Pittsburgh v. Reed

Citations

• 74 Pa. Super. 444
• 1920 Pa. Super. LEXIS 172

Syllabus

<p>Municipalities — Defective sidewalls — Accumulation of ice and snow — Recovery of damages by pedestrian — Property owner’s liability to city.</p> <p>It is the primary duty of property owners along a street to keep in repair the sidewalks in front of their respective properties. A sidewalk that is permitted to get into a condition dangerous to the life or limb of a pedestrian, as the result of the accumulation of ice and snow, is not a sidewalk maintained in good repair, within the meaning of the law. Neglect of this primary legal duty lies at the foundation of the liability of the abutting property owners to the municipality, for the damages the municipality has been or may be compelled to pay for injury caused by such defects in the sidewalk.</p> <p>Where a pedestrian has recovered a verdict against the city for injuries sustained through the negligent maintenance of a sidewalk, the municipality can collect from the property owner the amount it has been compelled to pay.</p>