Keep Your Sidewalk Safe or Pay $90,000

With Winter and snow covered walkways approaching, I thought this article would be of interest for North Ridge residents.

A plaintiff alleged that she tripped and fell on a sidewalk which was not safely maintained by the defendant. The defendant denied that the cracks in the sidewalk constituted a dangerous condition and argued that the plaintiff was comparatively negligent in causing the fall.

The plaintiff testified that she was walking on a sidewalk, which she traversed on a regular basis, when she fell because of crumbling concrete. The plaintiff's orthopedic surgeon testified that the plaintiff sustained a fractured left wrist among other personal injuries as a result of the fall.

The defendant argued that the cracks in the sidewalk did not constitute a dangerous condition, that they were open and obvious and should have been avoided by the plaintiff. The plaintiff used this sidewalk on an almost daily basis.

The case was tried as a bench trial with a net verdict for the plaintiff in the amount of $90,000. Of course the personal injury lawyer takes his or her 40% of this settlement.


(Another in an informational article on Personal Injury, Product Liability, medical malpractice and current class action lawsuits)