Did you know that 20 percent of car accidents happen in parking lots? Since there are no clear signs or clear travel lanes to help direct traffic or cars, determining liability can be quite difficult. If you were involved in a parking lot accident and suffered injuries or there was property damage, the law allows you to seek monetary compensation. Consult an Apopka personal injury lawyer for legal counsel.
How to tell who is liable in parking lot accidents
Negligence is one of the ways to determine liability in parking lot accidents. In Florida, the law places blame on the person who was in a better position to prevent the accident but acted differently. In such cases determining fault means evaluating both parties then deciding who acted negligently.
Here are a few questions to consider when evaluating the actions that resulted in the accident.
- Was either party driving recklessly or drunk driving?
- Was there speeding involved
- Did the pedestrian run in front of the moving car?
- Were there people or cars on the way while the car was side backing?
- Did anyone break the rules of traffic posted in the parking lot?
- Was there intentional harm caused?
- Should the parties involved have taken more time to look to their surrounding before proceeding through the parking lot?
In Florida, since it’s a no-fault state for accidents with only minor injuries both parties are expected to have their own insurance cover the damages. However, if the parking lot accident caused serious injuries, then the victim can bring a car accident claim against the responsible driver. In such cases, you can recover full compensation on damages.
It’s up to you to gather the evidence you need to prove who is liable, take photos of your damaged vehicle and the others involved. If the parking lot has surveillance requests the owner to save the video as quickly as possible.
Sometime parking lot accidents may have more than one person at fault. The comparative fault comes into play which means more than one person shares legal responsibility for the parking lot accident. If negligence was at play, then the parties involved share liability, and at times it can impact the rights and obligations of each person after the crash. In some cases, the parking lot can be proved liable due negligence to maintain or operate a safe parking lot.
After an accident, it’s important to engage with a personal injury lawyer and get to know whether you have a case or not. A good lawyer will help you make the right decision according to the evidence and injuries incurred in the accident.
A car accident lawyer will help you make a claim and get compensation for injuries caused by accident. They also help you prove and determine your case by gathering the right evidence from the scene of the accident. Experienced personal injury attorneys have the right knowledge and competencies to help steer your case in the right direction.
