Durham Parking Lot Accidents
In most cases, parking lot accidents are often minor situations that generally do not require the retention of an attorney, unless the accident involves a pedestrian. Our firm has handled several cases in Durham involving individuals coming out of stores and being struck by vehicles as they exit, or scenarios in which a pedestrian is hit, but by a car moving at a much slower speed than it would be on the road. In car-to-car parking lot accident cases, there is not often significant damage to the cars, or significant injury sustained by the passengers.
While representation might not be necessary in your case, a Durham car accident lawyer can provide free legal advice in an initial consultation and advise you on whether or not you would benefit from retaining an attorney.
Driving Rules
Many parking lots are marked with the same signage as drivers are required to know and abide by on the road. Stop signs and turning lanes should be treated no differently than if they were approached on an actual street, but drivers need to be especially careful in parking lots because of the almost constant additional pedestrian presence. People cannot absorb impact the same way that cars can, and it is critically important to be paying attention and not speeding inside of a parking lot.
Laws of Liability
Within the state of North Carolina, laws of liability are all uniform, so the same liability laws can be applied to a wide array of cases. Contributory negligence plays a part in many parking lot accident cases, as drivers and pedestrians alike may feel more relaxed in a parking lot than they do on the road.
Contributory Negligence
Walking around a parking lot does not constitute contributory negligence, but an individual that is failing to pay attention to where they are going can be seen as contributory negligence. If a danger is obvious or easily avoidable and a person encounters it because they were not paying attention, their role in the injuries will be accounted for in the determination of fault. On the other hand, if there is a car speeding through a parking lot and a pedestrian is not able to judge the distance separating themselves from the car, the situation may not necessarily be something that can be avoided and would not count as contributory negligence.
Insurance Companies’ Treatment of Parking Lot Accidents
Insurance companies treat car parking lot accident cases much like they treat all cases, but the insurance company also realizes that parking lot cases are different in that many times the injuries are not severe unless there is a pedestrian involved.
Durham Parking Lot Accident Lawyer
If you have been involved in a parking lot accident, you should find out whether or not you even need an attorney. If the damages are not serious, you may not need one. If you have suffered a serious injury, however, it is important to hire an experienced Durham lawyer who has handled cases like yours before.
