Parking Lot Accidents in Los Angeles

Whether you are stopping at a retail store, attending a concert or sports game, or just returning home to an apartment complex, navigating through parking lots is a major part of just about every Angeleno’s life. Unfortunately, as you may have recently learned, you cannot always trust other drivers in a lot with you to act responsibly behind the wheel or, if you are a pedestrian, even look out for you in the first place.

Because of this, parking lot accidents in Los Angeles are one of the more common types of incidents that experienced auto accident lawyers handle in this area. If you were recently hurt in any kind of vehicle collision inside any kind of parking lot, you have help available from seasoned legal representatives who know exactly how to handle this sort of case in a proactive and effective way. Call CD Law to learn more.

How Do Parking Lot Collisions Occur?

The first step towards obtaining fair financial restitution for injuries caused by a Los Angeles parking lot crash is getting professional medical care for those injuries and, in the process, obtaining formal documentation proving that the injuries exist and establishing how they happened. The next step is proving that a specific other person was directly to blame for causing those injuries, which can be a much more complex process than many people expect.

Various forms of “negligent” behavior can contribute to causing a parking lot accident, including but not limited to:

• Texting behind the wheel and other forms of distracted driving
• Not checking “blind spots” before backing up or turning
• Advancing past stop signs without coming to a full stop
• Going over the posted speed limit for a particular lot
• Not yielding the right-of-way property
• Driving while drunk, high, or otherwise impaired

Much like proving the existence of injuries, though, proving that a specific negligent act happened and directly resulted in an otherwise avoidable accident can require compelling evidence from multiple sources, including witness testimony, photos of the accident scene, and footage from surveillance or dashboard cameras.

How “Comparative Fault” Could Impact Civil Recovery

In addition to proving that a named “defendant” is at fault for a parking lot accident in Los Angeles, a qualified car crash attorney could also help prove that an injured “plaintiff” was not at fault for the accident they are filing suit over. This is important largely because of the “pure comparative fault” system that California civil courts adhere to, and which car insurance companies will typically follow as well.

Under this system, someone who acts negligently in a way that contributes to causing their own personal injury may have a percentage of total fault for the accident assigned to them. Then, if they sue someone else over their role in causing their accident, any damage award the plaintiff ultimately receives would be reduced proportionally to their share of total fault.

Contact a Los Angeles Attorney for Help With a Parking Lot Accident Claim

The upside of parking lot accidents in Los Angeles is that they are broadly less likely to cause life-altering injuries compared to most other types of auto accidents. The downside, though, is that it can be especially difficult to recover financially from the effects of a parking lot collision, even if it seems obvious to you that a specific other person is to blame for the injuries you have sustained.

In a situation like this, support from a car accident lawyer willing to take a hands-on, one-on-one approach to all their clients’ cases could be vital to getting the best possible case result. Call CD Law today to set up a consultation and discuss your recovery options.