If you’ve slipped, fallen, and gotten hurt on someone else’s property in Buffalo, you may be wondering what comes next. Maybe you were walking through a store, across a parking lot, or up someone’s front steps. You didn’t expect your life to change in a second. But now, you’re hurting, maybe out of work, and dealing with medical bills you didn’t plan for. This is when many people start asking, what types of compensation are available in Buffalo slip and fall cases?
Robert Friedman
Michael Ranzenhofer
Sam Alba
Justin Friedman
John Dracup
Understanding What You Can Be Paid For
Let’s start with the most common type of compensation in these cases. That’s called medical expenses. When you fall and get injured, the bills start to pile up quickly. Whether it’s an emergency room visit, follow-ups with your doctor, physical therapy, or surgery, these costs add up. If your fall happened because of someone else’s carelessness—maybe a wet floor with no warning sign or a broken step—then you shouldn’t be the one stuck paying those bills.
You can also be paid for the money you lost by not being able to work. This is known as lost wages. Maybe you had to take a few weeks off or even longer. If your injury keeps you from doing the kind of work you used to do, you might also be able to get paid for the loss of future income. These parts of the case are especially important for people who do physical work. If you can’t get back to your old job, the effects can last a long time.
Pain Is Real and It Counts
Next is something that isn’t seen on a bill, but is just as real. Pain and suffering. These are the aches, pains, and changes in your life after the fall. Maybe you can’t pick up your kids. Maybe it hurts to walk. Maybe you used to enjoy hiking or gardening, and now that’s off the table. These losses don’t come with a price tag, but the law still allows you to be paid for them.
Pain and suffering also includes how the injury affects your mind and mood. A lot of people don’t expect this part. But after a fall, it’s not unusual to feel anxious, sad, or frustrated. That mental weight is part of the whole injury and should be taken seriously.
Who Pays and How?
Usually, the person or business who owned or cared for the place where you fell has insurance. This is the same kind of insurance that covers their property. That insurance company is usually the one who pays your compensation. But just because they have insurance doesn’t mean they’ll do the right thing. Insurance companies are in business to make money. They often try to pay as little as they can, or even nothing at all.
That’s why it’s smart to talk to a lawyer before saying yes to any offer. You might get a phone call where they say they’ll cover your first hospital visit. But what about the therapy that came after? What about the time you missed at work or the way your life has changed? A quick check may leave you short. A good attorney can add everything up and help you understand what your case is really worth.
Time Limits Matter
In New York, you only have a limited time to file a claim. This is called the statute of limitations. For slip and fall cases, that time is generally three years. But if the fall happened on city, county, or state property, the time to act could be shorter. Sometimes as short as ninety days. That’s not a lot of time when you’re trying to heal. Waiting too long can mean losing the chance to get paid at all.
What If the Fall Was Partly Your Fault?
In some cases, the person who fell may have done something that helped cause the fall. Maybe they were looking at their phone or walking too fast. Even so, New York law still lets you get paid. It just might lower the amount based on how much was your fault. For example, if the court thinks you were 25% at fault, and your damages were $10,000, you’d get $7,500. It’s called shared fault, and it doesn’t mean your case is over—it just means the numbers change.
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Your Story Matters More Than You Think
One of the hardest parts after a slip and fall injury is being taken seriously. People might tell you it’s not a big deal or act like you’re making more of it than it really is. But when you can’t sleep, can’t work, or can’t walk without pain, you know it’s serious. This is your life. Your injury is real. And the way it changes your day-to-day life deserves respect—and action.
That’s why it’s so important to have someone who can tell your story the right way. Insurance companies look at charts and numbers. But those numbers don’t explain what it’s like when you can’t play with your kids or when you need help getting out of bed. A good legal team will take the time to understand you. They’ll learn what really happened and how it’s changed your life. Then they’ll build a case that shows the full truth—not just the surface-level stuff.
The Value of Proof
To win your case and get compensation, we have to prove that someone else was careless. In legal terms, that’s called negligence. Maybe a store didn’t clean up a spill, or a landlord ignored a broken handrail. Maybe there was ice on the walkway and no one salted it. Proving those things takes work. It can mean looking at camera footage, getting witness statements, checking maintenance logs, or having experts explain what went wrong.
That’s why starting early matters so much. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to collect the proof. Surveillance footage can get deleted. Witnesses move away or forget what they saw. Acting quickly gives you a better chance of showing what really happened.
Getting the Right Help
You don’t have to go through this alone. A fall might seem like a small thing at first, but the effects can last for years. And the law isn’t something most people deal with every day. That’s where we come in.
If you’re still wondering what types of compensation are available in Buffalo slip and fall cases, it may be time to take the next step. At Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC, we help people across Western New York figure out what went wrong, who’s responsible, and how to move forward. Let’s talk. We’ll help you see what your case might be worth, and what your best options are. You’ve been through enough. Let’s get you what you’re owed.