If you have broken sidewalks, concrete repair may help you avoid a costly lawsuit.
You may consider your broken sidewalks to be little more than an eyesore, a matter of little importance. However, because of a legal concept known as premises liability, an unsafe condition like this could land you in court.
Whether you are a homeowner, landlord or business owner, you have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of visitors on your property. Anyone welcome on your property has the right to assume you have used reasonable care in ownership and maintenance.
When unsafe property conditions cause a visitor to become injured, the owner may be held responsible. In a nutshell, that’s premises liability law.
Premises liability could come into play with your broken sidewalks. Without concrete repair, slip and fall accidents could easily occur. If someone gets hurt on your property, you may be facing a personal injury lawsuit.
So what happens if you put off concrete repair and someone suffers an injury on your broken sidewalks? What exactly will you be liable for?
That depends. If you didn’t know about the hazardous conditions, you might be off the hook in terms of premises liability. However, if the injured party can prove you knew you needed concrete repair, the court may find you negligent. If that happens, you may be required to pay the victim’s medical bills and lost wages.
Depending on the severity of the injury, you could also end up paying damages for pain and suffering, future medical expenses and lost future income.
While your property insurance may help if you land in court, you may not even have that protection. Most policies require you to keep up with regular maintenance and to repair any potential hazards.
If your insurance does pay out, the claim will be entered into Utah’s comprehensive loss underwriting exchange (CLUE) database. You may have trouble getting coverage in the future because potential insurers check the CLUE system to determine if you have previously filed a property insurance claim. If the insurance payout is significant, the chances are good that few (if any) companies will insure you or your property in the future.
Mudjacking is the preferred method of concrete repair for broken sidewalks in Utah.
Sure, you could replace the damaged concrete sidewalk sections. But, if you go that route, you’ll end up spending quite a bit more and your sidewalk could easily crack again in the future.
The simple and quick mudjacking procedure targets the source of the problem – voids in the soil underneath. After drilling a few small holes in the concrete, a cement slurry is pumped through to fill these empty areas in the soil and restore the stability of the concrete.
Once the voids are completely filled, pressure lifts the concrete back to its original level position. Then, the cracks simply need to be caulked. You can save a little money by handling this task yourself or you can make sure it is done correctly by letting a professional mudjacking contractor handle the job.
Don’t risk a potentially costly lawsuit over your broken sidewalks. Lift Right Concrete LLC, Utah’s leading professional mudjacking contractor, offers free consultations to homeowners and businesses throughout the state. To learn more about our concrete repair services, contact our Grantsville or West Jordan office today.
