Getting Compensation for Parking Lot Accidents in Texas
Car accidents can happen anywhere, even in places where we don’t expect vehicles to travel at high speeds. While we might not often think of parking lot crashes when we think of serious accidents, the truth is that any car crash has the potential to lead to serious injuries or death.
It’s true that the majority of parking lot accidents aren’t serious. However, if you’re ever injured in an accident that happened in a parking lot, it’s important that you know about your rights to compensation. If you were harmed by another driver or responsible party, an experienced car accident attorney can help you make a strong claim or case for financial relief.
What Compensation Can You Obtain for a Parking Lot Accidents?
If you were injured or harmed during a parking lot crash, you may qualify for compensation for economic or non-economic damages. Economic damages compensate victims for losses that have a specific dollar figure:
Lost wages
Current and future medical expenses
Disability expenses
Reduced earnings
Funeral expenses
Economic damages are usually less complex to prove in comparison to non-economic damages. While you can use receipts, pay stubs, and other documentation to prove the exact amount of economic damages, non-economic damages are losses without a calculable cost:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of enjoyment in life
Lost relationships
In some cases, victims may also be eligible for punitive damages. Punitive damages are meant to punish the at-fault party for their negligence and reckless behavior and are also intended to discourage others from engaging in similar behaviors.
While punitive damages are rarer than economic and non-economic damages, a car accident attorney can help determine if your case qualifies.
Determining Fault in a Parking Lot Accident Based on Right-of-Way
Determining who’s at fault in parking lot accidents can be difficult. When a parked car gets hit by a moving vehicle, the moving vehicle is usually liable, but when several moving vehicles are involved in an accident, determining who’s at fault can get tricky. Still, parking lots have a right-of-way system, just like the roads, and we can use these rules to determine fault.
Parking lots have different lanes designed to help drivers navigate the lot and avoid car accidents:
Parking Spots and Parking Lanes - When you’re backing out of or driving into a parking space, you typically don’t have the right-of-way over any other drivers.
Feeder Lanes: Feeder lanes connect drivers to different parking spots but don’t grant access to an exit. Being on a feeder lane gives you more right-of-way over cars backing out of parking spots, but not over cars on thoroughfares.
Thoroughfares: Thoroughfares connect drivers to roadways and exits. Other than at intersections with a stop sign, thoroughfare drivers typically have the right-of-way over all other drivers.
Common Parking Lot Accidents and Who May Be at Fault
Although parking lot accidents aren’t always as severe as other car accidents, they happen quite often. Typical parking lot accidents include the following types of collisions, but keep in mind that each accident is unique, and statements may not apply to your situation:
Rear-End Collisions: Rear-end collisions can happen anywhere, including in a parking lot. The driver that hits the rear-end of the car in front of them will typically be at-fault.
Car Pulls Out Into Traffic: Usually, oncoming traffic will have the right-of-way, but they can be at fault if they were speeding or distracted.
Pedestrian Accidents: Parking lots are full of pedestrians; drivers must be aware of the people around them. Pedestrians are very rarely held liable but may be found at fault if they exercised extreme negligence.
Two Vehicles Try to Claim the Same Spot: While both drivers can be held partially responsible, drivers turning right may have the right-of-way. Because of this, drivers involved in a crash with another car while turning left into a parking spot might be held liable.
Two Parked Cars Back Into Each Other: It’s relatively common for vehicles to back into each other in parking lots. In this scenario, since neither car had the right-of-way, it can be challenging to determine who’s at fault. One driver might be entirely at fault or only partially.
Remember: Texas is a partial-fault state. This means that, if you are found 30% responsible for your crash, the highest compensation you will be able to receive will be 70% of your total losses. If it’s unclear who was at fault in your parking lot crash, reach out to a car crash attorney for help.
Let the Car Accident Attorneys at the Law Office of Bobby Garcia Help!
At the Law Office of Bobby Garcia, our team of experienced car accident attorneys can assist you in making a claim after a parking lot accident. We will fight to protect your rights to justice and financial relief
Don’t wait to start the process of getting the compensation you need. Reach out to the compassionate car crash attorneys at the Law Office of Bobby Garcia today.