According to the National Safety Council, preventable fall-related injuries accounted for 35% of nonfatal emergency department visits in 2023. These situations happen every day in one of Bergen County’s busiest retail corridors. A fall that lasts a fraction of a second can result in broken bones, head injuries, or back damage that changes the course of a person’s life.
Paramus is home to dense commercial traffic, heavy foot traffic through major shopping centers, and winter weather that regularly creates hazardous conditions. When a property owner fails to address known dangers, injured people have legal options worth pursuing. Our Paramus slip and fall accident lawyers at Varcadipane & Pinnisi, P.C. represent clients throughout Bergen County and beyond, holding negligent property owners accountable for the harm they cause.
Paramus draws enormous daily foot traffic through malls, stores, and parking structures along Route 17 and Route 4. Garden State Plaza and Paramus Park Mall alone draw millions of visitors each year, creating conditions where spilled liquids, uncleared ice, and poorly maintained walkways are common hazards. Borough ordinances require property owners to maintain abutting sidewalks, yet those obligations are not always met.
Slip and fall accidents produce a range of injuries depending on how a person falls and what surface they land on. Broken wrists, head trauma, spinal injuries, and torn ligaments are among the most common outcomes. Soft tissue damage, including sprains and deep bruising, is also frequently reported and can limit mobility for weeks or months. Some injuries, particularly those involving the spine or head, may not become fully apparent until days after the accident.
Liability depends on who controlled the property where the fall occurred. Commercial property owners — retailers, mall operators, restaurants — owe a high duty of care to visitors. The New Jersey Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in Padilla v. Young extended that duty to abutting public sidewalks. Government entities may also bear responsibility for falls on public property, though a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days.
New Jersey law requires property owners to inspect their premises, address known hazards promptly, and warn visitors of dangers that cannot be quickly fixed. During winter months, commercial owners must clear snow and ice after a storm; failing to do so can establish liability. Our Paramus slip and fall lawyers help injured parties pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering when that standard is not met.
New Jersey’s statute of limitations gives injured people two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. Evidence disappears quickly; however, surveillance footage gets overwritten, and witnesses become harder to locate. Cases involving government-owned property carry a much tighter deadline, as a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days. Consulting with an attorney promptly gives a case the strongest foundation.
Compensation in a New Jersey slip and fall case typically covers medical bills, future treatment costs, lost income, and reduced earning capacity. Pain and suffering damages are also available and often represent a significant portion of any recovery. New Jersey’s modified comparative negligence rule allows an injured person to recover damages even if partly at fault, as long as their share of fault does not exceed 50 percent. Our New Jersey slip and fall lawyers can evaluate how this rule applies to the specific facts of your case.
After a fall, seeking medical attention promptly matters to protect your health and create a record close in time to the accident for important evidence. Photographs of the hazard should be taken before anything changes, and the incident should be reported to the property owner or manager. Keeping records of medical treatment and missed work will support a claim, as will speaking with our slip and fall accident attorneys in Paramus, NJ before giving statements to an insurer.
Property owners typically carry general liability insurance that may cover injuries occurring on their premises. After a fall, the property owner’s insurer will often reach out to the injured person, sometimes quickly and before full medical costs are known. Accepting an early settlement offer without legal guidance can result in receiving far less compensation than the injury warrants. Our team at Varcadipane & Pinnisi, P.C. can review your settlement offer before you sign it.
Yes. Retailers have a legal duty to monitor their floors and respond to spills within a reasonable time. If a store employee knew or reasonably should have known about a wet or slippery surface and failed to address it, that store may be held liable for resulting injuries. Stores along Paramus’s busy commercial corridors handle high customer volume, which courts may factor into what constitutes a reasonable inspection schedule.
Most slip and fall cases in New Jersey are resolved through settlement negotiations before trial. Litigation is pursued when a fair settlement cannot be reached, though the possibility of a trial often motivates insurers to settle.
Yes. Varcadipane & Pinnisi, P.C. offers free initial consultations with no obligation, and we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. No legal fees are owed unless compensation is recovered.
It depends. A fall at a workplace may involve a Workers’ compensation claim, a premises liability claim against a third party, or both. We can evaluate which legal path applies to your circumstances.
If you need legal guidance after an injury caused by someone else’s negligence, contact the Paramus slip and fall accident lawyers at Varcadipane & Pinnisi, P.C. Our legal team will fight to secure the justice you deserve. Call us at 201-588-1500 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We serve clients throughout New York, New Jersey, and Florida, and have offices conveniently located in Manhattan, Paramus, and Jacksonville.
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This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partners, Jeffrey W. Varcadipane & Dawn M. Pinnisi, with more than 40 years of combined legal experience as personal injury attorneys.
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