DE · jury_instructions
Del. P.J.I. Civ. § 15.11
Duty to Keep Sidewalks Free of Hazards of Snow and Ice
DUTY OF OWNER OR OCCUPIER OF BUSINESS
TO KEEP PREMISES SAFE FROM HAZARDS OF SNOW AND ICE
A [business owner / occupier] has a duty to keep the premises, including
sidewalks and entry ramps, reasonably safe from the hazards associated with the
natural accumulation of ice and snow. Although a [business owner / occupier] is
not an insurer of the safety of its invitees, the owner must take reasonable steps to
make the premises safe. The [owner / occupier] of the premises may relieve itself
of liability, even though an invitee may be injured on the premises, by taking
reasonable steps to make the area safe. The [business owner / occupier] is entitled
to await the end of the snowfall and a reasonable time thereafter to take action to
make the premises safe from the hazardous condition caused by the accumulation of
ice and snow. It is not enough, however, merely to warn an invitee of the hazard.
If you find that [name of business owner / occupier] failed to take reasonable
steps to keep the premises free from the hazard of snow and ice accumulations, then
you must find [name of business owner / occupier] negligent.
Provenance
- Source
- courts.delaware.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-23
- Edition
- civ-2025-10-22
- Content hash
94fc7d4f1af2791b3cd6da68e7b4162fb786b35a477281410b8deb88e39840ba
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