So, if I'm not reading this incorrectly, if you clear snow or ice from a sidewalk in front of your property in the UK and someone subsequently slips, you'll be liable for their injuries. If, on the other hand, you leave the snow or ice there and the fall and injure themselves, you're off the hook...

Clearing a public path “can lead to an action for damages against the company, e.g. if members of the public, assuming that the area is still clear of ice and thus safe to walk on, slip and injure themselves”.

Legal experts said home owners could fall victim to the same laws if they tried to clear an icy path but failed to do the job properly. John McQuater, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, admitted: “If you do nothing you cannot be liable. If you do something, you could be liable to a legal action.”

Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister and critic of Britain’s burgeoning “compensation culture”, said last night: “The idea you can be sued for being helpful is absolutely ludicrous.”

Um, if you hadn't noticed, you live in an increasingly ludicrous country.

Posted by: Sean M. at 01:30 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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