U. may get lawsuits due to ice storm

Following this month's ice storm which left many students with broken wrists, arms and legs, the University's General Counsel Office is expecting a barrage of liability claims blaming the University for not ensuring safe sidewalks. "I'm sure we'll get a bunch of claims as a result of [this month's] weather," said Associate General Counsel Neil Hamburg. He added that of the claims that end up in court, the University will most likely lose several. "Ultimately it's a jury question of whether the University is negligible, and so long as you leave it in the hands of a jury -- with an individual facing a big institution -- they're always going to award somebody some money," Hamburg said. If a person falls on the University's sidewalks, the University is only liable in certain cases, as defined in the doctrine of "hills and ridges," a legal principle in Pennsylvania based on case precedents. But according to Ron Jasner, assistant director of the University's Office of Risk Management, it is unlikely that anyone will win in claims against the University. He said the doctrine protects the school from most liability claims. "It's not likely that anyone would have any success in getting money from the school," he said. According to the doctrine, the injured person must prove that snow and ice accumulated on the sidewalk to such an extent as to "unreasonably obstruct travel and constitute a danger to pedestrians." Property owners must also notice the condition, either actually or constructively, the doctrine states "The owner or occupier of land is not liable for general slippery conditions, for to require that one's walks be always free of ice and snow would be to impose an impossible burden in view of the climactic conditions in this hemisphere," the document reads. In two days this month, 25 to 35 percent of the cases seen in the emergency room were weather–related, said Susan Canning, administrator for emergency services at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Students suffered a variety of injuries, including sprains, bruises, and twisted ankles and wrists, in weather-related injuries, MarJeanne Collins, director of Student Health Services said this month. As of now, no claims have been filed against the University, Jasner said. While some may cite a lack of salt on campus as evidence of negligence, Hamburg said it was the fault of suppliers and not of Physical Plant. "Some shipments didn't show up," said Hamburg. "It's been an incredible winter."