School bus stops and your liability (Middlesex: house, neighborhood, purchase)

[zkwu]

We purchased a single family house in Middlesex County last summer and noticed there is a school bus stop in my front yard after the purchase (there is no sign for school bus stops). Every morning around 7am, about 5~6 high school kids will board the school bus there.

This is not a big deal during the warmer months but it has became a huge liability concern for us during the winter: the school bus arrives before we wake up in the morning. We clean up our sidewalks & driveway at night; overnight snowfall & ice buildup on the sidewalk most likely won't be cleaned until 9am.

Let's say if I have cleaned up everything properly the previous night, Am I going to be held liable if (god forbid) one kid fall in my front yard?

Is there anyway we can get the school bus to stop somewhere else? My house is located at the lower ground of the neighborhood, there will be water buildup in the sidewalk when the street drainage are blocked by snow from street plowing and we have snow & rain mixture like yesterday (Very easy to form a layer of ice on the sidewalk overnight)

Can I just tell township that I don't want school bus stop at my front yard?

[bradykp]

you may be able to ask about the stop, but i think that, the bottom line is, your liable if someone falls on your sidewalk (even if that sidewalk is public property, it's typically the homeowner's responsibility to clear.

it stinks, but you're gonna have to ensure you're well stocked on rock salt and get up early to clear it when it snows.

[millerm277]

I am not a lawyer. That said, from my reading: You are under no liability to clear snow. You can completely ignore the sidewalk and never shovel it again, and if someone falls and hurts themselves, it isn't your problem. If you decide to clear snow and do a bad job of it, leaving ice or something underneath, NOW you are liable.

Your town likely has ordinances requiring you to clear the snow, but in terms of legal liability it appears not to be an issue.

Here's a source from the NJ Judiciary: https://encrypted.google.com/url?sa=...fX0_aFZpkzE5BQ

And here's a NJ.com article that says the same thing: Amid slippery laws, towns take a stand on sidewalk repairs | NJ.com

So looks like you don't have to worry about it as far as lawsuits go if you're a residential property owner/renter and you don't shovel.