San Diego facing sidewalk, trench, pothole lawsuits after seven-figure payouts
* The suits blame injuries on damaged sidewalks or bike lanes.
* They come in the wake of recent big payouts in similar lawsuits and at a time when officials are debating changes to the city's sidewalk repair policy.
After recent seven-figure payouts to pedestrians and bicyclists hurt by damaged sidewalks,
One suit blames protruding sidewalk in
A third lawsuit says a cracked and uneven sidewalk in
And a fifth lawsuit says a woman was severely injured walking to a restaurant in
The new lawsuits, all filed in the last two months, come one year after
And last month, the city paid
The payouts and additional lawsuits highlight the city's lack of adequate infrastructure to accommodate a sharp surge in bicycle and pedestrian commuters, something called for in the city's landmark climate action plan.
The family of
The lawsuit, filed by Hassett's four siblings in February, says he suffered broken ribs, a toe injury that required amputation and damage to an internal heart defibrillator. The heart issue and an infection eventually caused his death in
A lawsuit filed by
The suit says Du was flipped off his bike into a rock pile that had been created by construction workers who dug the one-foot-by-two-foot trench, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to father a child.
Du has also sued contractors responsible for the road work connected to the trench,
The suit, filed in March, says the road is poorly designed with inadequate bike lanes and that signs, lights or cones warning of the open trench should have been put in place.
In another lawsuit, Abebe Antallo says he suffered significant injuries when cracked and uneven sidewalk on
The suit says Antallo had fractures, torn ligaments and other injuries requiring permanent metal plates in his foot.
In a fourth suit,
The suit says the pothole, which allegedly caused Chapman to lose control of his bike and fall down, was the result of bad road design and construction. The suit also says there should have been cones or ropes warning of the pothole.
In another suit,
The lawsuit says the city should have anticipated such accidents based on the dangerous conditions that allegedly caused the incident, which took place near
A spokeswoman for City Attorney
Some
Supporters say shifting all costs to the city -- and away from homeowners -- would simplify a confusing policy and avoid the inaction that often comes when homeowners can't afford their portion of the repair bill.
City
Elliott wrote that such a specific requirement as the 90-day deadline would make the city vulnerable to lawsuits when it's not met, with plaintiffs pointing out that the city violated its own policy.
She also criticized the proposal to relieve property owners of repair costs, saying it would be a windfall for their insurance companies at taxpayer expense. Other cities have done exactly the opposite in recent years, she wrote.
[email protected] (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
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