Autumn leaves are beautiful. They’ve inspired painters and songwriters for generations. But let’s face it: they’re a bit of a nuisance. Nobody likes raking leaves, and those noisy leaf-blowers are just plain obnoxious. However, if you don’t clear the leaves from your premises, you could be creating a dangerous condition for which you would be liable.

When leaves are left on the ground, they create a slick mess that’s a slippery as ice. Moisture from dew and decomposition can turn your property into an obstacle course. That’s trouble whether it’s your home or business. If a neighbor, delivery person or client slips and falls on your property, you can be on the hook for medical bills, lost earnings, and compensation for pain and suffering.

As personal injury attorneys, we’ve represented many individuals who slipped and fell onto a hard surface. The results are not pretty: broken hips and wrists, disk injuries and even fractured skulls. The consequences are potentially most grave for older adults with thinning bones.

You mustn’t think that because falling leaves are a phenomenon of nature you’re not responsible for them. A mayonnaise jar that falls from a store shelf is likewise obeying the law of gravity, but the shopkeeper still has to clean it up before someone steps in it. This doesn’t mean that you have to sit on your porch with rake in hand waiting for every leaf to fall. But you must take reasonable steps to prevent falling leaves from accumulating where they can become a hazard. You should be extra diligent after it rains, when wet leaves are more dangerous.

If you’ve been hurt in a slip and fall due to a property owner’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated. An experienced New Jersey personal injury lawyer from Brown, Novick & McKinley can explain your rights and suggest how you can proceed. To schedule a free consultation, call us at 856-845-7898  or contact us online.