Parking Lot Accidents are common in Florida. These accidents don’t happen because of speed, but they can result in injury, death and property damage especially when pedestrians are involved in the accident. Due to these accidents, there is a tremendous increase in the insurance rate. So, for any state or country, it is required to take these accidents seriously. It is so because they may have lots of serious consequences. If you are from Florida, then you should know about some rules that apply for the parking lot accidents.
How you can determine fault in parking lot accidents?
Under Florida law, Parking lots are considered private property. Laws that apply for moving vehicles on public roads never apply for parking lots. This can may make it difficult to determine who is at fault during an accident when it occurs in a parking lot. However, when there is only one car that’s moving in the parking lot, then the driver of that vehicle is at the fault for a particular accident.
When two cars are involved in an accident, then only one car will have the right way based on the proper traffic pattern. If you want to determine who will be in the right-of-way in a parking lot, then it seems to be challenging. But properly know-how about the rules of parking lots and also using the services of a skilled Florida car accident attorney, you can easily determine who most likely was at the fault. Florida is known as “No-fault state”.
Some common types of accidents in parking lots
Parking Lot Accidents may occur due to many reasons. Many accidents take place when:
- The driver may pull out of the parking space into the traffic area
- Two drivers may back-out at the same instant
- The driver backs out of the parking space into the approaching vehicle.
- One car may hit another car that is on a stopping sign
- Two cars may attempt to pull into the same parking lot
What to do when you suffer some injuries in A Parking Lot accident?
If you suffer some injuries in Parking Lot Accidents in Florida, then you may need an experienced and well-skilled car accident attorney. They must have plenty of experience and time in dealing with these kinds of accidents.
If you are from Florida and suffer from any injury that happens in a parking lot accident, then you should know your legal rights under Florida law. The people who are suffering from serious injuries may take more time to recover. So, it is important to talk with an attorney because they are good resources to get instant help and make a full recovery as soon as possible.
What does Florida say about parking lots?
In Florida, the parking lots are considered private property. Due to this reason, the laws which are applied on the public roads, don’t apply in the parking lot accidents. So, the police may not take seriously these accidents whenever minor damages happened.
One thing which you should keep in mind is that proper law is required for the maintenance of parking lots and this is the responsibility of the property owner. This means that the property owner is required to do some things like maintain the pavement, remove debris and adequate lighting, etc. If the owner doesn’t focus on proper maintenance, then the result will be bad.
Reporting a parking lot of accidents
If an accident results in medical or damage expenses more than $500, then you will be required to report the accident. Unless when there is an injury that requires an ambulance, then it will be important to inform the police. When the situation becomes more serious, then it will be important to have police involvement. You may request to any nearby shopping facility management near your accident to ask some footage of your accident since nowadays most shopping parking lot are monitored by cameras. The management produces footage that helps you to identify evidence of an accident for your report or in-car the other party fled the scene.
Some important steps that You need To follow in Parking Lot Accidents
If you want to determine fault, then some steps should be followed.
a) Never move:
Never move and trie to stop the second party. Try to take some photos of an accident scene. Do it even when the second party admitted the mistake. Try to take some images from many angles because it will give more chances to determine fault.
b) Determine injuries
In the parking lot, the speed of the vehicle is slow, but it is important to check the passengers for injuries. It is important to be certain about what kind of injuries have happened on the spot. It is so because if you wait longer, then there will be less chance to get compensated.
c) Move the vehicle:
After you take some pictures, you can move the vehicle out of traffic. If you are in the area where the flow of traffic is not a serious issue, then moving your vehicle is not necessary.
d) Exchange information
It is important to take more information from the other drivers that were involved in the accident. It will enable you to protect yourself and seek some help. Try to get some insurance information, phone number, driver license or any more pertinent information.
e) Talk to the police:
While in many cases, it is a good idea to leave the police out of Parking Lot Accidents. In many cases, it will be better to involve them in an accident. They will help you to file a report and interview witnesses.
f) Contact your insurance company:
Try to contact the insurance company as soon as possible. It will be better to know how to deal with the situation and what to do about the vehicle’s damage so that your insurance company helps you in that situation.
The best and appropriate solution
In reality, one of the best methods used to determine parking lot fault in Florida is to talk with a professional auto accident attorney. They will help to figure out whether you are able to get some compensation from the second party or not.
Verdict
Parking Lot Accidents can result in some serious injuries. This is especially true when you are a pedestrian at the spot. A pedestrian does not have a protective shell as possessed by passengers and drivers of a vehicle. Consequently, they are more exposed and can suffer serious injuries.
If the accident is caused due to improper maintenance and construction of a parking lot, then you will able to take some action against the owner of the property. These adverse and dangerous situation undoubtedly increase the rate of accidents.
If in Florida, you have been injured in a parking lot accident, then you will require some serious and skillful legal representative throughout your entire case. Proper investigation of the case will help you to determine who is at fault. If you want to get better information about Florida Regulation for Parking Lot Accidents, then follow this link so, you can get useful information.