Knowing Your Rights if You Are a Student Injured in New York City
New York City isn’t just one of the most populous cities in the world. It’s also an educational hub for hundreds of thousands of college students. That’s because New York City is home to some of the most important universities, libraries and research centers in the world. With no shortage of things to do in the Big Apple, it should come as no surprise that there’s no such thing as a dull moment in the life of a college student attending one of the city’s one hundred-plus colleges or universities. Unfortunately, it should also come as no surprise that students across the city are injured or killed in accidents each year. New York City accident attorneys often field calls from young people who need to know about their rights.
Student accidents can happen anywhere, any time in New York City. In a matter of seconds, you may find yourself involved in a life-changing accident while on campus, at a restaurant or night club, while riding public transportation or while simply returning to your apartment after a late night study session at the library. To make matters worse, you may have never seen your accident coming. You may find your injuries leave you unable to return to school or work and cause your medical bills to skyrocket. And even though the accident may not have even been your fault – you may be left wondering if life will ever be the same again.
Where do student accidents happen most in New York City?
- On campus: Colleges and universities have an obligation to students to properly maintain all premises and provide a safe and secure environment for students. A failure to do so in any way – from a slip and fall accident in a dining common to an assault at a residential hall due to a lack of security – could result in legal action against the school.
- Bars and nightclubs: Accidents happen frequently at bars, nightclubs and restaurants in the city. A student may be assaulted, robbed or raped due to a lack of security cameras or guards. It’s possible a bartender knowingly serves a minor or over serves a patron before he or she causes a serious car accident involving another vehicle or pedestrian.
- Subways and trains: Public transportation accidents can happen for a variety of reasons and lead to catastrophic injuries. A subway or train operator may fall asleep at the wheel and crash into another train. A mechanical defect may cause a train to derail. Passengers waiting to board a train might be injured after a robbery or assault.
- Parking lots: Students may be put at immediate risk in parking lots due to distracted or drunk drivers who fail to see they’re walking. In addition, poor lighting or a lack of security cameras in a parking lot could lead to a trip and fall accident, or even worse, a robbery or assault.
- Apartment complexes: Property owners have a moral and legal obligation to address safety and security issues on their property. When they don’t, a tenant may be injured due to a defective or malfunctioning product inside their apartment, slip and fall on a dangerous or poorly lit stairwell or even assaulted after an intruder breaks and enters due to a defective lock.
Student accidents happen fast and rarely are the fault of the person who was injured. But despite having done nothing wrong, the person whose negligence caused your injury may refuse to admit fault. They may even say you did something wrong. That’s not right. Injured students should consider speaking with a New York City personal injury attorney immediately following their accident. A failure to do so may be the difference between a successful recovery and months – or years – of physical, emotional and financial difficulty.