Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
If you tripped over a raised door threshold, you may have a premises liability claim if the threshold created an unsafe condition and the property owner failed to address it. The facts surrounding the doorway and the owner’s knowledge will affect whether liability exists.
A threshold may become dangerous when it is broken, unusually high, loose, poorly marked, or difficult to distinguish from the surrounding floor. Photos, measurements, maintenance records, and witness accounts can help show why you fell.
A premises liability lawyer in New York can review whether the owner created the hazard, knew about it, or should have discovered it. Shulman & Hill handles claims involving unsafe property conditions and injuries caused by preventable hazards.
Can a Raised Door Threshold Be Considered a Dangerous Condition?
A raised threshold can qualify as a dangerous condition when its height, condition, placement, or appearance creates an unreasonable tripping risk. Cracked materials, loose pieces, poor lighting, or a lack of contrast with the surrounding floor can make the doorway harder to cross safely.
The setting also matters. A threshold at a busy store entrance, apartment building, office, or other heavily traveled area may raise different questions than one that is clearly marked and easy to see. Shulman & Hill reviews the full condition rather than the height alone.
A New York personal injury lawyer can examine photographs, measurements, inspection records, and information about previous complaints or accidents. Those details may help establish whether the condition should have been repaired, marked, or otherwise addressed before your fall.
What Evidence Helps Prove a Door Threshold Trip-and-Fall Claim?
Evidence should document the threshold before it is repaired, replaced, or altered. Photographs and measurements can show the height difference, lighting, floor materials, worn edges, and other details that may explain why the condition was difficult to see.
Helpful evidence may include the following:
- Photographs of the threshold and surrounding floor
- Measurements of the height difference
- Surveillance or nearby video footage
- Incident reports and maintenance records
- Medical records related to the fall
- Statements from witnesses who saw the condition
Shulman & Hill can also examine whether complaints, inspection records, or repair histories show that the hazard existed before your accident. Medical documentation can connect the fall to fractures, head injuries, back problems, soft-tissue injuries, and other conditions requiring treatment.
Does It Matter Whether the Property Owner Knew About the Hazard?
Yes. A premises liability claim often depends on whether the property owner created the dangerous condition, actually knew about it, or should have discovered it through reasonable inspection and maintenance.
Actual notice may come from prior complaints, repair requests, employee reports, or previous accidents. Constructive notice may apply when the defect was visible and existed long enough for a reasonable property owner to discover it. Shulman & Hill can review records that may help establish notice.
The owner may also argue that the threshold was open and obvious or that you should have seen it. New York allows fault to be divided between the parties, so your own conduct may affect the recovery without automatically ending the claim.
How Can Property Records Help Establish Liability?
Maintenance and inspection records can provide information about how the doorway was managed before your fall. Repair requests, work orders, tenant complaints, and internal reports may show that someone knew about the threshold or had reason to inspect it more closely.
Construction or remodeling records may also identify who installed or altered the threshold. A contractor or another company could become relevant when faulty work created the hazard. Shulman & Hill can examine whether responsibility extends beyond the property owner.
Surveillance footage may show how long the condition existed or whether other people struggled with the doorway. These records can also help answer arguments that the threshold was obvious, recently damaged, or unrelated to the accident.
How Should You Protect Evidence After a Threshold Fall?
Report the fall to the property owner, manager, landlord, or another responsible person as soon as you can. Ask for a copy of any incident report and seek medical attention for pain, dizziness, swelling, or other symptoms that appear after the accident.
If possible, take photographs before leaving and collect witness names. Keep your shoes, clothing, medical paperwork, and correspondence about the accident. Shulman & Hill may use these materials to compare the condition at the time of your fall with later repairs or changes.
Avoid guessing about fault when speaking with an insurance representative. You may not yet know whether the owner had received previous complaints or how long the threshold had been damaged. A detailed investigation can reveal information that was unavailable to you at the scene.
Can I Still Recover Compensation If I Was Partly at Fault?
You may still recover compensation even if you were partly at fault, though the amount may be reduced depending on the facts and the law that applies. Property owners and insurers often argue that a person should have seen the threshold or paid closer attention. That does not always defeat a claim.
A shared-fault argument may involve lighting, distractions, footwear, crowding, or whether the threshold was easy to notice. These cases are very fact-specific, and the same condition may be viewed differently depending on the setting. A doorway hazard that blends into the floor may be treated differently than a clearly marked change in elevation.
If fault is disputed, photographs, witness statements, and the doorway design can all affect how blame is assigned. Shulman & Hill can review whether the property owner is trying to shift responsibility away from an unsafe condition.
Speak With Shulman & Hill About a Trip Over a Raised Door Threshold
If you tripped over a raised door threshold, the condition of the doorway and the property owner’s knowledge can shape your claim. Shulman & Hill has recovered over $1 billion for clients and can review the evidence surrounding your fall.
Our premises liability lawyers in New York can examine maintenance records, prior complaints, photographs, and other evidence showing whether the hazard should have been repaired or marked. We can also document how the fall affected your medical care, income, and daily activities.
Contact Shulman & Hill for a free consultation about your threshold accident. We work on contingency and can discuss the evidence available in your case. New York, We Got You.