The broken and cracked sidewalks that line our neighborhoods can be hazardous. People of all ages rely on sidewalks as a means of transportation and recreation, and neglecting to repair them can result in unfortunate situations.
Cracked, broken, and partially raised sidewalks are all too common. Sidewalks can begin to lift and crack due to movement underneath the pavement, caused by water erosion, earthquakes, or tree root growth. Water and ice can also find their way into small cracks and cause chipping or widening of holes. Materials filling the expansion joints between concrete sidewalk panels can also degrade and leave a gap that could pose a safety risk to pedestrians.
Damaged walkways can easily cause a person’s shoe to get caught in a crack and send them falling face-first into unforgiving concrete. If sidewalk damage is significant enough, it can even cause someone to get their foot caught, twisting their ankle, or worse.
Sidewalks that are well maintained provide everyone with better access to our communities. People using wheelchairs, crutches, canes, or those who may have compromised vision, require access to smooth, even pathways and walkways. When a community’s walkways are not passable, pedestrians often end up walking in the road. This frequently results in higher rates of accidents, and sometimes what could have been an avoidable tragedy.
After working with people who sustained injuries from broken walkways, our team of skilled attorneys at The Barnes Firm decided something needed to be done. We wanted to give the people living and working in these neighborhoods a way to notify responsible parties about unsafe sidewalks – and the answer was SidewalkSnap.
SidewalkSnap, a new web-based application developed by The Barnes Firm, gives communities and the people that live and work in them, people like you, an opportunity to help put an end to broken sidewalks. The ultimate goal? Making every sidewalk accessible for people of all ages and abilities. In just three simple steps, you can make your community a more desirable place to live and enjoy. Here’s how it works:
Once you SEE a damaged or dangerous sidewalk, open your smart phone browser and go to SidewalkSnap.com. Broken walkways can be found everywhere, but if the responsible party isn’t notified of the issue, it may never get fixed. SidewalkSnap is here to help change that.
Take a photo of the broken sidewalk with your smart phone. If you have location services enabled on your phone, SidewalkSnap will be able to automatically record the location of the hazardous walkway and the responsible party of the issue. If you do not have location services enabled, no worries–just manually enter the location when prompted.
Now, all you have to do is upload your photo of the broken sidewalk to SidewalkSnap.com, and we take care of the rest! Your photo will be used to notify the responsible party about a potential problem.
If you have been injured due to a damaged sidewalk, The Barnes Firm may be able to help. We take great pride in bettering the communities we serve by helping clients achieve the best result possible.
We help families across New York State and California, with locations in Manhattan, Long Island, Buffalo, Rochester, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Injured? Need help? Complete an online contact form today or call (800) 800-0000 for a free evaluation of your case – it could be the best call you make.