Parking Lot Injuries

When discussing areas that accidents or crimes are likely to occur, many people never think of parking lots. Unfortunately, many injuries to people and damages to vehicles occur in multi-level parking lots. These types of incidents can have very costly results. Victims who have been physically attacked may suffer severe emotional pain, lose time at work from physical injury, and find themselves facing mounting medical bills. Those who have damage to their vehicles due to accidents or vandalism can find the cost of repairs to be quite high. How can you protect yourself when such incidents occur?

Parking Lot Violence

Many people have a fear of parking lots and multi-level parking garages, sometimes rightfully so. Although some of that fear is caused by so many horror movies and police shows featuring parking lots in their attack scenes, there is always some truth to the fiction. Many violent attacks do occur in these dark and unattended locations, some in the stairways, and others in the parking lot itself. If adequate lighting and security is not provided in public parking areas, criminals may see them as a good location to commit a crime. Victims may suffer anything from mugging to kidnapping and murder in such circumstances. When this happens, the property owner may actually be liable for the financial burden that is left on the victim.

Parking Lot Accidents

As surprising as it may sound, 20% of all car accidents occur in parking lots. With more and more multi-level parking areas being built, this number is actually rising instead of falling. Since most parking areas have no right-of-way, it can often be very difficult to prove fault in such an accident. As vehicles in a compacted area fight over parking spaces, accidents are bound to occur. These accidents can cause even more injury when a pedestrian or motorcycle is involved. Although many people have stopped texting and driving on the road, they continue to do so in parking garages. Even at slow speeds, this can cause accidents that may involve serious injuries, or even wrongful death. In such circumstances, a negligent driver may be held financially responsible for the accident’s costs.

What to Do In a Parking Lot Accident

If you have been the victim of a crime or accident in a parking lot, it is very important to contact the police, medical personnel if needed, and an attorney. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you to determine you have a case because of your parking lot injuries. A premise liability lawyer can help decide whether or not to file a premise liability lawsuit if you have suffered injury or damage due to a violent attack or vandalism in a parking lot. If any of these have happened to you or a loved one in a parking lot, call the police immediately…then call the attorneys at Burns & Jain. They have the experience to get monies for victims of such accidents, and compensation to cover medical bills, loss of time at work, pain and suffering and other financial hardships, and even lost income due to wrongful death. Please call us today for your always free consultation to see if we may be able to help you too.