Certain tasks must be completed, in order to ensure the safety of a particular group of people. If those same tasks remain undone, then the responsible person could be held liable for damages.

Some examples of tasks that need to be performed by private citizen, in the interest of safety

• Shoveling snow off of a sidewalk; making sure that no icy spots remain on the shoveled area
• Removing potential hazards from a walkway or staircase; supervise children on property, if their toys ought to be removed from a given path
• Putting out a campfire before leaving a campsite; using precautions when starting and maintaining a campfire
• Keeping water in a birdbath fresh and clean; that way it will not attract mosquitoes
• Marking off an area of floor that contains water; trying to dry same spot as quickly as possible
• Putting a sign on top of a doorway if it reduces greatly the doorway’s height
• Putting a red flag on a load that is carried in a truck, if that same load sticks out from the rear of the truck
• Being careful to close any door at a raised level so that no one will hit their head on it
• Making sure a pet dog remains confined by a leash or a cage, when outside or when visitors expected

Jobs that must be done by employees of a municipality

• Making sure that all the traffic lights are working
• Having the address numbers painted on the curb at the designated homes; this makes the homes easier to identify in the event of an emergency
• Checking on the visibility of street signs; ensuring the clarity of their message
• Removing snow that has fallen on public property
• Staying alert to the presence of areas where a new street sign is needed (could be warning about a curve)
• Cutting away the tree limbs that have grown around an electric wire; removing a tree that appears in danger of falling over
• Fixing sidewalks that could cause a pedestrian to slip and fall; placing sloping areas at curbs, places where someone in a wheel chair might need to cross the street.
• Cordoning off a section of the street that is being repaired, especially if it contains some type of rut

If a private citizen or a municipality failed to take care of a particular responsibility, what factors would underscore the citizen’s or municipality’s liability for the ensuing damages? Those factors become clear upon examination of the sorts of questions that could be raised in a court of law.

Questions that might be asked

Did this citizen or this government authority know about the dangerous condition that should have been corrected?

Had the same citizen or government authority been provided with sufficient time in which to correct the problem? Those are the sorts of questions that will be on the minds of government authorities. If a terrible accident occurs on the city streets or on a section of public property, after seeking medical assistance, it is important to contact a personal injury lawyer in Abbotsford.