No one should ever fear going for a walk. It is an everyday part of life that should never end with an injury. Unfortunately, accidents can happen and there are situations where people can fall and be hurt while walking. Many situations can be due to clumsiness or lack of attention, but others can happen when sidewalk conditions are not properly maintained. Such accidents can result in serious injuries like broken bones, concussions, brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and more.

Examples of Sidewalk Accidents

There are several ways a pedestrian can be injured while walking on a sidewalk. Possible factors can include:

• Weather conditions such as snow, ice, water, etc.
• Damaged surface of the sidewalk
• Slippery substances
• Loose debris
• Hazardous materials

While it can be challenging to prove that dangerous conditions were present at the time of your fall, an experienced attorney can help your case. It is important that injuries as a result of these factors are addressed within a reasonable period of time. When dealing with inclement weather conditions, a property owner is given an amount of time to clean up a mess after a storm. Each municipality has different regulations when it comes to this. If your injury took place during this window, the property owner may not be held responsible as it was a risk for you to walk during this time.

Liability

If you are injured as a result of a sidewalk accident, you will most likely seek who is at fault for the incident. While it is sometimes believed that local governments are always responsible for sidewalks, that is not always the case. In most cases, the property owner that is next to the sidewalk is obligated to care for it. Those liable for its condition may be private citizens, commercial property owners, and communities themselves.

Proving Negligence

While working with an attorney to uncover who is responsible for your injury, it is important to provide what is called the “burden of proof.” The burden of proof requires the injured to show evidence of negligence to prove that the property owner is responsible for your injury. Finding evidence of negligence can help prove that the owner of that property knew about the condition of the sidewalk and did not do anything to fix it. Such evidence may consist of a few things. An important piece of information is any medical documentation of the injury. This can include the actual injury, where it took place and when. In addition to this, pictures of the property damages and witnesses to the incident can be used as information.

Contact

If you have been injured in a sidewalk accident and wish to speak with an attorney about the best course of action for your incident, contact the Law Offices of Hausman & Pendzick today.

Hausman & Pendzick effectively represents victims of neglect in Westchester County and across the state of New York. If you need a knowledgeable and skilled personal injury attorney to help you recover compensation after an accident, contact Hausman & Pendzick today.