sidewalk injuries

Sidewalk accidents? This sounds like an unlikely cause of injury — after all, the whole point of a sidewalk is to protect pedestrians and keep them safely out of the flow of traffic.

In truth, however, poorly maintained, constructed, and designed sidewalks lead to serious injuries each year. When a local government or property owner fails to provide a proper walking surface, it’s easy for individuals to trip, fall, and break bones. Further, those broken surfaces cause serious bicycle wrecks. Sometimes, sidewalk accidents cause a spinal cord injury or permanent disability.

Liability for a sidewalk injury often belongs to city government, because, pursuant to state law, each city is responsible for providing both safe city roadways and safe city sidewalks.

Unfortunately, in recent years, some cities have tried to shirk this responsibility by passing ordinances that require homeowners to keep the sidewalk in front of their homes safe. These ordinances have met with only limited success, however; in most cases, the city is still deemed responsible for a sidewalk injury. Of course, a trusted sidewalk accident attorney will be able to tell you whether or not your case is credible.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a sidewalk trip and fall or a sidewalk bicycle crash, the first thing to do is get medical care. Once you’re sure the injured person’s condition is stable, talk to The Stoddard Firm.

Why Choose The Stoddard Firm

Experience Matters

Sidewalk accidents often result in serious injuries. The cost of both medical care and time away from work can impact your financial future and well-being. And, even minor injuries can be expensive to treat.

Depending upon the circumstances surrounding your accident, you may be entitled to a financial settlement. However, you may not know how to pursue this. The right sidewalk accident lawyer can help. You want to engage quality representation, a firm that knows Georgia law and is experienced in handling similar cases.

Reach out to us to schedule a free consultation. We will take advantage of this meeting to learn more about your accident and share how we can best help you. We are the firm of choice when it comes to sidewalk injury lawsuits. When you engage us, you will benefit from our:

• Specialized Experience: We have decades of experience providing our clients the highest quality premises liability and personal injury legal services. We understand the intricacies of the law and know how to best approach each case.
• Outstanding Reputation: Matt Stoddard, our firm’s owner, has worked hard on behalf of those living in Atlanta. He has leveraged his experience representing corporations to help ordinary citizens win their personal injury cases.
• Approach to Service: Providing hands-on responsive service is a hallmark of our commitment to our clients. We maintain a small caseload, ensuring you have access to the entirety of our firm’s resources. We are dedicated to providing you with the very best representation. Additionally, we offer every client a free consultation. We believe it is critical that you meet us and understand how we will pursue justice on your behalf before you decide to work with us. In all cases, knowledge is power — you should always make informed decisions.

Sidewalk accidents can impact your life, in both the short and the long term. We firmly believe that those who were negligent in their duties to maintain sidewalks, causing injury to others, should be held responsible. We know how to manage cases like this; our team is ready to go to work on your behalf.

How We Can Help You

Our Sidewalk Injury Attorney Manages the Entire Legal Process

Accidents are frightening, and recoveries are painful. For an injured victim, the thought of initiating a lawsuit often seems like too much to handle — and for the average person it is. The legal process is complicated and time consuming, and you need to focus on your recovery and your life.

This is where The Stoddard Firm can help. We will take responsibility for handling the entire legal process on your behalf. Our sidewalk injury lawyer will:

• Investigate Your Accident: We will review the condition of the sidewalk, and identify those responsible for its maintenance.
• Calculate Your Expenses: Our team will help compile all of your expenses (including those that may continue into the future) to ensure that the settlement we request fully compensates you for your losses.
• Completing and Submitting All Legal Forms: We know what needs to be done and ensure everything is handled in accordance with the statute of limitations for premises liability.
• Communicate on Your Behalf: We will negotiate with all relevant parties to maximize your settlement.
• Represent You in Court: If we are unable to reach an appropriate settlement through negotiations, we will aggressively pursue compensation through litigation.

Sidewalk lawsuits are complex. They require significant knowledge and considerable time to manage. The Stoddard Firm team has the knowledge and experience necessary to help you get the settlement you need and deserve. Our reputation is stellar. Let us help you move forward.

The Broken Sidewalk Problems Plaguing Atlanta

The Problem is Real

Sidewalk injuries in Atlanta occur frequently, and there are a host of examples of how they happen. One article from the Saporta Report highlights the challenges of Atlanta residents who rely on wheelchairs. The piece specifically refers to the area surrounding the Shepherd Center, though it’s worth noting that these problems are common across the city.

The backlog of repairs needed to fix Atlanta’s broken sidewalks would cost more than $200 million. The city has transferred some of those costs to the people who own the property adjacent to the busted sidewalks, which has only added to the anger felt by many residents. While the city has done far too little to address the problem, the conditions of the sidewalks keep deteriorating, further placing all users at risk for serious injury. Until the City of Atlanta chooses to properly repair its city sidewalk, accidents will continue to happen.

The Causes of Sidewalk Injuries

In general, sidewalk injuries are the result of poorly maintained sidewalks, but there are several other causes as well.

Cracks in the pavement, potholes, uneven pavement, and other problems with the construction of the sidewalk can often contribute to trip and fall injuries. Other factors, such as improperly installed storm water sewer grates can cause bicycle tires to get stuck, resulting in serious bicycle wreck injuries.

In addition, careless planning or poor care and maintenance often cause serious injuries. This can happen when large plants (especially trees) extend their roots into the sidewalk area. Poorly planned or laid-out sidewalks can be a cause of injury, as can poor construction—such as uneven pavement. In all these cases, a sidewalk injury can (and often will) occur.

Types of Sidewalk Injuries

Sidewalk injuries have the potential to be extremely serious in nature. Broken bones are not uncommon. They often lead to an emergency room trip at best and open reduction internal fixation surgeries or permanent disability at worst. Some of the bones most likely to be broken in a sidewalk injury include the hip, the femur, and the bones of the wrists, arms, and shoulders.

In addition, it is not unheard of for individuals to suffer serious spinal and skull injuries as a result of a sidewalk trip and fall. These can range from relatively minor concussions all the way up to skull fractures and permanent damage to the spinal cord. This type of injury can be permanently disabling, creating catastrophic medical costs far beyond the means of most families.

It is clear that injuries of this type often result in lost time at work. This reduction in productivity may cause a serious financial burden to the families it impacts.

Who is Responsible for Sidewalk Injuries?

In Georgia, responsibility for the upkeep of sidewalks can reside with a number of different people or organizations. They include the owner of the adjacent property (either a business or homeowner, or, in some situations, the government.

If you’ve been injured on the sidewalk, the first question is whether anyone is liable for it. In a personal injury case, your lawyer must be able to prove that some party had a responsibility to take reasonable care of the sidewalk, that the responsible party knew or should have known of a sidewalk problem, and that the responsible party failed to fix that problem.

Have You Been Injured in a Sidewalk Accident?

The Stoddard Firm’s Sidewalk Injury Lawyer Can Help

If you or someone you love has been injured in a sidewalk accident, the first course of action is to seek medical attention. Your health and well-being should always be your priority. Once you have taken care of this, make sure you contact authorities.

Finally, reach out to our experienced Atlanta sidewalk injury attorney. You need the guidance of an experienced professional to successfully resolve your case.

Contact Us Today

If you have been in a sidewalk accident that you believe is the fault of another person or organization, contact the sidewalk injury attorneys at The Stoddard Firm today. Our team of experienced professionals know Georgia personal injury and premises liability law; they can manage your legal claim from start to finish.

We are ready to leverage our experience and approach for you, making sure we handle everything related to your case. Your injury and recovery deserve our full attention. That said, we will take our time when working for you, because we know that details matter.

Our ultimate goal is to prove negligence and get you the settlement (including economic damages, non-economic damages and even possibly punitive damages) that you need to compensate you for all that you have lost. And, we always offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case. Call us today at 470-467-2200 to schedule a meeting and learn just how powerfully we can support you.