Parking lots are the setting for a variety of personal injuries every day. Customers might slip or trip and fall in a parking lot, or they could be the victim of a car accident, physical assault, or theft. An injury we do not often hear about is when a victim becomes pinned between a vehicle and the building itself.
Recently, a suburban Chicago man whose legs were amputated in 2017 after a car lurched forward into a parking space, pinning him against the front of a 7-Eleven store, reached a $91 million settlement with the convenience store chain.
According to James Power, one of the attorneys representing the 57-year-old plaintiff, a Cook County judge approved the settlement on the day the man’s lawsuit had been set for a jury trial, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Never assume that just because you aren’t inside of a store you don’t have the right to sue a property owner for injuries sustained in the parking lot.
Here are a few basic examples of when an injured party can sue:
Parking Lot Injuries
Property owners may be held liable for accidents and injuries that occur on a property if proper care would have prevented the injury. For example, in the case of the Chicago man who was pinned against the 7-Eleven, the crash might have been prevented if 7-Eleven had installed bollards — thick posts anchored in the ground — between storefronts and parking spaces. Another example of a parking lot injury is a person tripping on an uneven sidewalk. If the property owner notices the dangerously uneven curb, with proper routine maintenance checks, the property owner may be liable for an individual’s injuries sustained by the trip and fall resulting from the dangerous condition.
Can You Sue a Store if You Fall in Their Parking Lot?
Slip, trip, and fall accidents injure thousands of people every year. People can suffer catastrophic injuries such as broken bones, and head and brain injuries. Knowing when the property owner is legally responsible for your parking lot slip, trip, or fall injury can help you know when to file a personal injury claim. A pothole-ridden parking lot, rough patches of grass, or an uneven curb is only grounds for a lawsuit if the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about the dangerous issue but did nothing to prevent injury.
Auto Collisions
If you get into a car accident in a parking lot, you may have a case against the property owner. As was the case in the recent landmark settlement against 7-Eleven, courts can hold a property owner responsible for parking lot collisions if the parking lot was in a state of disrepair or had known dangers that contributed to the accident, such as a lack of safety bollards, a downed light pole or inadequate/confusing signage. If the parking lot owner knew or should have known about hazards and didn’t do anything to prevent a collision, an accident may be his or her responsibility.
Failing to make a parking lot as safe and secure as possible is a form of property owner negligence that can result in serious physical, mental, and financial harm to property visitors. If you suffer as a result, it is in your best interest to speak to a personal injury attorney.
For more information, or if you or a loved one has been injured in a parking lot accident, please contact Hilliard Law’s compassionate and dedicated team of attorneys, at (361) 882-1612, or through our contact page HERE to request a free case evaluation.