As a general rule, a property owner is liable for any dangerous conditions that he knows about or reasonably should have known about. The former is known as “actual notice,” while the latter is “constructive notice.” This applies not just to private property owners, but also city and county governments, as a recent decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals illustrated.
City of Fitzgerald v. Caruthers
In this case, the victim himself was a municipal employee. While walking home one night from his job at the City of Fitzgerald’s public works department, a tree limb fell on the victim, knocking him unconscious and leaving him with serious injuries to his back, neck and eye.