Do You Know What to Do if You Are Injured in a Parking Lot Accident?
While most parking lot accidents are fairly minor, some can kill – especially when the collision is between a vehicle and a pedestrian. If you have been involved in a parking lot accident, you might not know what to do. Who should be liable for your damages?
The best way to get fast answers to your specific questions is to contact DLC Law at (626) 285-8815 for a consultation. You can also keep reading to get the basics of these cases and the laws surrounding them.
There are many types of parking lot accidents
There is a long list of potential parking lot accidents a person can become injured in. They include:
- Backing out: Cars backing out of parking spots have the potential to crash with other cars and hit people, especially children.
- Sudden turns: In haste to get that final parking spot, motorists frequently take risky actions such as making sudden turns, turning down the wrong side of a parking aisle, or engaging in other dangerous driving behaviors.
- Speeding: Getting in, parking, and exiting a facility or lot in a hurry can lead to accidents. Speed bumps and other safety measures may assist, but they don’t always slow cars down enough to prevent fatal occurrences like collisions with other cars or striking pedestrians. Excessive speed can sometimes result in a car leaping the curb or stopping and driving up into a sidewalk or other pedestrian route.
- Rear-end collisions: When a vehicle comes to a quick halt or abrupt movement, and the cars behind it are too close, driving too fast, or not paying attention, a rear-end collision can occur.
- Pulling into or out of a parking lot: Many accidents happen when cars or even bigger vehicles like commercial delivery trucks pull into or out of a parking lot. Many parking entrances and exits are located near busy surface roadways or walkways. A vehicle can collide with another car, a pedestrian, a bike, or a motorcycle if it is not driven with enough caution.
If you have suffered an injury in these or other circumstances, contact DLC Law at (626) 285-8815 for help.
The driver could be liable for damages and injuries
Operators of motor vehicles may be held responsible for personal injury or property damage caused by their own carelessness or misconduct. In order to avoid endangering others, all drivers in California are expected to take reasonable precautions when operating their car, truck, or SUV.
Failure to check rear-view or side-view mirrors before backing out, driving too quickly, disregarding signs, pavement markings, or other indicators such as lights can all be considered violations of the legal responsibility to drive a vehicle safely. If this results in bodily injury or other harm, there may be legal responsibility for damages.
The owner of the parking lot could be liable for damages and injuries
A property owner is responsible for injuries caused by unsafe circumstances on their premises that they knew or should have known about based on the likelihood of an accident occurring. This includes failing to maintain a safe parking lot or structure, failing to provide enough parking lot attendant personnel, and inadequate parking lot design that poses an excessive risk of injury to anyone in or around the area.
Talk to an experienced personal injury attorney for help if you have been injured in a parking lot accident
Hundreds of thousands of parking lots and multi-level parking structures may be found in and around retail and other business locations across California. Hundreds of parking structures with a capacity of thousands of automobiles are believed to exist in Los Angeles alone. One driver’s error or a dangerous situation on or near the property is all it takes to cause significant harm or wrongful death.
A good personal injury lawyer who is familiar with these types of cases can conduct the necessary investigation, which may include hiring a forensic engineer to measure and analyze things like lighting, design layout, line of sight and visibility, signage issues, and other factors that may have caused or contributed to the incident.
Similarly, an accident lawyer who is knowledgeable with the laws of the road as they apply to off-street private parking can assess the possibility for liability in motor vehicle crashes with other vehicles, pedestrians, bikes, and motorbikes. Expert legal counsel and assistance are critical to obtaining full and comprehensive reimbursement for medical and other expenditures.
It is simple to get the advice of an experienced and passionate attorney: call DLC Law at (626) 285-8815.