The New York City subways are busy every day, transporting thousands of people to their destinations for various reasons. Unfortunately, while expertly built and maintained to ensure the highest level of safety possible, accidents still occur in these subways.
These mishaps, however, don’t always have to do with the trains specifically. Slips and falls on stairs, platforms, and more occur more often than one may realize, leading to many injuries.
Were you recently injured from a slip or fall in one of these subways? Here’s what you should know before you sue for your injuries:
Which party is at fault for your injury?
In NYC, the Transit Authority is responsible for maintaining the stairways that passengers use to approach the subway safely. Should there be any issues in the path, a warning should be implemented to let the passengers know of the problem.
When blaming someone for an injury, many New Yorkers believe that the MTA is to be blamed. Short for Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the MTA generally tends to get the short end of the stick when accidents occur. However, the truth of the matter is that most of these injuries are not the MTA’s fault. Instead, it is the NYCTA or the New York City Transit Authority. Keep in mind, however, that even the NYCTA isn’t responsible for all injuries.
Either way, it can be hard to prove which party was responsible for the accident. As such, it is vital to work with a New York personal injury lawyer to effectively establish that the party supposed to keep the subway safe for use failed to do so, and it was that failure that caused your injuries.
When is the MTA responsible?
Although the MTA owns many of the properties for subway stations, they aren’t at fault for every injury. For example, if you were injured because of a crime, it isn’t in the MTA’s control, meaning they are not at fault for this. That said, if something that is under MTA’s control caused the injury, then they’re at fault for your injury.
If the MTA fails to remove trash from the walkways or fails to clear snow from the steps, which directly caused a person to slip and get injured, then they are at fault for it. It is part of the MTA’s responsibility to ensure that their properties are safe from the issues we’ve just mentioned. Their failure to keep their properties safe due to their negligence of these tasks is one of the many times they are responsible for any injury caused.
Conclusion
Do you believe that the MTA or the NYCTA is responsible for your injuries? We highly recommend reaching out to a professional New York personal injury attorney to assist you in making your claim. It can be challenging to prove who is at fault when you’re all alone, but with a professional by your side, you will get the help needed to be compensated fairly for the injuries incurred to you due to the MTA’s or NYCTA’s negligence.
That said, take the time to look for professional lawyers who are experts in such cases. When you can find one, half the battle is already won! After that, work closely with them, and you’ll be compensated for your injuries.
Ronemus & Vilenski is an accident and malpractice attorney offering expertise in personal injury, civil rights, sexual harassment, and more to help clients get the justice they deserve. If you are looking for New York City train accident attorneys, work with us today!