A parking lot accident in Las Vegas can be inconvenient at best and fatal at worst. If you suffered serious injuries in a parking lot accident, you may need to hire a car accident lawyer in Las Vegas to help you navigate the legal process ahead. A lawyer can handle challenges such as an insurance company denying fault for your losses or undervaluing your claim. Learn what you should do after a parking lot accident to protect your rights.
What Is a Parking Lot Accident?
A parking lot accident is a collision involving two vehicles, or a vehicle and a bicyclist or pedestrian, that occurs within a parking lot. These accidents can occur due to crowded areas, chaotic environments, pedestrians walking through the lot, and frequent stopping, starting and reversing.
Common Types of Parking Lot Accidents
Parking lot accidents can happen at a business in Las Vegas due to preventable issues, such as confusing parking lot layouts, negligent drivers and pedestrians who break the rules. If a driver doesn't pay attention or ignores parking lot signs, this increases the odds of a collision.
Common types of accidents that take place in Las Vegas parking lots include:
- Pedestrian collisions: accidents where a motor vehicle driver doesn't pay attention or ignores the right-of-way of people walking through the parking lot on their way into or out of the store.
- Backing out accidents: collisions caused by drivers failing to check behind them or yield when reversing out of a parking space.
- Rear-end collisions: an accident where a driver fails to stop in time to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him or her, such as at a parking lot entrance or exit.
- Parked car accidents: a driver may strike or sideswipe a parked vehicle if he or she misjudges the distance when pulling into a spot or doesn’t look when backing up.
- Aggressive driver accident: fights for parking lot spaces can lead to aggressive or reckless driver behaviors and related auto accidents.
- Wrong-way accidents: entering a parking lot or structure while traveling in the wrong direction (e.g., failing to obey one-way signs) can lead to head-on collisions.
Many different types of crashes can take place in Las Vegas parking lots when the people involved break the law or behave negligently, meaning they fail to act with reasonable care. In these situations, accident victims have the right to file injury cases.
Types of Injuries From Parking Lot Accidents
Parking lot accidents have the potential to inflict severe and even fatal injuries on those involved. Pedestrians are especially at risk of suffering life-changing injuries in parking lot accidents. Serious injuries can result in expensive medical costs, along with lost wages during recovery, potential future lost earnings due to a disability, and pain and suffering.
Crash victims may experience long-term or permanent consequences from injuries such as:
- Bone fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Whiplash and neck injuries
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Permanent paralysis or nerve damage
- Concussions and traumatic brain injuries
- Chest and rib injuries
- Internal injuries
- Cuts and lacerations
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Amputations
In addition to physical injuries, victims of parking lot accidents can suffer significant emotional trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or chronic anxiety. If a successful claim is brought against the party at fault for the parking lot accident, victims can recover financial compensation for these losses, among others.
Who Is At Fault for a Parking Lot Accident in Las Vegas?
If you get hurt in a Las Vegas parking lot accident, you will have to prove fault to receive financial compensation from someone else’s car insurance company. This is how the fault-based law in Nevada works during car accident cases. Your attorney will need to prepare evidence proving that someone else caused the crash, such as the cell phone records of a distracted driver. Fault typically goes to the individual who was breaking a traffic law at the time of the crash.
You have the right to bring a claim against another driver for causing your parking lot collision. You may also be able to file a claim against the owner of a private parking lot or the government if parking lot design or poor maintenance caused the crash. If a business owns the parking lot, such as a hotel or casino in Las Vegas, you may also be able to hold them responsible for a dangerous parking lot.
Steps to Take After a Parking Lot Accident in Las Vegas
If you get involved in a parking lot accident in Las Vegas, stay calm and ensure your safety by moving your disabled vehicle out of the way of any other cars in the parking lot. Check yourself for injuries and make sure everyone else involved is safe, as well.
If anyone has been hurt, including yourself, call 911 to report the accident and request paramedic assistance. Get medical care for your injuries without delay. Exchange information with the other driver or party involved and collect eyewitness information. Take photographs of the crash scene to document the accident before you leave.
Avoid admitting fault for the parking lot collision. Call your car insurance company to report the accident as soon as possible. Then, call the at-fault driver’s insurer to file a claim. Before giving the company a recorded statement or accepting a settlement, consult with a car accident attorney in Las Vegas.
The Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer After a Parking Lot Accident in Las Vegas
Consulting with an attorney can give you important information about your legal rights and options in the aftermath of a parking lot crash in Las Vegas. Your lawyer can help you determine who is at fault and collect evidence to support your insurance claim. An attorney can also take over settlement negotiations on your behalf to ensure you are treated fairly by the insurance company.
Without legal representation, an insurance company may try to take advantage of you. If your parking lot accident case involves challenges such as severe injuries, the death of a loved one or a liability dispute, it is especially important to involve an attorney. You can count on your lawyer to preserve your rights and best interests while you focus on healing from injuries.
If you were recently involved in a Las Vegas parking lot accident and wish to receive personalized legal advice from a highly qualified car accident attorney, contact Edward Bernstein and Associates to schedule a free consultation.