PARKING LOT ACCIDENTS

Be careful when you walk through a parking lot.  The National Safety Council reports that 60,000 persons are injured and 500 or more die from the 50,000 plus crashes that occur in parking lots and garages each year.  It is estimated that one out of every five car accidents occurs in parking lots.

Pedestrians, and especially small children, are at especial risk from cars backing out of parking spaces and distracted drivers.  Blind zones can be created by large vehicles or trucks parked next to a backing out vehicle may block a driver’s vision for persons walking behind their car.  Not all motor vehicles are equipped with back-up cameras and small children cannot always be seen in the rear view mirrors.  NHTSA estimates that 22% of children (ages 5-9) killed in traffic accidents were pedestrians and many were victims of backing up vehicles.

The distracted driver who is texting, making telephone calls, sending emails, watching videos, eating, looking for something in the car interior or grooming is another hazard in a parking lot.

Parking lots can also cause injuries to pedestrians from broken or uneven pavement, potholes, and accumulated snow and ice.  Not every parking lot owner has a good maintenance program in place.  Stepping into these uneven, deep or slippery surfaces can cause you to lose balance, trip and fall and injure yourself.

Many injuries suffered in a parking lot result in good personal injury claims,