Staff | Courier-Life

A Brooklyn man investigating what caused him to slip and fall has connected all the dots - connections that led him to file a suit against the city last week.

In his suit dated on February 28, plaintiff Ryan Thomas claimed that he slipped and fell on a patch of ice on Bedford Avenue near Lafayette Street on December 4, 2005.

Thomas alleges in the suit that the ice he had slipped on came from a dribbling fire hydrant found on Bedford Avenue.

The lawsuit states that "the water leaking from the hydrant did freeze due to a low temperature," making the city responsible for the icy street which was created "due to a faulty hydrant."

Thomas is seeking $1 million for "severe and permanent personal injuries" he sustained in the fall.

Those listed as defendants in the suit include the city, the Department of Transportation, which is responsible for the condition of the sidewalk, as well as the city's Department of Environmental Protection, which is responsible for maintaining the leaking hydrant.

Thomas is also suing the city employee responsible for caring for the street as well as fixing the hydrant.

No departments in the City of New York are allowed to speak on pending lawsuits.