Hacker News Reader

Comment by flandish | Hacker News Reader

Except that is not true, at all. You’d like it to be, logically, but if a trespasser (even if they are not aware they are) trips off a poorly maintained trail or an old rock wall, or etc … the landowner will be in court.

If it can happen when a thief breaks into your house and breaks his leg.. it can happen in the woods.

Of course: depending on state, etc.

View on HN

In the case I'm thinking of, where it's a large tract of vacant unimproved land, thats not true at all. There are no trails or rock walls to speak of. There's no house. It's just land. If you can find a case where this happened I'd love to read about it.

The idea that someone in the US walking along basically unmaintained paths in the woods that may be on private property will routinely sue somebody if they trip and break a bone is a trope that really needs to die. It's just idiocy and doesn't even fall in the man bites dog category but more in the man bites mountain lion category.

People who live in rural and semi-rural areas in the US are mostly pretty chill in general with people respectfully using their property, especially at the edges, in my experience.

> If it can happen when a thief breaks into your house and breaks his leg.. it can happen in the woods.

This is a non-sequetor and is most cettainly false.

A house is hypothetically meant to be safe, woods are not - you could be eaten by a bear.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com