Parking lots and sidewalks

Property owners are responsible for taking reasonable precautions to prevent accidents. This responsibility extends throughout the owner's property, including outside walking areas and parking lots. The property owner is required to take all reasonable steps to keep such areas free from ice, dangerous obstacles, or debris that may lead to an accident. Public sidewalks are generally the property of a local authority, which has a much lower degree of responsibility. If you're injured in a parking lot that is the property of a business or other private owner, you may be able to receive compensation, if it can be shown that the owner was negligent in taking reasonable safety precautions. This compensation can include actual damages for medical expenses and loss of income, as well as compensation for pain and suffering. Public authorities are not excused responsibility for maintaining a reasonable safe environment on their property, so if you've been injured on public property, and can show that reasonable safety precautions weren't maintained, then you may be able to claim damages in the same way as if the injury occurred on private property.