Slip and fall accidents at outdoor dining areas in University City, Philadelphia, often start where restaurant seating meets the street. The raised edge of a curbside platform, the gap between the deck and the curb, and an access ramp can all trip a diner. Decking slick with autumn rain or wet leaves can cause a slip. If one of these hazards caused your fall, the restaurant that runs the seating area can be held responsible.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our University City, Philadelphia slip and fall accident lawyers handle cases involving diners injured on raised platforms, ramps, and sidewalk cafe seating. This discussion explains how these outdoor setups lead to falls and why they become more dangerous in autumn.
Outdoor Tables Extend Into the Curb Lane Around 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue
Restaurants near campus around 40th Street and farther west on Baltimore Avenue seat customers outdoors in two ways. Some build a raised platform in the parking lane, and others place tables directly on the sidewalk.
For instance, Copabanana (at 40th and Spruce Streets) and Loco Pez (on Baltimore Avenue) both operate streetery setups licensed by the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, which also oversees sidewalk cafes.
Although Baltimore Avenue’s commercial blocks date back to the late 19th century—as shown on historical maps from 1855 to 1892—modern outdoor platforms have introduced newer structural hazards to these long-established streets.
What Makes Platform Edges and Barriers Hazardous in University City, Philadelphia?
A platform’s edge is a drop that an ordinary sidewalk does not have. Diners often reach it without looking down. When tables are placed close to the edge, guests pushing back a chair or standing up can step off the deck by mistake. On two-way Baltimore Avenue, a platform’s outer edge borders the travel lane, making any misstep there more dangerous.
Barriers and planters help separate diners from passing vehicles, but their bases can stick out into the walking space. Uneven decking adds another hazard, since a lip where two sections of the deck meet can catch a toe.
Falling from the edge onto the street can cause severe injuries, including broken wrists, ankles, and hips. CDC data counts an estimated 540,607 nonfatal emergency department visits for unintentional falls among U.S. adults ages 25 to 34 in 2023.
How Do Access Ramps and Curb Gaps Trip Diners?
Diners cross a ramp or a curb gap each time they step on or off a platform. A slight rise or a narrow opening at either spot can catch a foot. The curb gap is the open space between the curb and the deck. A heel, a cane tip, or a stroller wheel can slip into it, throwing a person off balance.
Ramps allow diners using wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers to reach the deck. However, a ramp that shifts underfoot or has a raised lip where it meets the sidewalk can cause a trip. Both hazards are low to the ground and easy to miss when people are carrying drinks or looking for a table.
On the 40th Street blocks near campus, foot traffic from students, hospital staff, and residents picks up during meal rushes. Those crowds pass right by the spots where diners step on and off platforms.
Why Do Outdoor Dining Platforms Become More Dangerous in Autumn?
Autumn brings rain, wet leaves, and earlier sunsets. Together, they make a platform’s surface slicker and its edges harder to see. Rain can leave a film of water on decking that takes time to dry after a storm passes.
Along Baltimore Avenue and the tree-lined blocks near campus, wet leaves can collect against planters and ramps. A layer of wet leaves can also cover the edge of the deck or the curb gap, hiding the drop from view. A sloped ramp covered in wet leaves is especially likely to cause a slip.
Shorter days also mean more meals end after dark. String lights above the tables may brighten the seating area without lighting the ramp or the edges.
How Is a Sidewalk Cafe Different From a Curbside Platform?
A sidewalk cafe has no raised deck, ramp, or curb gap. Instead, its tables, chairs, and barriers share the sidewalk with people walking by. Milkcrate Cafe, in the 4400 block of Baltimore Avenue, is one example of a business with a sidewalk cafe license.
On a platform, the main danger is a change in height, whereas at a sidewalk cafe it is usually an object in the walking path. Seating on the sidewalk narrows that path, forcing pedestrians to squeeze past tables and chairs. Chair legs and the low bases of barriers can stick out into the path. This is more likely when diners lean back or turn their chairs toward the street.
How Long Does an Outdoor Dining Fall Claim Usually Take?
The timeline depends mostly on how your injury heals and whether the restaurant’s insurance company accepts fault. Many personal injury claims wait until doctors can say how well you will recover. Settling too early can leave later treatment unpaid. If the insurer disputes fault, the claim may need a lawsuit, which adds time. Our University City, Philadelphia slip and fall accident lawyers gather the facts and deal with the insurance company while you recover.
Common Questions About Restaurant Platform Falls in University City, Philadelphia
- What Does a Restaurant Owe Diners Seated on Its Outdoor Platform?
A duty of reasonable care. Under Pennsylvania premises liability law, a restaurant that operates a licensed platform may be required to inspect the deck and keep it well lit. It may also need to fix or clearly mark slip and fall hazards, such as a loose ramp, a raised edge, or slick decking.
- What Can I Recover After Falling at a Restaurant’s Outdoor Table?
Money for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A fall off a platform edge that breaks a wrist and requires surgery can support a larger claim than a twisted ankle that heals in a week.
- Do I Still Have a Case if the Restaurant Fixed the Platform the Next Day?
Possibly, yes. Repairing the platform afterward does not erase the condition that caused your fall. The claim still depends on what the deck, ramp, or edge looked like when you fell and whether the restaurant knew or should have known about the problem.
Did You Fall at an Outdoor Table? Contact Our University City, Philadelphia Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer
If you suffered an injury at a restaurant’s curbside platform or sidewalk cafe, reach out to our University City, Philadelphia slip and fall accident lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer. Call 215-985-0138 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia, as well as Cherry Hill and Marlton, NJ, we assist clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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