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MUNICIPAL LAW: Trial court holds plaintiff failed to use reasonable care and could not recover for injuries caused by open manhole

Plaintiff brought suit against the City of Hartford, alleging that he was injured after stepping into an open manhole.  The plaintiff was making a purchase in a store when a Hartford snowplow lifted the manhole cover, propelling it down the street.  The plaintiff exited the store, crossed the street, and stepped into the manhole, sustaining the claimed injuries.

The court found for the defendant, holding that any reasonable person walking on that street under those circumstances should have seen the open manhole if he or she had been using reasonable care and finding that the plaintiff was not keeping a proper lookout and was thus negligent to some degree, thus defeating his claim. 

Womac v. The Metropolitan District, et al., No. CV 17-6076388 (06/27/18)