The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that tens of thousands of accidents occur in parking lots annually. Despite many vehicles being equipped with backup cameras and safety features, parking lot accidents are common. Unfortunately, many people fail to recognize that traffic rules also apply to parking lots and regularly commit moving violations, such as speeding, failing to yield, and driving while distracted.
If you sustained injuries in a parking lot accident, our Madison parking lot accident attorney could examine your accident’s circumstances. We’ll also explain your legal rights and options for compensation.
How Our Madison Parking Lot Accident Lawyer Can Help Your Case
Unlike streets and roads, parking lots often lack signage and stoplights that guide traffic and prevent accidents. Parking lot traffic laws also tend to be less widely known, so drivers aren’t deterred from wrongdoings.
Parking lot accidents can sometimes be more legally complex than accidents on roadways. The process of pursuing compensation can be challenging, time-consuming, and stressful—especially if you are still recovering from an injury. Fortunately, our Madison car accident attorney can guide you through this process and fight alongside you to get the compensation you deserve.
A lawyer from the Morris Bart law firm can help your case in the following ways:
- Providing you with legal information and guidance
- Ensuring paperwork is correctly filled out and filed on time
- Thoroughly investigating your accident and surrounding circumstances
- Collecting crucial evidence to prove the liability of the other driver
- Interviewing eyewitnesses
- Obtaining testimony from expert witnesses, such as medical professionals and accident reconstructionists, in support of your claim
- Calculating your damages
- Building a demand for damages
- Communicating with the other party and their insurance provider on your behalf
- Filing a lawsuit and representing you at trial
For a free legal consultation with a Parking Lot Accident lawyer serving Madison, call 800-537-8185
Compensation Available in Parking Lot Accident Injury Cases
Whether another vehicle or hazardous property conditions caused your accident and injuries, you can seek compensation for your personal and financial losses. At the Morris Bart law firm, we understand the economic and non-economic impact victims encounter after experiencing an accident and suffering injuries.
Economic and non-economic damages you could pursue include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Past, present, and future medical bills
- Property damage, such as vehicle repair costs
- Lost income from missing work while recovering from an injury
- Reduced earning ability caused by long-term or permanent impairment
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish and psychological trauma
- Permanent or long-term disability or impairment
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Diminished quality and enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
Deadlines for Filing Your Personal Injury Case
In Alabama, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is typically two years. This is outlined in AL Code § 6-2-38.
For this reason, it’s important to get started on your case right away. Your attorney can ensure you file before this deadline so you won’t miss this opportunity to pursue compensation. We can also explain any exceptions that could shorten the statute of limitations.
Establishing Liability for a Parking Lot Accident in Madison
To be compensated for any losses you’ve suffered, you and your attorney must be able to prove that the other party was negligent and, therefore, liable. To prove negligence, you must establish the following legal elements:
- Duty of care: All drivers have a legal obligation to operate their vehicles with enough caution to reasonably avoid causing undue harm to other drivers and pedestrians, whether on the roadways or in a parking lot. Similarly, all property owners must ensure the property they own and control, including parking lots, is free from hazards that could lead to accidents or injuries.
- Breach of duty: The at-fault party breached their duty of care by displaying negligence.
- Causation: The accident and your injuries would not have occurred if not for the at-fault party’s negligence.
- Damages: The accident and your injuries caused you to suffer damages.
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Types of Parking Lot Accidents in Madison
Determining liability in parking lot accidents depends heavily on who has the right of way, or the legal right to proceed first. However, numerous other factors could complicate matters.
Some common types of parking lot accidents include:
Two-Vehicle Accidents
These accidents occur when two cars collide with one another. Two-vehicle accidents can involve two moving vehicles or one moving and one stationary vehicle. If both vehicles were moving, determining liability can be particularly complicated. Our attorneys can use our experience with parking lot accidents to determine liability.
Single-Vehicle Accidents
Single-vehicle accidents involve only one vehicle and occur when a driver strikes an object, such as a light post, parking block, median, pothole, wall, or fence. Although single-vehicle accidents most often result from driver error, they are sometimes caused by hazardous conditions in the parking lot. Examples of unsafe conditions include poor visibility, inadequate lighting, lack of signage or crosswalks, and damaged or uneven surfaces. In these cases, the property owner might be liable for damages caused by the accident.
Pedestrian Accidents
Being struck by a vehicle as a pedestrian can be fatal or lead to devastating, life-altering injuries, even at the lowest speeds. Liability in these accidents usually depends on where the pedestrian was when the accident occurred. For instance, vehicles must yield the right of way to pedestrians in certain areas, such as marked crosswalks.
Consult With Our Madison Parking Lot Accident Attorney Today
If you suffered damages in a parking lot accident, our Madison parking lot accident lawyers are available to discuss your case. We can answer your questions and help you seek a fair case outcome.
You can avoid vulnerability to complex auto accident laws and low-ball settlement offers when you consult with the Morris Bart law firm today. We can begin building your case and help you determine the compensation to which you may be entitled.
Questions?Call 800-537-8185
to find a Morris Bart office near you.