Slip and fall victims of snow and ice in DC are out of luck!

After our big "Snowmageddon" storm in DC this week, the Washington Post ran an article about sidewalk clearing etiquette and the legal obligations of business owners to clear and treat the sidewalks in front of their establishments.  One thing they didn't mention, however, is that if you happen to take a nasty fall and get hurt in the District of Columbia, it doesn't matter if the business responsible for that section of sidewalk failed to clear it or not.  Under DC law, they have the obligation to do it, but because of a ridiculous decision by the DC Court of Appeals in 2007, the injured person has no legal "standing" under the statute to bring suit for his or her injuries.  That's right.  The business can be fined by the city, but if you are paralyzed for life, it's tough bunny rabbits.  The only exception is if you can prove that the snow/ice actions taken by the business or landlord actually made the condtions worse, which is tough to prove.  So there you go.  Be careful out there!