With Winter Time Comes Black Ice
Wintertime can be a fun time of year. The weather is cold and snowy, making enjoyable activities like skiing and sitting in front of a toasty fire while enjoying a hot cup of cocoa a possibility. Unfortunately, wintertime can bring its fair share of danger, as well. There is a greater likelihood of your becoming involved in a car accident due to snowy and icy roads. According to research, approximately 116,000 Americans are injured on the roads in winter time each year. While black ice is prevalent on winter roads, posing a risk to motorists, one danger that many people fail to realize is a possibly is slipping and falling on black ice on sidewalks and in driveways.
What Is Black Ice?
Black ice is a thin coating of ice on a surface, which is difficult to see due to its transparency. While black ice isn’t actually black, it can be extremely dangerous because it is often encountered unexpectedly.
Black ice can be present on sidewalks and in driveways, either alone or even underneath snow. If you must walk on snow, it might provide you with more traction, however, if there is hidden black ice underneath, you could still slip and seriously injure yourself.
Protecting Yourself From Black Ice
If you must walk a great deal during winter months, then you must take precautionary measures to ensure that you don’t seriously injure yourself by slipping on black ice. One way to protect yourself is to dress appropriately. Wearing snow boots that contain an adequate grip can minimize your chances of falling if you do happen to come upon black ice.
Another way to protect yourself is to take an alternate route, if necessary. If you notice that certain homes or businesses fail to properly deice the sidewalk surrounding their property, then this increases your chances of slipping and seriously injuring yourself. So if at all possible, you should take a route that enables you to avoid these potentially hazardous sidewalks. Visit Philadelphia.about to find out about Philadelphia snow removals.
If you are careful to take all the recommended precautions, yet despite being careful you still end up slipping on an icy sidewalk and seriously injuring yourself, then you might be able to sue for damages. As long as you didn’t slip and sustain an injury on your own property, you can make whomever was responsible for your accident pay. It is a home or business owner’s responsibility to ensure that their property is free of any ice or snow, and if they failed to do so, then you might be entitled to compensation. This compensation can pay your medical bills, and even replace income that was lost while you were recovering.
So if you slip on black ice and seriously hurt yourself due to someone else’s negligence, then you shouldn’t hesitate to contact an attorney with experience in slip and fall accidents. He or she can investigate to determine if you have a possible case. Even if you feel the accident wasn’t severe enough, you should at least speak with an attorney to obtain legal advice that can be very helpful in many ways.