When Can You Sue for a Parking Lot Injury?

October 28, 2019

Injuries Resulting From Parking Lot Accidents

When a person suffers an injury while traversing a parking lot, they may have a legal claim to compensation for their injury.

Accidents and incidents that result in parking lot injuries may include:

• Slip, trip & fall accidents
• Shopping mall slip & fall
• Auto accidents
• Car accidents
• Assaults
• Theft
• Robbery

These incidents can leave victims with physical injuries, emotional trauma, and property losses. Victims of parking lot injuries may not even realize that they may have a legal basis to bring a claim against the owner, operator, or manager of the lot or some other party involved in the operation or maintenance of the lot. This is why it is critical that people involved in a parking lot slip & fall accidents seek legal representation to help them understand whether there are other parties who may be liable for the victim’s losses.

Unfortunately, many parking lot injuries occur with no proof to establish liability of the parking lot owner or operator. However, in other cases there are eyewitnesses to the accident or incident, or the accident or incident may be captured on surveillance video. Even if a victim believes there is no evidence to prove his or her case, a skilled personal injury attorney may be able to marshal enough evidence to prove that the lot owner or operator owed a duty to the victim and breached that duty, which can lead to a successful legal claim.

Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents

Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents can very easily cause serious injuries, including deep lacerations, broken bones, torn or pulled muscles, torn or strained ligaments or tendons, and even head trauma and traumatic brain injury. Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents in parking lots are often caused by conditions such as potholes, cracked or uneven ground, debris, or accumulations of water, snow, or ice. In certain circumstances, the parking lot owner or operator may have a duty to discover and correct these hazardous conditions. When the owner or operator fails to do so, he or she may be liable for damages suffered by the victim.

Many state laws hold property owners or operators liable for injuries caused by accidents that could have been prevented by reasonable accommodations. These accommodations may include warning signs to notify people of potholes, uneven ground, or wet and slippery surfaces. Given enough time, a parking lot owner or operator may have a duty to repair broken ground or to remove snow and ice accumulation. Or, an owner or operator may have a duty to provide sufficient lighting in their lot to allow people to see where they are going and recognize potential hazards.

Preventing Parking Lot Accident Injuries

Some states’ laws hold property owners or operators responsible for conducting appropriate maintenance checks of their premises, imposing barriers to dangerous hazards, and repairing such hazards in a timely manner. Many parking lot injury cases turn on the claim that the owner or operator failed to fulfill their duty to properly maintain the lot. In addition, the law may impose heightened duties upon the owner or operator of property such as parking lot when an injured party is invited onto the property by the owner or operator. These heightened duties may strengthen the legal claim of a parking lot injury victim.

Contact a Pittsburgh Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Parking Lot Injury Case in Pennsylvania

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a parking lot accident in Pennsylvania? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Goodrich & Geist, P.C. represent clients injured because of parking lot accidents in Pittsburgh and surrounding Westmoreland County, PA areas. Call (412) 766-1455 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation about your premises liability case. We have an office conveniently located at 3634 California Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.