N.Y. Town Law 65-A – Liability of towns and town superintendents of highways in certain actions
§ 65-a. Liability of towns and town superintendents of highways in certain actions. 1. No civil action shall be maintained against any town or town superintendent of highways for damages or injuries to person or property sustained by reason of any highway, bridge or culvert being defective, out of repair, unsafe, dangerous or obstructed unless written notice of such defective, unsafe, dangerous or obstructed condition of such highway, bridge or culvert was actually given to the town clerk or town superintendent of highways, and that there was a failure or neglect within a reasonable time after the giving of such notice to repair or remove the defect, danger or obstruction complained of, or, in the absence of such notice, unless such defective, unsafe, dangerous or obstructed condition existed for so long a period that the same should have been discovered and remedied in the exercise of reasonable care and diligence; but no such action shall be maintained for damages or injuries to person or property sustained solely in consequence of the existence of snow or ice upon any highway, bridge or culvert, unless written notice thereof, specifying the particular place, was actually given to the town clerk or town superintendent of highways and there was a failure or neglect to cause such snow or ice to be removed, or to make the place otherwise reasonably safe within a reasonable time after the receipt of such notice.
Terms Used In N.Y. Town Law 65-A
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
2. No civil action shall be maintained against any town or town superintendent of highways for damages or injuries to person or property sustained by reason of any defect in its sidewalks or in consequence of the existence of snow or ice upon any of its sidewalks, unless such sidewalks have been constructed or are maintained by the town or the superintendent of highways of the town pursuant to statute, nor shall any action be maintained for damages or injuries to person or property sustained by reason of such defect or in consequence of such existence of snow or ice unless written notice thereof, specifying the particular place, was actually given to the town clerk or to the town superintendent of highways, and there was a failure or neglect to cause such defect to be remedied, such snow or ice to be removed, or to make the place otherwise reasonably safe within a reasonable time after the receipt of such notice.
3. The town superintendent of highways shall transmit in writing to the town clerk within ten days after the receipt thereof all written notices received by him pursuant to this section.
4. The town clerk of each town shall keep an indexed record, in a separate book, of all written notices which he shall receive of the existence of a defective, unsafe, dangerous or obstructed condition in or upon, or of an accumulation of ice or snow upon any town highway, bridge, culvert or sidewalk, which record shall state the date of receipt of the notice, the nature and location of the condition stated to exist, and the name and address of the person from whom the notice is received. All such written notices shall be indexed according to the location of the alleged defective, unsafe, dangerous or obstructed condition, or the location of accumulated snow or ice. The record of each notice shall be preserved for a period of five years after the date it is received.