New York City Window Guard Accident Attorneys

Window Guard Accidents

Apartment Window Guard Injury Lawyers Serving Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx

To help prevent the tragedy of a child falling from a window onto the pavement below, New York City law requires landlords to install and maintain a protective window guard or window gate in every apartment that’s home to a child age 10 or younger. If a guard is installed improperly or not installed at all, a serious accident could occur.

Landlords can be held liable for any injuries caused by the failure to install and maintain the legally required window guards in a New York City apartment. They are also required to ask tenants each year whether any children younger than 11 live in the apartment. They must install approved guards if the answer is yes. The law requires all of the building’s common-area windows to have guards if a child lives anywhere in the building.

If your child has been seriously injured in a New York accident related to a faulty window guard or an unprotected window, protect your rights by calling an experienced New York window guard accident lawyer at David Resnick & Associates, P.C., for a consultation. There is no obligation, so call today at 212-279-2000 or contact the firm through our online form.

About New York Child Window Guards

In response to an alarming number of children falling out of windows — 217 in 1976 — the New York City Board of Health enacted Health Code Section 131.15. The law requires landlords to install and maintain approved window guards in any apartment where a child age 10 or younger lives.

The guards must be installed even if the apartment is on the first floor and even if the window opens onto a balcony, terrace, roof or similar structure. The only exceptions are for windows that open onto fire escapes and for first-floor windows that serve as secondary emergency exits.

Even tenants who don’t have children can request the installation of window guards, and the law requires the landlord to install them without asking for a reason. Some people might want the guards because they have friends or family who visit them with children or they provide childcare in their home.

Evidence shows that the window guards are effective at preventing falls in New York City. In 1977, the first year after New York City’s window guard law was enacted, there were 151 preventable window falls, according to the New York City Department of Health. In 2010, there were only five preventable falls from windows in New York City, and none of the victims died. The previous year was worse, with 13 preventable falls and four deaths.

Some of these cases were likely caused by negligence on the part of the landlord for failing to install a window guard, failing to make sure it was secure or failing to fix a broken guard. Each New York window guard accident lawyer at David Resnick & Associates, P.C., has experience with holding negligent landlords responsible for injuries caused by falls from windows where a guard was not installed correctly, improperly maintained or not installed at all.

Was Your Child Hurt Because of a Missing or Unsafe Window Guard? Call Our Manhattan Lawyers Today

If your child was injured because a landlord broke the law and did not maintain a secure window guard, you could be entitled to compensation. Each New York personal injury lawyer at David Resnick & Associates, P.C. is skilled at evaluating window guard claims and has a track record of getting results for their clients. Call our firm today at 212-279-2000 or use our online contact form for a free evaluation of your case.

We serve window guard accident victims in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and all of New York City.