UK Police need kerbing.

[Econoline]

Scooter- If you look at the Google Street View link that Sue posted, the curb is apparently there to define the end of a parking space so that a car pulling into the space wouldn't be able to (a) bash into the fence or (b) continue past the property into a busy street directly behind the petrol station; it does have a purpose. There are also (unpainted) curbs surrounding the petrol pumps and in front of the walkway leading to what I assume are the restrooms. (There also appears to be a large light on a tall pole directly above the area in question...I wonder if it was burnt out or malfunctioning for some reason?)

[oldr_n_wsr]

Most people approaching a fence line on private property would have no reason to expect to find a curb a few feet away from that fence,

In suburbia that's exactly what they should expect. It's called a sidewalk and the property fence and pavement are seperated by first a curb then a sidewalk.

[Gob]

What's with this painted kerbs idea? The only kerbs with warnings on the here are for where blind people may need to cross the road. Should all flower beds have them too? The edge of the road should also have a warning, people can trip stepping down as well as up. In fact lets paint ever bit of road and pavement bright yellow in case dome dumbass cop doesn't see it. And the zebra crossings too, and poles, and door handles, and windows and...

[Crackpot]

The preceding post was brought to you by Sherwin Williams

[oldr_n_wsr]

And Benjamin Moore and Rustoleum.

Florescent paint should be mandatory.
Lighted curbs and grades be passed into law.
Got a gap, get a light and alarm attached.
If you can't wallk and chew gum at the same time, you are confined to a wheel chair and cannot venture more than 3 feet from your home.

[Crackpot]

That's discriminatory! Gum chewing shall only take place in designated seating areas

[oldr_n_wsr]

That's discriminatory! Gum chewing shall only take place in designated seating areas

What about laying down areas?

[Crackpot]

If they lay down they become a tripping hazzard and must be painted

[oldr_n_wsr]

If they lay down they become a tripping hazzard and must be painted

But can they chew gum?

[Sue U]

Yeah you're all hilarious.

All you have to do is look at industry standards and recommendations, which are uniform in their treatment of curbs as trip-and-fall hazards:

Curbs

Curbs should generally be about 5-6 inches in height, which is comfortable for most people. Curbs less than 4 inches in height or greater than 8 inches should be reworked. A curb height that is too low is often tripped over and not seen. Curb heights 8 inches or more sometimes cause falls. Excessive curb heights can be reduced by building up the material on the low end, or installing a ramp.

Attention should be given toward the contrast of the curb with the surrounding surface, particularly at night. While a white curb against freshly surfaced black asphalt provides good color contrast, a white curb against well faded light grey asphalt may not. Where the contrast between the curb and adjacent surface is not striking, the curb should be highlighted with a bright contrasting color such as yellow to bring awareness to the change in elevation. If paint is used, it should be supplemented with slip resistant grit material to improve the coefficient of friction of the paint surface and reduce the potential for slips and falls.

-CMR Risk & Insurance Services, Preventing Falls Around Curbs and Ramps http://cmrris.com/news-real-estate-deta ... login.html

Problem: Unpainted curbs or curb ramps along high-traffic sidewalks and other high traffic areas may be difficult to see, creating a trip hazard.

Solution: Paint curbs and curb ramps with nonslip yellow paint. In addition, consider reworking curb areas by installing a curb ramp with flared sides and contrasting color.

-EMC Insurance Companies, Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Guide http://www.emcins.com/Docs/OFILib/AA050 ... 111216.PDF

Bumpers and curbs
***
Bumpers and curbs tend to blend into the parking lot, especially if they are the same color as the parking lot. Making bumpers and curbs more visible is a good strategy for preventing trips and falls. This can be done by painting all bumpers and curbs a high visibility color.

--SAIF Corp., Prevent Slips, Trips and Falls http://www.saif.com/_files/SafetyHealth ... l_book.pdf

Prevention Strategies
■ Patch or fill cracks in walkways greater than ½" wide.
■ Patch, fill, or repave outdoor areas that have deep grooves, cracks, or holes.
■ Create visual cues. Highlight changes in curb or walkway elevation with Safety Yellow warning paint.
■ Concrete wheel stops in parking lots can be a tripping hazard and should not be used.
■ Remove stones and debris from walking surfaces.
■ Ensure that underground watering system structures are covered or highlighted

-US Dept. of Health & Human Svcs (CDC and NIOSH), Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2011-123/ ... 11-123.pdf

The US Access Board notes that safety yellow is the standardized color for marking elevation change hazards on walking surfaces and specifies that such visual detection cues “shall contrast visually with adjoining surfaces, either light-on-dark, or dark-on-light,” (70% contrast in light reflectance value LRV) therefore, allowing brightness contrast as further options for improving visual detection of transition hazards.

Just because you lot aren't aware of safety standards and practices doesn't mean they don't exist.

[Gob]

Police women should be brighter than 10 watt bulbs, which is comfortable for most people. PCs less than 4 watts should not be allowed out unaccompanied. A PC who is too dim is often tripped over.

[Scooter]

You're going to tell me that you have NEVER tripped and fallen in the dark over something you didn't expect to find in your path and didn't see? Anyone who says they haven't is a liar.

[Crackpot]

Many many times never thought it was anyone else's fault tho even when they weren't painted.

[Sean]

Don't the old bill carry flashlights anymore then?

[Gob]

Many many times never thought it was anyone else's fault tho even when they weren't painted.

I've never asked for 50 grand for it either....

[Daisy]

Don't the old bill carry flashlights anymore then?

Cuts Sean. Tories said you can either have your jobs or torches not both.

[Scooter]

Many many times never thought it was anyone else's fault tho even when they weren't painted.

Perhaps you would have felt differently if you were injured enough to need medical attention and lost work, and if your fall could have been easily avoided had the property owner taken the most minimal of precautions that are well established standards.

In any event, the implication of the comment I was responding to was that she tripped out of her own stupidity. Criticize her for suing if you really believe that the property owner had no duty of care (even though well established case law on hidden hazards proves you wrong), but attacking her intelligence because she tripped and fell is a gratuitous cheap shot.

I've never asked for 50 grand for it either....

Perhaps you'd be singing a different tune if you sustained injuries that caused you to lose that much income.

And people sue local governments all the time (and win) for injuries caused by falls because of the unevenness of poorly maintained pavement, or because ice was not cleared from city sidewalks. Why does this police officer's claim have any less merit?

[Sean]

Don't the old bill carry flashlights anymore then?

Cuts Sean. Tories said you can either have your jobs or torches not both.

Ahh, gotcha! As long as they get to keep their snazzy extendable batons they'll be happy.

[Daisy]

Batons don't need batteries. The ongoing overheads of a fleet of maglites were cost prohibitive.

[Lord Jim]

This is kind of funny...

I'm curious about something...I have a question...

Are there any non-lawyers here who look at this lawsuit and think, "Right on! Good for her. Completely the right thing; I don't understand what all the fuss is about."

Conversely, are the any lawyers here, (So far it looks like two have weighed in, both apparently seeing this as just fine and dandy; in fact Sue actually seems to be a bit indignant that anyone would dare to think otherwise. She seems to totally not understand why anyone would have a problem with this) who see this, (as from most of the responses so far most of the people here do) as basically nonsense, and completely inappropriate?