$1+ Billion Recovered

You Can Do Something About These #$@&* Potholes and Broken Sidewalks! 311 It!!

Explore more
articles

SUMMARY

Daniela from Bernal Heights told me the other day about a pothole in a crosswalk in her neighborhood that never seems to get fixed and keeps getting worse. She said she is afraid a bicyclist or pedestrian is going to get seriously injured and wondered why The City has not repaired the crosswalk.

Daniela: I am glad you are alarmed. You should be. It is so important to prevent injuries and to keep people safe. Fortunately, you can turn your concern into action. You can take steps to help make San Francisco better for older people, disabled people, people on bicycles, and everyone else. You can report dangerous conditions before people are injured.

Streets, crosswalks, and sidewalks in San Francisco are often a mess.  Cracks, potholes, sidewalk sections displaced by tree roots, and missing utility covers injure too many people every year.  The City of San Francisco has admitted in lawsuits that cracks or holes in sidewalks and crosswalks that have a “vertical separation” of only ½ of an inch or more are “obstructions” that can cause people to trip and fall or that can impede disabled people.   Falls can be devastating and can cause long lasting, debilitating injuries.

San Francisco claims to inspect the condition of its roadways every two years, so they can create a “condition score” for the pavement.   The City also has a program that tries to inspect a set number of blocks of sidewalks each year.  Unfortunately, potholes, cracks, and other dangerous conditions arise more frequently and can severely injure people before the City gets around to performing scheduled inspections.

This is where you come in.  You can help.  The City of San Francisco has a program called “311 San Francisco At Your Service.”  It allows you to obtain a great deal of information from the City, but it also allows you to report dangerous conditions in sidewalks and streets.  You can go online to www.sf311.org and make a service request.  You can either create an account with SF311 that will allow you to track your request, or you can make a request for repairs anonymously. You can even attach photographs of the dangerous condition to document what needs to be fixed.

If you have a smart phone, it is even easier.  You can download the SF311 App for Android and Apple smartphones.  The application allows you to take photographs of dangerous sidewalks, streets, and sidewalks and alert the City of San Francisco immediately about the problem.  You can literally do it as soon as you see the hazard.  Take a picture and report the danger to The City as you walk away.

Once the City of San Francisco receives a 311 complaint about a problem, it should send an inspector from the Public Works Department, or another responsible department, out to inspect the scene.  The inspectors are supposed to document the condition and contact whoever is responsible for fixing it.  I have seen letters that inspectors have sent to property owners about repairing sidewalks and to utilities such as PG&E about replacing missing utility box covers in sidewalks.  I have even seen letters that City of San Francisco inspectors have sent to other San Francisco departments telling them to fix dangerous conditions in sidewalks, such as missing water meter lids.

Unfortunately, I have seen these letters after there has been an injury when the City or the property owner fails to take action to repair the defect and a lawsuit is brought. You see, a City can only be held legacy accountable for conditions that they knew, or should have known, about.  Therefore your report should prompt the City to take action so they don’t get sued and, if they fail to act responsibly, it creates a trail to show liability when they fail to inspect and correct the defect.

Daniela, please, download the SF311 App on your cell phone and let San Francisco know as soon as you see something dangerous.   You will probably never know whose life or health you have saved, but you will know that you are doing your part to make San Francisco a safer place for everyone.

By attorney Christopher B. Dolan, owner of the Dolan Law Firm. Email Chris questions and topics for future articles to help@dolanlawfirm.com

Contact A Slip And Fall Lawyer At The Dolan Law Firm Today

If you have been injured in a serious slip and fall accident, contact our attorneys today by completing our contact form or call us toll free at 1-888-452-4752 for skilled and experienced legal counsel.  We will review your case for free, promptly and with no obligation on your part.

We serve clients across the San Francisco Bay Area and California from our offices in San Francisco and Oakland. Our work is no recovery, no free or also referred to as contingency-based. That means we collect no fee unless we obtain money for your damages and injuries.

Please do not delay in contacting us. If your injury occurred on public property (which includes public school, community colleges, municipal parks, etc.), you only have six months from the date of your injury to file a claim under California law.

get the latest news

Frequently Asked Questions

Individual, attentive legal representation by highly experienced crash and accident attorneys with an outstanding record of success;
Substantial investigative, financial and technological resources that no individual attorney or small law firm can provide.

Individual, attentive legal representation by highly experienced crash and accident attorneys with an outstanding record of success;
Substantial investigative, financial and technological resources that no individual attorney or small law firm can provide.

Individual, attentive legal representation by highly experienced crash and accident attorneys with an outstanding record of success;
Substantial investigative, financial and technological resources that no individual attorney or small law firm can provide.

Individual, attentive legal representation by highly experienced crash and accident attorneys with an outstanding record of success;
Substantial investigative, financial and technological resources that no individual attorney or small law firm can provide.

SUMMARY

get the latest news

How it works

Intake meeting with our case managers

Evidence gathering with our legal teams

Pre-litigation settlement efforts

Litigation

Resolution or trial/arbitration

Get started
Scroll to Top