Parking lot accidents occur often and can cause significant damage. What makes parking lot accidents in Columbia, MO different from regular car accidents is that often pedestrians are involved. A person is driving in a parking lot, looking for a parking space and their attention may be diverted. They are looking for an empty parking space or looking for a car backing up, and not necessarily looking for a pedestrian who may be walking across the parking lot aisle. In parking lot accidents, people who are backing out may not properly recognize that there is an individual driving down the parking lot lane and vice versa. A person driving down the parking lot lane may be distracted and not see the signs and indicators that a motor vehicle is backing up.
If you or a loved one were injured in a parking lot collision, you may be eligible to recover compensation for damages. With the help of a Columbia parking lot accident lawyer, you may be eligible to recover damages such as medical expenses, pain and suffering, and mental anguish. Our skilled legal team at A.W. Smith Law Firm are ready to take on your case. Speak to a seasoned car accident attorney to learn about filing a personal injury claim.
Slower speed limits and more pedestrians do not play a role in terms of the rules of safe driving in parking lots. The rules while operating a motor vehicle in a parking lot are the same as operating on a street. An individual has to operate their motor vehicle with the highest degree of care. However, with the slower speeds, sometimes that could contribute to a false sense of security that since they are driving slower, they have more time to react, which is a falsehood.
Since there are pedestrians that may cross in front of their vehicle or there may be drivers backing up, one needs to be aware of those fact patterns as opposed to when driving a motor vehicle down a highway. Law enforcement personnel in Columbia respond to parking lot collisions just as effectively and with just as much urgency as they would in a street way.
Insurance companies treat parking lot accidents very similarly to what they would treat on a highway. The insurance companies recognize that parking lot collisions often occur at a much lower rate of speed, so the mechanics of the injury and the severity of the injury may be more heavily scrutinized.
On the part of both people who are inside of cars and out of them, contributory negligence plays a role in Columbia parking lot accident cases. Missouri is not a contributory negligence state. It is a comparative fault state. Pedestrians have the right of way. Nevertheless, that does not absolve them of any type of liability in parking lot incidences involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian.
As a pedestrian, one must also be cognizant of their surroundings. They should be aware if a motor vehicle is backing up. They should be aware of where they are walking and make certain that they are protecting themselves in that situation, as well.
Those who have been injured in a parking lot crash should seek help from a committed attorney who would represent them to the best of their abilities, be a strong advocate for them, and have experience with low-speed impact cases. Since many parking lot accident cases often involve slower rates of speed, insurance companies tend to scrutinize heavily and are more skeptical of the mechanics as well as the severity of the injury.
A skilled Columbia parking lot accident lawyer could help deal with insurance companies and help them obtain the compensation that covers the full value of their damages. Call A.W. Smith Law Firm today to schedule a consultation.
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