By some accounts, San Diego needs some $170 million in sidewalk repairs. But so far, the City Council has only allocated $400,000 to fix those sidewalks, according to ABC 10 News.
That budgetary discrepancy and the danger of unrepaired and hazardous sidewalks in San Diego have once again been brought to the forefront after a bicyclist announced he is going to sue the city for injuries he sustained after he allegedly hit a bad patch of sidewalk while riding his bicycle.
According to the suit, the bicyclist hit a six-and-a-half inch lift in the sidewalk and suffered five broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, a punctured lung, and a broken eye socket. He claims he had amnesia for two days.
He alleges that the City of San Diego failed to make sure that sidewalks are “free of hazardous conditions.”
According to the Voice of San Diego, the city receives 200 requests for sidewalk repairs every month. However, it may take as long as two years for something to happen. While property owners are technically responsible for sidewalk repairs in front of their homes or businesses, the courts have ruled that San Diego is responsible for those injured on dangerous sidewalks.
Why hasn’t the city stepped up and tried to protect its citizens from trips-and-falls and potentially life-threatening injuries? According to Voice of San Diego, it’s much less expensive for the city to pay out claims than to make all the repairs that are needed. The city reportedly paid out $355,000 a year to cover sidewalk legal claims from 2008 to 2012.
When the city fights a claim, it often blames the victim.
ABC 10News interviewed attorney Ross Jurewitz of the Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers in San Diego about the problems that litigants often face when dealing with San Diego over sidewalk legal claims. He told a reporter that the city usually argues that the person who was injured should have paid more attention.
Jurewitz also stated that, in a trial, the city will often offer a defense that is not really a defense: it will appeal to the jury as taxpayers.
“The cost of repair is not a legal defense at all, but it’s an appeal that the city uses time and time again,” attorney Jurewitz said.
If you have been injured on property that has been improperly maintained, the premises liability attorneys at the Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers would like the opportunity to explain your legal rights to you. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
If you believe you have a case, call us today at (888) 233-5020 or contact us online. Your consultation is free.
