$650,000 Stairwell Fall Settlement in Brooklyn

The stairwell was dark because the landlord kept it that way. The only light switch was on the first floor, and the owner never left the lights on. A Brooklyn tenant fell on stairs she couldn't see — in a building where darkness was a deliberate choice, not an oversight.

Tenant Falls on Dark Stairwell in Brooklyn Building

Our client lived in a building at 280 Court Street in Brooklyn. The building's hallway stairwell had a chronic problem: the lights were routinely off. The building owner kept the stairwell lights turned off, and the only switch to control them was located on the first floor. Tenants on upper floors had no way to illuminate the stairs before descending. Our client was navigating the darkened stairwell when she lost her footing on the steps and fell, sustaining injuries that required medical treatment and an extended recovery.

The fall caused lower extremity fractures and spinal injuries that required surgical intervention. The combination of the impact from the fall and the uncontrolled descent down the stairs created a multi-injury pattern that demanded separate treatment approaches and overlapping rehabilitation programs. Our client's recovery spanned months of limited mobility and inability to work.

Landlord's Duty to Provide Adequate Stairwell Lighting

New York City Housing Maintenance Code and Multiple Dwelling Law require landlords to provide adequate lighting in all common areas, including hallways, stairwells, and entrances. Stairwells are among the most dangerous areas in a residential building — they require consistent illumination to allow tenants to see steps, handrails, and potential hazards. A landlord who routinely keeps stairwell lights off creates a foreseeable fall hazard for every tenant in the building.

Our attorneys documented the lighting deficiency through tenant testimony, photographs of the single first-floor light switch, and building inspection records. Multiple tenants in the building confirmed that the stairwell lights were routinely off and that the owner had been asked repeatedly to install switches on each floor or to keep the lights on continuously. The owner had ignored these requests. We also obtained housing code violation records that showed prior complaints about the building's common area conditions.

"This wasn't a burned-out bulb — this was a landlord who deliberately kept the stairwell dark. The only light switch was on the first floor, which meant tenants on upper floors had to walk down a dark staircase every time they left their apartment. Multiple tenants had complained. The owner ignored every one of them. Our client fell because she couldn't see the stairs in front of her." — Jason Krakower, Attorney

$650,000 Settlement for a Brooklyn Stairwell Fall

This $650,000 settlement covers fracture surgery, spinal treatment, extended rehabilitation, lost wages, and the permanent limitations our client now manages. It holds the building owner accountable for a stairwell lighting deficiency that the owner knew about, was asked to fix, and chose to ignore.

If you fell on a dark staircase or in an unlit common area of your building, our Brooklyn injury attorneys have experience with landlord negligence claims and are ready to review your case.