As we continue to progress into the winter months this year, the weather forecast promises freezing temperatures in almost every state. Along with freezing temperatures comes the possibility of snow and ice, and with these comes many health risks and dangers.
Slipping on ice is just one of the many winter-specific dangers that hundreds of thousands of people experience every winter. It is also one of the most common. But who exactly holds responsibility for slip and fall accidents on ice?
The most dangerous places
Part of this depends on where you slip and fall. Power Blanket takes a look at some of the injury statistics related to slipping on ice. Most of them occur in parking lots or on sidewalks, i.e. smooth and flat surfaces that essentially become skating rinks when they ice over.
Responsibility tied to ownership
Naturally, most parking lots are owned either by businesses or by the city itself. Generally speaking, in these situations, injuries that happen in a poorly maintained parking lot will fall on the owner of said lot. For sidewalks, the matter is sometimes more complicated. Blame can fall on a shop owner whose store you fell in front of, or a homeowner whose sidewalk or driveway you walked on.
However, the owner of the property may not hold responsibility if they took the necessary precautions to make their space safe, such as putting down a deicer or having a warning sign posted in an obvious and visible place.
If you slipped and fell on an icy public space, consider contacting legal help to learn whether or not you have a case to pursue.