Judge Rules for Town and State in Hampton Beach Sidewalk Lawsuit; Plaintiff to Seek Reconsideration
A judge of the Rockingham County Superior Court in New Hampshire, Lisa English, granted summary judgment to the Town of Hampton and the State of New Hampshire, dismissing the portions of a sidewalk trip-and-fall claim at Hampton Beach directed at the town and the state. The plaintiff, Bonnie Hill of Enfield, filed the negligence suit in 2025, saying she tripped on May 27, 2023, on a broken sidewalk in front of a shop at 225 Ocean Boulevard, falling face-first and fracturing her wrist and injuring her ankle. The judge found that although the sidewalk section was damaged, it did not meet the statutory definition of "insufficient," and the rest of the surface remained safely passable; the plaintiff had stepped onto the broken edge while making way for other pedestrians. The judge also ruled that the state Department of Transportation is immune in the suit. The plaintiff’s attorney, Nicholas Seldon, said he would ask the court to reconsider and, failing that, might appeal to the state supreme court. The claim against the shop Impressions Beachwear continues and is set for mediation early next year. Hampton and the state have long disputed responsibility for maintaining sidewalks along state Route 1A: the town says the state should be responsible, while the transportation department says its policy is not to maintain sidewalks along state highways.
Source: Rockingham County Superior Court
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 汉普顿海滩海岸线。（汉普顿海滩官网）
