Child broke leg on sidewalk—should I talk to the neighbor or teach my 12-year-old to pay more attention?

[Anonymous]

OP… be real. Yes you’ve cited the statues and you could call the county and get them to enforce. The neighbor would get a warning or slap on the wrist and in return you’d burn all bridges with them.

Just because they were in violation of the statue doesn’t automatically make them liable to your son. Why did you take pictures of their garbage cans for three days?!? You sound like you’re looking for a payout and using your child’s negligence as an excuse.

Your poor kid has a broken leg because he wasn’t supervised and can’t ride a bike. Focus on that and not getting him money for his “pain”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP… be real. Yes you’ve cited the statues and you could call the county and get them to enforce. The neighbor would get a warning or slap on the wrist and in return you’d burn all bridges with them.

Just because they were in violation of the statue doesn’t automatically make them liable to your son. Why did you take pictures of their garbage cans for three days?!? You sound like you’re looking for a payout and using your child’s negligence as an excuse.

Your poor kid has a broken leg because he wasn’t supervised and can’t ride a bike. Focus on that and not getting him money for his “pain”.

She didn’t take pictures for three days. Agree, that would be crazy. She took a picture the day of the incident, since the garbage cans were STILL in the sidewalk three days after trash pick up.

[Anonymous]

Yes it sucks. I slipped on ice in front of a neighbor's house a couple years ago and broke my wrist in 2 places.

We are all responsible for maintaining our own sidewalks and this one has not been well maintained and accumulates water then ice when it freezes.

Later I saw that person out front and told them what happened. They just stared at me and went inside. That summer they put yellow tape on the problem area and sold the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes it sucks. I slipped on ice in front of a neighbor's house a couple years ago and broke my wrist in 2 places.

We are all responsible for maintaining our own sidewalks and this one has not been well maintained and accumulates water then ice when it freezes.

Later I saw that person out front and told them what happened. They just stared at me and went inside. That summer they put yellow tape on the problem area and sold the house.

How does a home owner “maintain” a sidewalk other than shoveling, icing, and not leaving obstructions in place? Homeowners aren’t responsible for digging out concrete sidewalks on bad repair and getting them re poured. That is the city’s job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d love your thoughts on something that happened recently. My 12-year-old son was riding his bike on the sidewalk because the road was too busy. He struck our neighbor’s trash can, which was left blocking the path, and fell, breaking his leg.

This has been a real wake-up call: I need to pay closer attention to where he’s riding and remind him to scan ahead, even on the “safe” sidewalk. At the same time, it feels unfair that a can left in the middle of a public walkway caused this accident.

Under Virginia law, bicycles are explicitly allowed on sidewalks. Still, riders must follow pedestrian rules (Va. Code §§ 46.2-903 & 46.2-904): they have the same rights and duties as walkers—yield to pedestrians, signal before passing, and obey any “no bikes” signs. Property owners must clear obstacles from the public sidewalk, even if the trash company places the can there. In Fairfax County, carts must be pulled in by the end of trash day (Friday or Saturday), but the neighbor left their trash can out for over three days.

Insurance covered almost all of our medical bills; I only paid a few small copays. We have timestamped photos showing the trash can blocking the sidewalk.

So now I’m torn: Do I focus on teaching my son to be extra vigilant, or should I have a calm conversation with the neighbor (or their insurer) about their responsibility and ask them to cover those small copays—and maybe some extra for his pain? Or does that feel like overkill since insurance already handled most of it?

Thanks for any advice or similar experiences!

I am constantly worried about neighbors like you. I rush to put my cans away right when I get home! The can is clearly visible. Your kid should have been paying attention. If you are concerned get their eyes checked.
Were you there or is this what your son said happened? How do you know this is what actually happened?

A friend of mine told me her son (13 ) gave a similar story (but broke their arm). She looked at the phone bill and the kid had been doing something on his tech watch and lied about it. People also have cameras.

When you have wheels you must follow wheels of the road which means stop at stop signs, etc. I see so many bikers who do not abide by the rules of the road or sidewalks. In my town you must walk your wheels if you're within the town vicinity. There are signs but people still bike or scooter. Then you get a ticket.

This is a lesson you must teach your kid. They need to be aware. You're lucky it wasn't a small child, or animal. If you blame it on others your kid will not get the lesson. This is so important especially before kids learn to drive. They must pay attention and be aware of other drivers.

FWIW, once your kid can drive, I would make them pay for their own car and put them on their own insurance. My mom, a lawyer, did this when I got my license. I had to pay the highest for insurance but there was no way she was getting sued if we got in any accident (I have never been in any accident*knocks on wood*).

My elderly neighbors can't always get their cans up on time. When I get home I will sometimes bring up their cans.

Do these neighbors usually leave the can out for 3 days? If it was a one time thing I would leave it as they might be away, might be sick, or have a family emergency. If they constantly leave it out for days, maybe just tell them that your kid hit the can and got hurt and that they should put it back the day the trash is picked up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes it sucks. I slipped on ice in front of a neighbor's house a couple years ago and broke my wrist in 2 places.

We are all responsible for maintaining our own sidewalks and this one has not been well maintained and accumulates water then ice when it freezes.

Later I saw that person out front and told them what happened. They just stared at me and went inside. That summer they put yellow tape on the problem area and sold the house.

How does a home owner “maintain” a sidewalk other than shoveling, icing, and not leaving obstructions in place? Homeowners aren’t responsible for digging out concrete sidewalks on bad repair and getting them re poured. That is the city’s job.

We had an issue with the sidewalk in front of our house. We informed VDOT (I think? Maybe the county) and they came out and repaired it. Water gathers in that spot, so in a few years we will have to ask them to repair it again.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry but unless the child has special needs, a 12 year old should be able to avoid a trash can. That is not a hidden obstacle

[Anonymous]

12 pages? Wow.