Both public and private landowners have a duty of care requiring them to keep walking paths—including paved asphalt or concrete sidewalks—in reasonably safe condition for lawful visitors. However, anyone who has been a pedestrian in an urban area knows that cracked, loose, and broken sidewalk slabs are not an uncommon sight. With hazards like these, sometimes even a minor change in elevation can lead to an unexpected fall with very serious consequences.
If you were severely injured in a slip and fall accident on a sidewalk, you may have grounds to file a civil suit over your damages against whoever was responsible for maintaining that sidewalk. However, obtaining adequate compensation for sidewalk slip and fall accidents in Tucson can be deceptively difficult. If you are looking to pursue a claim, it is a good idea to contact a skilled slip and fall attorney from Phillips Law Group for help.
One of the primary reasons why slip and fall accidents on Tucson sidewalks can be so tricky to file suit over is because of how complicated it can be to identify the landowner responsible for a particular patch of sidewalk. Generally, owners of private residential and commercial property are considered liable for warning visitors about and promptly correcting flaws in sidewalks within their property borders as well as public sidewalks directly adjacent to those borders.
However, if there is no private property nearby, or if a defective sidewalk is located on property owned by the city or state government, a local municipal authority may be the party primarily at fault for a slip and fall accident. In this scenario, there may be unique rules for and restrictions on the civil recovery process that do not apply to claims filed against private individuals. Having help from a seasoned attorney can be especially crucial to success in these cases.
Fortunately, the state considers it unconstitutional to place caps of any kind on recovery for compensable losses caused by someone else’s negligence, regardless of who that negligent person is. Because of this, lawsuits against both private and public entities over Tucson sidewalk slip and fall accidents can seek compensation for the full value of all short-term and long-term damages a victim’s injuries can be expected to cause, including:
However, the two-year filing deadline set by Arizona Revised Statutes § 12-542 still applies even if a slip and fall injury will have life-altering consequences, so taking action sooner rather than later is generally the best approach to this type of claim.
Even if you are usually sure-footed, stepping on a wide crack between sidewalk blocks or tripping over the edge of an unmarked asphalt divot can easily lead to a very serious accident. Fortunately, if you can prove that someone else’s failure to take proper care of their land caused your slip and fall, you may be able to demand civil recovery from them for every negative effect their misconduct will have on your life.
The attorneys at Phillips Law Group have experience with sidewalk slip and fall accidents in Tucson and can guide you through every step of the civil litigation process. Call today and schedule your free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case.
(602) 222-2222 
