5 Tips for Injuries in the Snow/Ice

You can be sued in a personal injury claim by any random person who slips and falls on your icy/snowy/slushy sidewalk. You have a duty to keep the sidewalk clear and accessible outside of your own home.

Business owners must clear the surrounding sidewalks, staircases, walkways, shaded areas, and even parking lots around their business. In general, the principle of “premises liability” forces businesses to remove items in their store or shop that could hurt people and to clean up slippery spills to help customers avoid injury. The same principle applies that a business must clear ice/snow to help protect its customers.

If you slip and fall while walking on a sidewalk, you might have a valid claim against the property owner or landlord. You may also have a valid personal injury claim against a business if you slip and fall in a parking lot or walkway.

Make sure to leave a large following distance behind the car in front of you to be able to stop if necessary even in tough conditions. Drive slower than usual to avoid causing a collision that you could be sued for. Bad weather conditions are not a valid legal excuse for causing a collision.

The at-fault driver is not off of the hook just because the icy/snowy conditions contributed to why they hit you. Take pictures on your phone of the conditions that contributed to the collision, so that they can easily be shown and discussed later in your case if necessary.