Waterloo Region’s recent stint of weather has led to a number of slippery surfaces causing injuries and lawsuits.
On Thursday, a woman was taken to hospital in Cambridge when she slipped and fell on the sidewalk on Hespeler Road.
“You can’t even get down the road,” said Colin Froude, who witnessed the fall. “People have to walk on the streets.”
Grand River and St. Mary’s Hospitals say they've see a spike in slip-and-fall related injuries, especially after winter storms.
“Our numbers typically run around 190-195 patients a day,” said Dr. Colin Yardley of Grand River Hospital. “After the ice storm on Jan. 24 we peaked at 239 visits.”
He adds that 60 of those visits were because of slip-and-falls.
"If someone has a slip and fall accident, a lot will be determined whether that happened on private property or city-owned property,” said personal injury lawyer Lisa Morell Kelly.
She adds that if someone slips on the sidewalk next to a house, the homeowner will not be responsible. If they slip on the driveway then they will.
Morell Kelly says that most of the cases she deals with involve companies that use snow and ice removal contractors.
The City of Kitchener acknowledges how hard it can be for homeowners to get their properties totally clear of ice. They say by-law officers use their discretion.
