Winters in the Chicago area can be dangerous. Large amounts of snowfall, below-freezing temperatures that last for weeks at a time, and other weather conditions can lead to slippery surfaces that may cause slip-and-fall accidents. These accidents can result in multiple types of serious injuries, including broken bones, dislocated joints such as wrists or knees, whiplash, concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, and other forms of bodily harm. In these situations, injury victims will often wonder who was responsible for an accident, and they will want to determine their options for pursuing compensation from a property owner or another party who acted in a way that put them at risk of harm. By understanding how Illinois law addresses these cases, victims can determine their options for seeking compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Liability for Slip-and-Fall Injuries Caused by Snow and Ice
While property owners or managers are often required by city ordinances to clear snow and ice from sidewalks and other walking surfaces, the laws in Illinois provide them with some protection from liability. In most cases, a property owner cannot be held liable for their efforts to clear snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property, and this immunity also extends to property managers, tenants, occupants, or other agents who perform snow removal work. Because of this, property owners are usually shielded from liability in cases where slip-and-fall accidents take place because snow or ice naturally accumulated.
Many cases involving slip-and-fall injuries rest on the question of whether snow or ice accumulated naturally. A natural accumulation may include snow that fell during a snowstorm or ice that formed due to cold temperatures or freezing rain. However, if snow or ice accumulated unnaturally, a property owner may be liable for slip-and-fall accidents. For example, if the gutters on a building were not properly maintained, this may have caused water to drip onto a sidewalk below, causing ice to form unnaturally and creating a dangerous slipping hazard. In these cases, a property owner may be liable for slip-and-fall injuries.
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