Chattanooga Parking Lot Accident Lawyer 

While parking lot accidents often occur at slower speeds than accidents on the highway, the amount of damage that can still take place is serious and should not be overlooked. If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a parking lot accident, know that a dedicated Chattanooga parking lot accident lawyer has the potential to make a difference in your case. Read the information below to learn more about the benefits of retaining a professional car wreck attorney today.

What is a Parking Lot Accident?

Parking lot accidents are similar to pedestrian accidents. Often a car will back into a person who is on foot. For example, children who are running through a parking lot and do not see a car coming can be vulnerable in these incidents. Car accidents in parking lots are low impact at weird angles. An individual can be hit from a corner and thrown in a different direction. The seatbelt might not be as be as helpful or the airbag may not deploy at all in these circumstances because of the low-speed impact. 

Rules of Safe Driving in Parking Lots

The rules of safe driving in parking lots are even stricter than they are on the roadways because there are a lot more children and elderly folk in parking lots. Individuals are required to walk in a crosswalk through traffic to reach a parking lot, but more frequently they will walk out from behind cars in the parking lot and cannot be seen as well. The rules for drivers are to be careful and expect individuals coming from many different angles. There are more points of entrance in a parking lot for an individual to come into the path of the vehicle than on a regular roadway. A driver needs to be a lot more careful and more attentive to what is going on around them. 

Response to Parking Lot Accidents

Typically the response to a parking lot accident still involves local law enforcement. Somebody from an agency will come to investigate the accident and prepare a report. Typically they do not assign fault or map out exactly how the collision occurred because it is on private property. The owners might be liable if there is something wrong with the parking lot, the traffic flow, or the lane markings. This could potentially result in a third party liability situation. 

Insurance Companies and Parking Lot Accidents

Insurance companies often assume that nobody was hurt in parking lot accidents because the cars were driving very slow. However, they cannot prove who was at fault because the lane markings and traffic signals in a parking lot are not the same as a regular roadway. Parking lot accidents require a lot of effort on the part of an adjuster, and a timely investigation to be performed very quickly. In these instances, it is significant to contact an experienced traffic lawyer as soon as possible.

Contributory Negligence

The state of Tennessee is a comparative negligence or comparative fault jurisdiction. This means that if there is a car accident, all parties involved in the collision can be partially at fault. In parking lots, this means that most of the time there is going to be some allegations that both parties are at fault. 

In determining negligence, an individual walking across the lane of traffic in a parking lot is not automatically negligent, whereas if that individual walks out into a street where cars are coming, that would be considered a negligent act. If an individual walks out into a parking lot lane while on the cell phone or looking down, it is much more likely for this scenario to be considered negligence.

Attain a Chattanooga Parking Lot Accident Attorney

If you have been injured in a parking lot due to the negligence of another, consider seeking out an experienced Chattanooga parking lot accident attorney who understands the ins and out of personal injury cases and the laws that govern these matters. Their assistance can help you determine the next best steps towards fighting for your case.