How Many Times When You Walk Innocently Down the Sidewalk and Step On Pavement Gratings or Hatch Doors to a Basement Are You Putting Yourself in Danger?
Many years ago, a dear friend of my father’s was walking down a dark street behind a restaurant and fell to the bottom of an open shaft as a result of a faulty doorway hatch covering a stairwell which was designed to protect innocent passersby on the sidewalk. The hatch was on top of a delivery stairway used by trucks making food deliveries to the restaurant. There was no reasonable explanation as to why the hatch to the basement was faulty, there were no warnings posted, and it was obvious that the stairwell presented a hazard to pedestrians walking by without notice of the dangerous condition. While the owners and operators of the building and restaurant attempted to put the blame on my father’s friend, it seemed clear cut that no one would jump to the bottom of a delivery chute and that the fall had to be accidental.
Of course, in typical fashion, the defendants tried to throw every obstacle in the path of the man who attempted to make a claim for injuries, which included broken bones, concussion, and broken teeth. Testimony revealed that the individual was still in contact with the sidewalk when he unexpectedly stepped on top of the faulty doorway cover abutting the pavement.
Although this may sound like a freak occurrence, many pedestrians on the sidewalk do not expect that the common sidewalk they walk on may also contain the housing or entryway to a basement of which the building is stocked with supplies. If the pavement or hatch is in ill repair and not maintained properly, the situation is presented where it is simply an accident is waiting to happen. Frequently, a sidewalk adjacent to the vaulted space ends with a masonry or concrete wall that retains the soil beneath the street. Many times there exists deterioration of the structure to the hatch or doorway or a hollowness underneath the sidewalk which may only be seen by those who enter or exit the premises regularly. This collapse risk provides a danger to those unaware of the hazard and requires an experienced premise liability lawyer to fully investigate a claim if an injury should occur.
Since 1979, the experienced Philadelphia premise liability and slip and fall lawyers of Reiff and Bily have successfully tackled some of the most difficult slip and fall and premise liability cases and have achieved many multi-million dollar results on behalf of catastrophically injured clients. Our experienced Philadelphia slip and fall and premise liability lawyers always offer a free, no obligation consultation and a no recovery, zero fee guarantee. For more information, contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
