Injury Law 102: Always Remove Snow and Ice

It’s snowed. Again. Your driveway, walkway, and curb have accumulated a mountainous amount of snow. I know, it’s a great big job but not removing your stockpile of snow and ice provides hazardous opportunities for slip-and-fall injuries. Failing to remove the snow puts some of the most vulnerable community members, like the elderly, at risk – these falls can cause more than just injury in some cases, it can be lethal.

Property owners and residents are held liable for the potentially hazardous conditions of the property they are residing falls under premises liability laws. Residents of New York City, whether owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or otherwise must clean ice and snow from the sidewalk once the snow has stopped within a certain amount of time (it differs depending on the time of day) or face monetary fines as high as $350 (for a third offence) as outlined in the New York City Department of Sanitation “A Summary of Sanitation Rules and Regulations.”

Property owners who fail to remove snow and ice can risk having any number of claims filed against them such as; to failing to remove snow and ice in an appropriate amount of time, or failing to post a warning or sign about hazardous conditions amongst others. If someone slips and falls on your property, it gives the injured person an opportunity to be compensated for encountering the hazard and falling victim to it. As a property owner or landlord, you quickly learn to appreciate why it is so important to ensure that the public space around your property is free of snow and ice hazards making it safe for pedestrians and the like to walk on.

If you, or a loved one, have become victim to a slip-and-fall accident at a residence or local business as a result of snow and ice not being removed in a timely manner, you may be eligible to seek compensation for any injuries you may have sustained. In such a case, the property owner, occupant or other responsible person(s) is likely to have a premises liability lawsuit filed against them should there be enough evidence to demonstrate that failing to adequately remove any snow and ice from the property caused the accident that led to the injury.  Compensation can be provided lost wages, medical expenses or other losses.