Brampton personal injury lawyers know that icicles and snow-laden roofs may look great on Christmas cards and in family photos, but they can cause accidents that are far from pretty!

Known as ice dams, the icicles that hang so charmingly from the eaves of your roof can cause huge problems to your roof, pose a hazard to occupants and visitors and also raise heating and energy costs inside the house.

All these issues have serious implications for homeowners and property owners. If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by ice dams or faced losses because of snow pile-ups on your roof, contact the nearest personal injury lawyer in Brampton. You may be entitled to compensation under the Toronto Municipal Code.

What Causes Ice Dams?

Icicles are essentially formed by water run-offs from melted snow which re-freeze when the temperature falls again. An ice dam is a raised ridge that’s formed because of repeated freezing and melting of ice at different times. This ridge prevents falling snow from sliding off your roof. Instead the layers of snow accumulate on your roof. Occasional warm temperatures may cause a portion of the dam to melt and drip, forming icicles as the temperature goes down again.

Icicles are also an indication that your roof is losing heat. Since warm air rises to the top portions of the building, it escapes through gaps in ceilings, attics and damaged portions of roofs. This causes snow on roofs to melt and form dams or icicles.

Hazards of Icicles and Ice Dams

Dams can force water to flow back into the shingles, and ultimately into the walls and ceilings of the building, causing serious damage to brick, plaster and wood-work.

A 2014 report in the Toronto Star reveals that it’s not just older buildings that have this problem. Ultra-modern towers with super energy-saving features like energy-efficient glass, use the latest building materials and are constructed using cutting-edge design elements play a huge role in increasing the risks of falling snow and ice.

Though the Ontario Building Codes specify the wind and snow load bearing capacity of roofs, they don’t address the issue of sliding or falling snow. These laws hold the city liable for removing ice and snow from the streets but not from roofs. This is the property owner’s responsibility.

Roof-Top Avalanche Injuries

Sudden release of piled-up snow from the dam or careless removal of snow pile-ups can be dangerous. People can be seriously injured by falling snow, children and older people can be buried underneath, they can die of hypothermia or suffer serious brain damage due to cold. Other injuries include:

• Broken bones
• Facial/Dental damage
• Crush/Impact Injuries
• Traumatic head/neck injuries

Predicting when a slide could happen is almost impossible and this  depends on a large variety of conditions. However, the risk to unwary pedestrians and other road users in the vicinity can be enormous. In many countries with traditionally heavy snow-fall, orienting the roof away from pedestrian traffic is recommended for this reason.

Our experienced slip and fall injury lawyers can assist you to file a personal injury claim for compensation if you have been injured in such an accident.