You're walking to or from work during a snow storm. It looks like the parking lot has been plowed. As you approach your car, you walk on what appears to be clean and dry asphalt. Next thing you know, you're lying on your back in excruciating pain wondering how come you're on the ground and can't move.
Turns out you slipped on ice that was transparent. That's commonly known as black ice. It appears as if you're walking on asphalt, but there's a thin layer of ice that is lying above the asphalt surface.
How did that happen?
When the plow truck piled up the snow on the sides of the parking lot at night, during the day much of that melted. Then as night came, temperatures dropped causing the melting snow and water to freeze. If thin enough, the ice becomes transparent.
There are instances where a property owner and/or the snow plow company will be held responsible for failing to properly clear away snow during and after a snow storm. To learn what an attorney needs to know in a slip and fall case involving snow and ice, I encourage you to watch the video.
