A woman who lived in Brooklyn in 2014 sued FirstService Residential New York after she slipped and fell on the sidewalk during the winter. The woman got a ride back to her home in the early morning hours during the 2014 winter when she slipped outside on a slippery surface. The lawsuit alleges that she found a path through the curbside snowbank that formed from snow removal, but she still slipped and fell as she tried to take the seemingly safest route possible.
One of the possibilities raised in this story is that runoff from the snowbank that formed near the curb made it on to the sidewalk and then refroze. As a result, it created a sheet of ice that caused the woman to lose her footing and fall, suffering serious injuries in the process.
Before the case finished closing arguments, the two parties involved in the lawsuit came to an agreement. The case was settled for a six-figure amount, though details were not released.
Clearing sidewalks in the middle of winter is a critical responsibility for building managers and property owners. When they fail in their duties, they can leave incredibly dangerous situations out in front of their property -- ones that can inflict serious injuries upon unsuspecting and innocent people.
Victims of these accidents should gather as much evidence as they can from the scene, if they are able to. They should also consult with an experienced attorney so that their case may proceed properly.
Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, "SKETCHES OF COURT: Six-figure settlement reached in slip-and-fall trial," Alba Acevedo, Sept. 11, 2017
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