Oklahoma City Parking Lot Accidents
Drivers rarely think twice about navigating a parking lot, yet tens of thousands of accidents occur in parking lots each year. Sadly, not all parking lot accidents are minor fender-benders or scratched car doors. In fact, an average of 60,000 people suffer injuries in parking lot accidents each year, and there are more than 500 annual deaths attributed to parking lot collisions, including both vehicle collisions and pedestrian accidents.
Common Types of Parking Lot Accidents in Oklahoma City
Parking lots are busy and confusing. Pedestrians, vehicles, and shopping carts mingle without the benefit of separate zones like those dividing cars from pedestrians on streets and sidewalks. Common causes of parking lot accidents in Oklahoma City include the following:
- Reversing collisions
- T-bone collisions as drivers exit parking lots onto roadways
- Rear-end collisions
- Pedestrian accidents
- Collisions with obstacles such as shopping carts
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipes
No one expects a serious accident in a parking lot, but sometimes parking lot accidents cause severe injuries or wrongful death. The consequences of a parking lot accident may be far more than just property damage when a parking lot collision causes injuries.
What Causes Oklahoma City Parking Lot Accidents?
According to the National Safety Council, driver distraction is the number one cause of parking lot accidents in Oklahoma and elsewhere. In a National Safety Counsel survey, drivers admit to engaging in distracting activities while navigating parking lots. Actions such as setting a GPS, applying makeup, and selecting music or podcasts take attention from the task of driving—a serious risk in parking lots crowded with cars, shoppes, and shopping carts. Other causes of parking lot accidents include the following:
- Visibility problems
- Speeding
- Poorly designed parking lots
- Lack of signage
- Miscommunication between drivers, such as through hand signals
- Poorly maintained parking lots
- Inadequate lighting
- Runaway shopping carts
Around 20% of all traffic accidents occur in parking lots. Fortunately, most are minor collisions involving only property damage, but some parking lot accidents cause severe injury or death.
Who Is Liable for Parking Lot Accidents?
To file a successful claim for damages after a parking lot accident, an injury victim must identify the liable party. Common liable parties in parking lot accident claims include at-fault drivers, store and business owners, manufacturers of defective auto parts, and government entities such as road maintenance agencies and city road planning departments. Determining the liable party or all parties who contributed fault in a parking lot accident often takes a thorough investigation.
How Can an Oklahoma City Parking Lot Accident Attorney Help?
After a serious parking lot accident, you may be dealing with painful medical procedures and long recovery periods. When the accident and injuries occur due to someone else’s fault, you shouldn’t have to be left responsible for the damages like medical expenses, and lost income in addition to your pain and suffering. Car accident attorneys in Oklahoma City can help by investigating the accident, documenting evidence of fault, carefully calculating the damages, and negotiating with the appropriate insurance company for a settlement.
Call Dan Davis Law so we can begin working on a strategy to accomplish the best possible results in your Oklahoma City parking lot accident claim.