City Faces Lawsuits Over Crumbling Sidewalks
A pedestrian seeks damages for a broken leg on Commerce Street, highlighting the persistent danger of unmaintained municipal infrastructure.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Stephen Mitchell, who was injured some time ago on a defective sidewalk, has made an offer to settle his case against the city for a sum much smaller than that originally asked, and City Attorney Ellis thinks that the case may probably be settled reasonably. Last night the city attorney sent a communication to the city council in which he stated that the plaintiff had offered to settle the case for $300. The attorney thought that amount was too high and recommended that the matter be referred to the claims committee. J. T. Wills put in a claim against the city last night in the sum of $3,500 for personal injuries. He alleges that his leg was broken on account of a defective sidewalk on Commerce street.
“He alleges that his leg was broken on account of a defective sidewalk on Commerce street.”
Infrastructure liability remains a point of tension in Tacoma. While modern lawsuits often focus on contemporary transit design, the basic civic friction between public safety and the city budget remains unchanged since 1907.
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