The United States Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reports that vehicles kill over 4,000 people each year, and injure another 70,000 in pedestrian-related accidents. A pedestrian is any person who is on foot, walking, running, hiking, joking, sitting, or lying down. This definition, of course, includes those people who are walking in parking lots.
However, parking lot related accidents are often not reported because they do not occur on a roadway. That means that the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries is likely even higher when you consider the number of accidents that occur in parking lots.
Parking Lot Accident Statistics
Often, when researchers discuss pedestrian accidents, or how to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths, the focus is on sidewalks and roadways. Parking lots are often left out of the discussion. This is unfortunate because an alarming number of pedestrian injuries occur in parking lots.
Consider the following statistics:
Although cars are usually slower moving in a parking lot, any accident between a vehicle and a pedestrian can be serious because of the sheer size difference between the two. Parking lots provide a false sense of security for both drivers and pedestrians, causing some safety measures to be completely disregarded.
Other Parking Lot Accident Causes
Drivers are not the only safety hazard in a parking lot. Poorly maintained or designed spaces can also contribute to an accident or injury. Common causes of parking lot accidents include:
Parking Lot Accident Liability
Liability will vary depending on your specific type of accident. For example, if you have fallen because of a poorly maintained parking lot, then injuries related to your fall are likely going to be the parking lot owner’s responsibility.
However, if you fell because of a poorly maintained parking lot and then someone backs over you with their car after the fall, then both the parking lot owner and the driver will likely be liable.
Checkout What to do After a Car Accident
If there is a car involved, then the driver is almost always going to be at least partially liable. There are situations where the parking lot has been designed poorly or is inherently unsafe. In those situations, the driver or the pedestrian could also try to bring in the parking lot owner as a party to the case as well, even where the actual accident only involved the pedestrian and one vehicle.
Each type of parking lot injury is somewhat unique. A variety of parties could be at fault. If you or a loved one has been injured in a parking lot accident, contact a Florida personal injury lawyer to discuss your case as soon as possible.
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