What Are the Dangers of Icy Walkways?

Broken Bones

• An icy walkway leading from the sidewalk to your home can present a hazard to anyone who walks on it. Ice is a smooth, slippery surface that can be dangerous to those walking on it, increasing the likelihood of slipping and falling. If this occurs, injuries can easily occur, ranging from bruises to sprained and broken bones. Icy walkways can be particularly dangerous for the elderly, as bones become more brittle with age and become more likely to break due to a fall.

Head Injuries

• If you slip and fall on an icy walkway and hit your head, you could suffer a traumatic head injury such as concussion. In some cases, a head injury may be severe enough to cause unconsciousness and even death. For example, if blood vessels in your brain become ruptured, this could cause a herniation when blood pours into your skull and causes your brain to become squeezed out of the base of your skull into your spinal canal. The area that becomes squeezed controls your breathing, and may result in a cessation of breathing, causing death.

Legal Liability

• In many states, laws have been passed that place the legal liability on the owner of a home or businesses if another person suffers an injury due to slipping and falling on an icy walkway owned by that person or corporate entity. If a person suffers an injury on an icy walkway on your property, you can be held legally liable and be open to a personal-injury lawsuit. Laws vary from state to state, so it's important to know what the laws are in your specific area so you can be aware of your legal obligations and the potential liabilities you can face if someone were to be injured by slipping on your walkway. For example, in 2010 the state of Massachusetts revised its law to place legal liability on the home- or business-owner, who has the responsibility to ensure ice and snow are cleared from walkways to lessen the chance of injury.

Keeping Walkways Safe

• One tried-and-true method of keeping walkways free of accumulated ice is to sprinkle rock salt on the icy areas. This will cause the ice to melt, regardless of the outside temperature, and prevent more ice from forming. A major drawback to rock salt, however, is that it will erode concrete over time, leading to a deterioration of your walkways. An alternative to rock salt is to sprinkle fireplace ashes on icy walkways. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, simply sprinkle ash -- after it's cooled, of course -- on your icy walkway, which will provide traction when walking on the ice and lessen the risk of slipping.