How do snow and ice affect legal liability?
Although Southern Connecticut winters are not as consistently filled with snow and ice as they once were, we still contend with snow or ice on many days and nights in the winter months. How does the presence of snow or ice affect legal liability?
- If you are the driver of a vehicle on a road that has snow or ice, you must use a sufficient extra degree of care to keep your vehicle under control.
- If you are the owner of a home, you must clean your sidewalk within a reasonable period of time after a storm has ended.
- If you live in an apartment building or condominium complex, the person in control must clean sidewalks and parking areas within a reasonable period of time after a storm has ended.
- If you are shopping in a complex of retail stores, the person in control of the complex must clean the sidewalks and parking areas within a reasonable period of time after a storm has ended.
If you have been injured on snow or ice we would be pleased to meet with you. A thorough investigation of legal responsibility for an injury sustained on snow or ice almost always includes photographs of the area, weather reports showing precipitation and temperature during relevant time periods, and a determination of who is in control of the area where the injury occurred.