If you are responsible for the sidewalks – either alongside the public streets or across private property; then, you should definitely try your very best to subject them to regular inspections and take corrective action whenever you come across any example of a Broken Sidewalk In New Jersey. We live in an age of easy litigation and there are a lot of personal injury lawyers and attorneys out there simply waiting for someone to sue – usually on a contingency basis; so the actual injured party does not need to put money up front to start the case. More often than not, when these lawyers are successful, the awards to their clients run to big bucks. All it takes for you or your organization to be on the payout end of one of these personal injury lawsuits is for the lawyers to demonstrate that it was your negligence that caused the accident that injured their client.
What Could Be Construed As Negligent Sidewalk Management?
Basically, if there is a raised or sunken portion of the sidewalk surface that causes someone to trip and fall; you are well on your way to being held negligent. You could try arguing that it was only a small problem and you thought that pedestrians walking by would all avoid it; but, they did not and, now, you are in trouble for being responsible for a Broken Sidewalk In New Jersey. Maybe; and it is by no means a sure thing; you might mount a successful defense if you had cordoned off the damaged area as soon as it happened and had put up extremely clear notices warning people to keep off that section of the sidewalk.
In reality; it is all down to that old saw about an ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure. You really do need to know everything about your sidewalks and; whenever there is the slightest sign of a Broken Sidewalk In New Jersey; you must instigate prompt and efficient sidewalk repair work. Don’t rely entirely on the reports of subordinates or pictures on CCTV cameras; get out there and walk the walk along your sidewalks so that you know exactly what is going on out there.
