If you tripped on an uneven curb or sidewalk in Hawthorne, Philadelphia, more than one party may owe you money. In most cases, the owner of the property next to the sidewalk must keep it reasonably safe, while the city answers for the curb ramps it builds. Who pays depends on which part of the walkway failed. A clear record of the spot helps prove your case.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Hawthorne slip and fall accident lawyers handle trips and falls on the neighborhood’s mixed-era curbs, ramps, and sidewalk seams. We know how a worn old curb beside fresh concrete sends people to the ground. We work to find who was responsible and to recover what you lost.
Three Eras of Curb on One Corner in Hawthorne, Philadelphia
Walk one block of Hawthorne’s tight grid, and the ground keeps changing under your feet. A century-old granite curb meets a poured ramp from a 2005 rebuild. A few steps later, a brand-new ramp sits at the corner.
The neighborhood earned this patchwork honestly. The four Martin Luther King Plaza towers came down in 1999, and by 2005, the old superblock was re-cut into narrow streets with new curbs and slabs.
The city is still adding to the mix, one corner at a time. According to the Philadelphia Streets Department, since May 2023, the city has been required to install or upgrade 10,000 ADA-compliant curb ramps over 15 years. By the end of Fiscal Year 2025, a total of 2,645 ramps had been completed.
The work moves block by block, corner by corner. Therefore, two corners on the same street can carry curbs from different decades. Each one can have a different height and a different slope. The neighborhood park at 12th and Catharine, dedicated in 2012, adds yet another era of ramp beside much older row-house frontage.
Why the Seam Between Old and New Causes Falls in Hawthorne, Philadelphia
The danger is not one worn surface. It is the seam where one era of construction meets the next.
An old granite curb may sit higher or lower than the poured ramp beside it. A new ramp may add a small lip that the foot does not expect. Where an old slab has settled next to fresh concrete, a half-inch step appears with no warning.
That kind of step is easy to miss. People read a sidewalk by its pattern, and a sudden change in height or slope breaks that pattern. The eye expects the next block to look like the last one. On Hawthorne’s narrow blocks, it often does not.
Rain makes it worse. Water pools in the low spot where an old curb meets a newer ramp, hiding the edge.
Falls such as these are common and serious. According to the CDC, more than one in four people age 65 and older falls each year. About 37% of those who fall report an injury. Our firm sees how a single missed step turns into a broken wrist or hip.
Corner-Store Thresholds and Frontage Seams in Hawthorne, Philadelphia
Hawthorne’s corners are full of small shops with a home built above. These storefronts went up more than a century ago. They were never built to meet today’s sidewalks.
So the public walkway often steps up to a raised threshold at the door. That seam, where the sidewalk meets the old frontage, is its own trip hazard. The lip can be just an inch or two, but that is enough to catch a foot.
You can see the pattern at Saqqara Cafe on South Street and at corner stores across the grid. A customer watching the door, not the ground, catches a toe on the lip and goes down. Tracked-in rainwater at the entrance adds a slick layer on top of the height change. An entry mat that slides or bunches can hide the step entirely.
When a raised threshold or a worn entry causes a fall, the question is whether the property was kept reasonably safe. Our firm looks at who owned the storefront and what they knew about the hazard.
What to Know About a Hawthorne, Philadelphia, Sidewalk Fall Claim
After a fall, the first job is sorting out who controlled the spot that hurt you. On Hawthorne’s blocks, the failed surface might be a private curb, a store frontage, or a city-built ramp.
In Philadelphia, the owner of the property next to a sidewalk generally must keep that stretch reasonably safe. The city is responsible for the curb ramps it builds. More than one party can share the blame on a single corner. A lawyer can sort out which party controlled the spot that failed.
This is the idea of premises liability, the rule that whoever controls a property can be responsible for an unsafe condition on it. Proof matters. Photograph the seam, the height change, and any pooled water before the city or an owner repairs it. Note the date and the exact corner where the surface failed.
Save your medical records and the shoes you wore. At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Hawthorne slip and fall accident lawyers use that evidence to show how the walkway failed and who should pay.
Frequently Asked Questions About Slip and Fall on Curbs and Sidewalks in Hawthorne, Philadelphia
- Who Is Responsible if I Trip on an Uneven Curb or Sidewalk in Hawthorne, Philadelphia?
In Philadelphia, the owner of the property next to a sidewalk generally must keep that stretch reasonably safe, and the city answers for the curb ramps it builds. This is called premises liability, the rule that whoever controls a property can be liable for an unsafe condition on it. Who is responsible depends on which part of the walkway failed.
- What Can I Recover After a Trip and Fall on a Hawthorne, Philadelphia Sidewalk?
You may be able to recover the money you spent on medical care, the wages you lost while you were hurt, and money for your pain. The amount depends on how serious the slip and fall injury is and how it occurred.
- Can I Still Recover if I Was Looking at My Phone When I Fell in Hawthorne, Philadelphia?
Often yes. Pennsylvania uses comparative negligence, the rule that you can still recover money even if you were partly at fault, as long as you were not more at fault than the other side. Your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame.
If You Fell, Talk to Our Hawthorne, Philadelphia Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer for Legal Help Today
If you fell on an uneven curb, ramp, or sidewalk seam, reach out to our Hawthorne, Philadelphia, slip and fall accident lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer. Our experienced legal team is ready to fight for you. Call 215-985-0138 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Located in Philadelphia, as well as Cherry Hill and Marlton, NJ, we assist clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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