Woman sues ex-mayor after tripping on uneven pavement outside his home
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: Carole Kolb-King/Facebook/NYC Mayor
Bill de Blasio, the ex-mayor of New York City, is getting sued after a woman tripped on the pavement outside his home.
The woman said she had been walking to the post office on 25 June to send a check to her nephew when she tripped outside de Blasio's home, getting her foot stuck in an inch-wide hole in the pavement.
She said she landed on her face and the impact knocked four dental crowns out of her mouth, while she also struck her knee against the ground and tore her meniscus, a shock absorber between the shinbone and thighbone.
The woman said a passer-by called 911 after they saw her covered in blood, and claims she has had to spend around $5,000 (£4,100) on treatment thus far.
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Her attorney said the injuries had prevented her from doing 'activities and duties' she normally would, while they also said that her injuries would be permanent and she still needs more dental work and physical therapy to recover.
According to the Daily News, de Blasio is being sued by 69-year-old Carole Kolb-King, who slammed the former mayor as she said 'he did about as good a job taking care of his house as he did taking care of the city for eight years'.
The lawsuit has been made against de Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray.
Also named in the suit are neighbours Margaret Cammer and Joan Snyder, with the finger of blame also pointed at New York City itself.
The suit alleges that de Blasio and his wife had 'actual and constructive notice' that the sidewalk outside their house had a 'dangerous nature' as there had been formal complaints made to the city about the 'dangerous and uneven' walkway.
It claims everybody involved knew the sidewalk posed a danger, but that they 'wilfully and negligently failed' to repair it.
De Blasio was mayor of NYC between 2014 and 2021, but was ineligible to stand again after serving two terms in the job.
Earlier in 2022, he announced he was running for the US House of Representatives, but dropped out of the race two months later and declared himself finished with 'electoral politics'.
During his time in office he cut ties between NYC and then US president Donald Trump in the aftermath of the US capitol riots.
All contracts between the city and Trump were ended, with de Blasio declaring that they would 'no longer have anything to do with the Trump organization'.
Another major change which occurred while he was mayor was the ending of qualified immunity for police officers, meaning people who believe they have been the victims of misconduct will have an easier time suing the police.
Improving police practices and accountability was a part of de Blasio's platform as mayor.
UNILAD has contacted de Blasio for a comment.