The Liability of Slip and Fall Accidents on Icy Walkways

Winter in the Garden State means many days and nights with snow and ice covering the ground. When this happens, slippery and dangerous conditions can arise. These winter weather conditions can create a breeding ground for slip and fall accidents, especially incidents that occur on walkways.

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, unintentional slip and fall accidents are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries in the United States for all age groups, except those between 10 and 24. Even then, slip and falls account for the second-most leading cause of nonfatal injuries.

Victims who slip and fall on an icy walkway due to winter weather may walk away relatively unscathed from the incident. However, one in five slip and fall incidents leave people seriously injured. Injuries can include severe sprains, broken bones, and major head injuries. Most head injuries, like concussions, are actually the result of slip and fall injuries. Hundreds of thousands of victims are hospitalized each year because of these occurrences too.

A Lesson About Liability

The weather might be to blame for your icy walkway slip and fall injury, but you can’t sue Mother Nature. Snowy and icy walkways are similar to any other walkway that’s been made hazardous by less severe weather. People are expected to act carefully, except, the person or organization responsible for keeping the walkway safe is liable for what happens to any person(s) who is hurt.

• Here is an example. You are a business owner, and someone just slipped on an icy sidewalk in front of your business. You knew the weather was less than ideal, but you chose to ignore the area in front of your business because you assumed many people won’t tread through the bad conditions.
• While your theory was mostly right, someone did fall and injure themselves. The injured party can now sue you because you didn’t clean your storefront property. That makes you negligent, and negligence is key to who’s liable and who’s not in a slip and fall incident.
• In this same scenario, the business owner should have put up the proper warning signage if they knew they didn’t have the time or means to clean up the snow and ice.

The End Result of a Slip and Fall Claim

If you are the victim of a slip and fall injury in New Jersey, there are some important things you will need to know about your claim. If proven to be negligent in his or her actions, the party or person who caused your injury will be responsible for whatever damages and injuries you are suffering from, including earnings lost and medical bills.

The only way towards a successful slip and fall claim in New Jersey is by choosing Attorney Anthony Carbone to represent you. Our Jersey City slip and fall attorney has been successfully fighting for the rights of those injured by negligence for thirty years.

Please contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone today to schedule your free consultation.