If you fell on the sidewalk outside a Bala Cynwyd storefront, the business or the building owner may be responsible. Under Pennsylvania law, the owner of a property along a sidewalk must keep the sidewalk reasonably safe. The duty covers what an owner sets out on the pavement and what an owner allows to stay there. A walker injured in a slip and fall accident may have a claim for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Sidewalk personal injury claims on commercial blocks such as these are regular work for the Bala Cynwyd slip and fall accident lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer. A trip over something a store left in the walking path can break a wrist or a hip. We look at who placed the hazard and who was supposed to keep the frontage clear.
The Storefront Sidewalks of Bala Avenue in Bala Cynwyd
Walk the 100 and 200 blocks of Bala Avenue on a weekday, and the sidewalk surface changes every few doors. These storefront rows went up in the early 1900s. Back then, the avenue was the walking retail street of a small rail suburb in Lower Merion Township. The pavement is narrow and sits right against the building fronts, with no planting strip to absorb anything a business puts outside.
Each storefront controls the few feet in front of its own door. Bala Cynwyd Cleaners is located at 220 Bala Avenue. Bala Judaica & Jewelry is on the same block, and each storefront is on a different piece of the same walk. Foot traffic keeps rising as well, with the Bala Avenue business district in the middle of a redevelopment worth more than $100 million.
Why Do Sandwich Board Signs Cause Falls on Bala Avenue in Bala Cynwyd?
Because they are placed in the walking path on a sidewalk that has very little room to spare.
An A-frame sign is built to catch a driver’s eye from the street, so owners push it out toward the curb. That leaves a gap barely wide enough for two people to pass. Someone stepping aside for an oncoming walker can step into the frame instead.
The sign is also easy to miss. It stands low, and its legs splay wider than the panel above them. A walker reading a window display sees the panel and not the foot sticking out below. Wind moves these frames during the day as well, and they are not always put back in place.
Do Awnings and Planters Leave Wet Spots Outside Bala Cynwyd Storefronts?
Yes. Rain running off an awning lands in one narrow strip of pavement, and that strip stays damp after the sky clears.
Fabric awnings on these older storefronts shed water toward the walk rather than into a gutter. A sagging seam or a torn panel funnels the runoff into a single stream. The pavement under it wears smooth over the years.
Planters create a second wet spot. Staff waters them with a hose or a can, and the overflow drains onto the walk. Soil and leaf litter wash out with it. A thin film of that mix is slippery and hard to see.
What Makes Restaurant Frontage on Bala Avenue Risky for Walkers in Bala Cynwyd?
Restaurants bring more deliveries and spills to the frontage than most other storefronts, along with heavier door traffic.
Pescatore at 134 Bala Avenue is the kind of small dining room these blocks were built for. Its entrance opens straight onto the sidewalk. A restaurant with that footprint runs much of its business through the front door. Menu boards, a bench for waiting customers, and stacked takeout bags all crowd an opening a few feet wide.
Delivery drivers set boxes against the wall while they step inside. Staff hose down the frontage or drag a mat out to dry, and the water spreads across the pavement. Grease and food scraps get tracked out the door as well.
Why Is Uneven Pavement Outside Bala Cynwyd Storefronts a Common Trip Hazard?
Because the walking surface was laid and repaired one property at a time, it changes at nearly every door.
Flagstone sits beside poured concrete, and both are placed beside a cut made for a utility line. Those materials sink unevenly over time, which leaves a raised edge that can catch a toe.
Many retail doorways on Bala Avenue have uneven flagstone or patched paving right outside them. The level changes at the door as well. Someone crossing from one frontage to the next changes surface and height within a few strides.
Older shoppers face the greatest risk. CDC figures show that 33.8% of adults 85 and older reported a fall in 2018. In that same age group, 13.9% reported an injury from a fall that year.
Who Is Responsible for a Sidewalk Fall Outside a Bala Cynwyd Business?
Usually the business or the property owner whose building fronts that stretch of walk.
Pennsylvania law calls this premises liability, and it means a property owner has to keep the property reasonably safe for people who come onto it. On a commercial block, that duty usually belongs to the owner of the building beside the sidewalk. A tenant who sets a sign or a planter on the walk answers for how it was placed.
A landlord, a restaurant tenant, and a maintenance contractor may each have had a hand in the same hazard. What often decides the case is how long the condition sat there before someone was hurt. Maintenance records, prior complaints, and repair invoices help answer that. Our Bala Cynwyd slip and fall accident lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer know where to look for them.
Common Questions After a Storefront Sidewalk Fall in Bala Cynwyd
- What Are the First Steps After a Fall on a Bala Cynwyd Sidewalk?
Start with a doctor, because you may not feel the worst of a sidewalk fall until the next day. Then photograph the hazard exactly where it is located, before anyone moves it, and note the address of the storefront. Ask anyone who saw the fall for a name and a phone number.
- Should I Give the Store’s Insurance Company a Recorded Statement?
Not before you know what the injury involves. An adjuster may call within days and ask you to describe the fall while you are still in pain. You can decline politely and let a lawyer handle that conversation.
- What Can I Recover After a Sidewalk Fall in Bala Cynwyd?
Payment for what the fall cost you: medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A broken hip or a head injury can also mean surgery, rehabilitation, and months of help at home. The value of a claim tracks how serious the injury is and how much it changes daily life.
If You Fell and Got Hurt, Contact Our Bala Cynwyd Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer
If a hazard outside a Bala Avenue storefront left you hurt, the team at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer is ready to hear what happened. Our Bala Cynwyd slip and fall accident lawyers press businesses and property owners for the records that show how long a hazard sat on the walk. 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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