When You Trip and Fall in a Public Park
Posted November 19th, 2018 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Slip and Falls.
You can trip and fall over nearly anything in any place in New Jersey. No matter if it’s someone else’s yard, a sidewalk, or a concert, an accident can strike at any time. One of the most unsuspecting places you would expect a trip and fall accident to happen is a public park.
Public parks, like Berry Lane Park in Jersey City or even Central Park in New York City, are designed for people to relax and enjoy themselves. Not many people are aware of the hazards that surround them.
Parks can be extremely small, tucked away in a big city. Or, they can be in forested areas with miles of terrain. Public parks are also affected by governments who decide to cut back on maintenance programs. This can make a park unsafe for all who use it, especially children.
Examples of trip and fall injuries in public parks aren’t limited in any way, shape, or form. Whether you are considered an invitee, licensee, or trespasser, you can fall and severely injure yourself. Someone can trip over a broken branch that should have been removed from the premises. Someone can just as easily trip over a piece of unused playground equipment that was put off to the side of the park. Accidents can happen anywhere.
Seeking Compensation for Your Injury
Many trip and fall accidents happen where a private property owner is responsible for creating a hazardous situation or failing to resolve the situation. Trip and fall incidents are different in public parks. Typically, these parks are owned or managed by a city authority or government agency (state or federal).
If you do trip and fall in a public park and injure yourself, you may only have a certain amount of time to file a claim if the property you injured yourself on was government-owned. The amount of time you have to file a claim may be as little as thirty days. They may also impose a cap on the amount that can be claimed, in some cases as little as $100,000.
Establishing Fault in Your Case
Claiming compensation for a trip and fall injury that happens at a public park is difficult in itself, but proving fault is even more difficult. While it’s necessary to prove that the property owner was responsible for the hazardous situation, you need to figure out whether a city, state or federal agency that operates the park is responsible too. It must be proven that they directly knew about the hazard or were either aware of the hazard and did nothing to prevent it.
Our Trip and Fall Attorney Can Help
At the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we’ve been helping victims of trip and fall injuries for thirty years. If you have suffered an injury on public property, such as a park, you will need the help of an experienced attorney. Contact our law offices in Jersey City for a free consultation today.
