Property owners could be liable for injuries on sidewalks covered in snow

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Severe wintry weather makes for slippery and hazardous conditions, and while shoveling your walkways is no fun, it is important.

Several people were out in Columbia Wednesday clearing sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and driveways.

Bill Tackett, a former prosecuting attorney, said by law in Missouri there are ways property owners could be liable for injuries caused by snow and ice on sidewalks. 

"If you own the property and know the public is going to be on it like a grocery store, sidewalk, or driveway you are liable if they fall or get hurt," Tackett said.

But, in civil litigation, there are always two sides.

"If you're intoxicated and go wandering into someone's yard trespassing that's not as likely to be successful as if you slip and fall in a store. You'd have to imagine what a jury would do with the case. In the middle of a snowstorm would a jury hang somebody for having somebody slip on their sidewalk probably not," Tackett said.

In Columbia according to city ordinance section 24-12, property owners are responsible, not the city, for keeping sidewalks clear. The penalty for violating the ordinance could be up to $500 per day.

In some cases, if a tenant falls on a sidewalk or parking lot at their apartment complex, landlords legally may not have to clear the sidewalk unless specified in the lease agreement.

And for some people, if they slip and fall on the job, it could be covered by worker's compensation.

Attorneys recommend if you do fall on someone's property due to icy and snowy conditions, take a picture of the accident scene, your clothes and if possible bruises. Then reach out to a civil attorney.

Documenting the scene is crucial, and it is also important to do it quickly.