The Airing of Grievances

[grahambino]

My current gripe:

people that don't turn off the irrigation to water their yards...(surely, there are control boxes with thermometers?)

Do you really need to water your yard when its 8 degrees?  But the real question, is the need to invariably water the STREET when its 8 degrees outside.  

So, now you've created this nice sheet of ice in the street.  

Say someone slid into a parked car b/c of this unnatural sheet of ice, could the person whose sprinkler it is, be held liable for negligence in this situation?

[guido911]

I'd sue if that happened to me. Not sure how this negligence/premises liability or even a theory would play with the comparative fault, assumption of risk, open and obvious condition (all fact questions though). I certainly believe that it is foreseeable that sprinkers  spraying water into the street in the middle of a deep freeze could lead to an injury. There may also be a nuisance claim.

[Ed W]

Oh....I thought this was about the piece on Festivus in today's Tulsa World, something guaranteed to get someone's panties all in a bunch.

Festivus

[brunoflipper]

my control box had been unplugged for 6 months and construction in the garage was finally finished saturday, my ever helpful workers plugged in the box and did not tell me...

awoke to a sheet of ice on my yard sunday AM...

several frozen/broken heads, dip****s...

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by grahambino

My current gripe:

people that don't turn off the irrigation to water their yards...(surely, there are control boxes with thermometers?)

Do you really need to water your yard when its 8 degrees?  But the real question, is the need to invariably water the STREET when its 8 degrees outside.  

So, now you've created this nice sheet of ice in the street.  

Say someone slid into a parked car b/c of this unnatural sheet of ice, could the person whose sprinkler it is, be held liable for negligence in this situation?

Police routinely put information about the home/business if their sprinkler system put ice on the road that led to the cause of a collision.  I suspect that leads to their insurance paying to fix everyones' cars and takes care of their medical bills.  

Each winter the police do a news story trying to get people to turn off their sprinkler systems because of this very reason, but to not much avail.  

Driving around town the past couple days will show you how out of touch many people are about their own homes/businesses.  Forget the thermometer controlled system, JUST UNPLUG THE THING!  YOU'RE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!

[MDepr2007]

So why can't we sue the city over faulty eguipment when a waterline breaks[]

[ARGUS]

un-secured,under secured,loose loads on trailers. Police should cite those idiots.

[Steve]

I don't have a gripe with the irrigation thing since so few homes around me have a system, but a few of my ongoing neighborhood peeves:

1.  People that put out trash for collection 3 days before pickup, so every critter in the neighborhood can holler "buffet!" and drag trash down the street.  And the homeowner usually ignores it and does not pick up the trash.  And these same people never/rarely take in their empty cans after pickup.

2.  Pet owners that let their dogs and cats roam unleashed.  Neighbor's cats that crap in my yard and mark my car tires, climb all over my car and leave muddy footprints.  I gave up trying to keep a clean car for more than 24 hours years ago.  I love cats too, have had my kitty for 17+ years, so I don't blame the critters; I blame the irresponsible owners.

3.  Neighbors that use their front yards for a parking lot.  Not only tears up lawns, but just plain looks trashy.

4.  Neighbors that never or rarely pick up leaves and tree debris in the fall/winter.  They just wait for it to blow over to my property because they know I will clean it up.  I have gone through 30+ lawn bags of mulched debris so far this year, and I only have ONE deciduous tree on my property.  85% of it is debris that blows over from the neighbor's yards, usually about 30 minutes after I have spent hours cleaning my own yard.  I consider the outside of my house no different from the inside, and clean up both as often as needed to keep clean and tidy.  Falling leaves that hit my property can not be avoided, but once the debris hits the ground, I consider it garbage.  If it blows from your yard to mine, you are littering my yard, especially when you make no periodic effort to clean it up.

I refuse to lower my standards, but no amount of leading by example or even vocally reminding the neighbors that these actions are illegal and violate city code has any influence on their slovenly ways.  I have resorted to reporting continuous violations to the City via the online system.  This has had minimal effect; the problems have only slowly, consistently become worse over the 22 years I have lived in my home.

[ARGUS]

I watered my lawn twice yesterday by irrig. system after the freeze broke.
I often skip the twice weekly trash pick up;yet pay for it.
I had my leaves professionally picked up Sat/Sun. and work on them myself prior and post pick up.
My dog is only in the front yard and off leash when I am with him.
Parking on the grass is a city violation.
PLUS!
I dont litter from my vehicles. I dont change lanes w/in 250 feet of an intersection.