$695,000 Sidewalk Trip and Fall Settlement in Brooklyn

She was walking home from the supermarket when a broken sidewalk caught her foot and sent her to the ground. The kneecap shattered on impact — requiring emergency surgery with hardware at NewYork-Presbyterian Methodist.

Sidewalk Trip and Fall in Brooklyn

Our client was walking near 78 8th Avenue in Brooklyn, returning home from the supermarket, when her foot caught on a raised section of sidewalk. The uneven surface sent her falling forward, and she landed directly on her left knee. The impact fractured her kneecap — a patella fracture that required emergency transport by FDNY ambulance to NewYork-Presbyterian Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Swindell performed surgery to repair the fractured patella using hardware to hold the shattered bone fragments in place. Kneecap fractures are particularly challenging injuries because the patella is essential to the knee's extension mechanism. Even with successful surgical repair, patients often face permanent stiffness, reduced range of motion, and difficulty with stairs, kneeling, and prolonged walking. Our client's recovery involved weeks of immobilization followed by months of intensive physical therapy to restore knee function.

Property Owner Responsibility for Sidewalk Defects

Under New York City Administrative Code §7-210, property owners adjacent to public sidewalks are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk in reasonably safe condition. When a sidewalk develops raised sections, cracks, or broken concrete, the property owner has a duty to repair the defect or, at minimum, create a temporary barrier and warning until repairs are completed. A raised sidewalk section that catches a pedestrian's foot is a foreseeable hazard that the property owner should have identified and corrected.

Our attorneys inspected the sidewalk and documented the raised section with photographs and precise measurements. We also obtained Department of Transportation inspection records and prior complaints about the sidewalk condition in the area. Two bystanders who witnessed the fall — residents from the neighborhood — provided statements confirming the sidewalk defect and the circumstances of the fall.

"A fractured kneecap from a sidewalk defect changes everything about how a person moves through their day — stairs become obstacles, walking distances shrink, and kneeling becomes impossible. The property owner had a clear obligation under New York City law to maintain that sidewalk, and the raised concrete that caught our client's foot had been there long enough to fix." — Andrew Levine, Founding Partner

$695,000 Settlement for a Brooklyn Sidewalk Fall

This $695,000 settlement covers emergency surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Methodist, hardware placement, months of physical therapy, lost wages, and the permanent knee limitations our client now manages — including difficulty with stairs, reduced walking endurance, and inability to kneel. It holds the property owner accountable for a sidewalk defect that should have been repaired before anyone was injured.

If you tripped and fell on a broken or raised sidewalk in Brooklyn, our Brooklyn injury attorneys have experience with sidewalk liability claims under NYC Administrative Code §7-210 and are ready to review your case.