Premises Liability: The Risk of Harm on Sidewalks

 Posted on February 09, 2017 in Personal Injury

Sidewalks are frequently used in large metropolitan cities and communities. Moreover, if you shop at a stand-alone store, a strip mall, or even a large scale mall, you are likely to traverse a sidewalk somewhere on those premises.

While you may take for granted the bee-line to get into a store, you are at risk for serious harm if the business owner does the same and neglects to maintain his or her premises. Land owners must keep their sidewalks in a reasonable safe condition—a condition that would not cause injury to a pedestrian. If sidewalks are not kept safe, owners may be held accountable for injuries caused by unsafe conditions.

If you have been injured on a defective sidewalk, contact an experienced premises liability attorney to assess your rights and how to proceed further to potentially receive compensation for your injuries.

The Expectation of Safety

While you conduct your business or go about your daily routine, you should have an underlying assurance that the premises you go to are kept in a safe condition. Often, sidewalks are not properly maintained—especially in bad weather. As a result, pedestrians can encounter scenarios such as accumulated snow, slippery ice hazards, uneven pavement, or debris caused by cracks or chunks missing from the sidewalk. Any of these situations can cause a potential trip hazard.

In Illinois, if the three following factors are met, a property owner can be held liable for a sidewalk injury. Bear in mind the property owner can be an individual, a business, corporation, or even town municipality.

• The sidewalk in question is on property on which the landowner owns or has custody;
• There was a defect on the sidewalk that created an unreasonable risk of harm to anyone using it; or
• The owner knew or should have known about the defect but failed to fix the problem in a reasonable amount of time.

Experienced and Compassionate Attorneys

If you were injured by a trip, slip, or fall on a defective sidewalk, consider retaining the services of a personal injury to assist you further. If the premise owner was negligent in caring for his or her sidewalk, you may be able to recover a financial settlement to cover your out-of-pocket medical costs and perhaps pain and suffering, depending on the circumstance of your case. Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices have experienced and award winning DuPage County personal injury attorneys who will vigorously represent you.