have a duty to clear snow and ice from walkways and surfaces adjacent to their property within a reasonable time after a weather event. The ice that caused our client's fall had accumulated on a surface where pedestrians were expected to walk — a surface the property owner was responsible for maintaining. Our attorneys investigated the weather conditions preceding the fall, the property owner's snow and ice removal practices, and the condition of the surface at the time of the accident.

The evidence established that the ice had been present for a period sufficient for the property owner to discover and address it. The failure to clear, salt, or treat the icy surface was a breach of the property owner's duty to maintain safe conditions for pedestrians. Our attorneys presented this evidence through mediation, where the severity of the femur fracture — documented through two surgical procedures, extended lost wages, and the permanent impact on our client's mobility — drove the resolution.

"A fractured femur from a fall on ice. The femur is the strongest bone in the body — when it breaks, the force of the fall was severe. Our client needed two surgeries: one to repair the fracture with hardware, and a second to remove the hardware once the bone healed. He was out of work for an extended period and faces permanent limitations in the leg. The property owner at 763 Eastern Parkway had a duty to clear that ice, and the failure to do so cost our client two surgeries and months of his life." — Howard Raphaelson, Founding Partner

$550,000 Mediation Result for a Brooklyn Ice Fall

This $550,000 mediation result covers two surgeries, extended post-operative rehabilitation, physical therapy, lost wages during the lengthy recovery period, and the permanent mobility limitations our client now manages. It holds the property owner accountable for failing to clear ice from a pedestrian surface on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.

If you fractured a bone in a slip and fall on ice in Brooklyn, our premises liability attorneys have experience with ice fall claims involving surgical injuries and are ready to review your case.