Many people avoid driving in New York City, but if you are one of the millions of commuters to the City every day, you must park your car somewhere. Whether you use a small, local parking lot or a huge parking structure, you may be at risk for injuries. You could face injuries from poor lighting conditions, dangerous stairwells, poorly-designed driving routes, car accidents, and even from being the victim of a crime in the parking lot.
Many of these injuries may be caused by the parking lot or parking deck owner’s failure to keep the premises safe. If you were injured in a parking lot car accident, in a slip and fall, or in any other accident in a parking lot in NYC, call our lawyers today. The New York City parking lot injury attorneys at Sullivan and Galleshaw may be able to help you file a lawsuit and recover compensation for your injuries. For your free consultation, call our law offices today at (718) 843-0300.
Car Accidents in a Parking Lot or Parking Deck
If you were involved in an accident in a parking lot or parking deck, you can still suffer somewhat severe injuries. If you were in your car while another driver caused your accident, you may have been traveling slow enough that your airbag did not deploy. This may mean that your injuries could be more serious than if you had been driving slowly on a street and the airbags deployed. If you were on foot when you were hit, you would not have any protection and can suffer serious injuries.
Even in low-speed car accidents, you can suffer long-term injuries. Many sudden car crashes take a toll on your back, neck, and spine. The most well-known car accident injury is probably whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the muscles and tendons in your neck contract suddenly after your head is “whipped” forward and backward in a car crash. This can do damage to the muscles, bones, and soft tissue of your, and may actually cause pain and discomfort for the rest of your life. Sudden stops can also injure your back. Your low back is especially prone to ongoing pain and discomfort after a car crash.
If you were a pedestrian who was hit by a car in a parking lot, you may have suffered very serious accidents. Even at low speeds, cars can do terrible damage to the human body. If you hit your head or back, you may have suffered serious traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries. You may suffer internal injuries and severe pain if any part of your body was actually run-over by the car.
You may be able to recover from the driver for these injuries, but you may also have a case against the parking lot and its owner. Especially in the tight corners of parking decks or parking structures, you may not have adequate lighting, a safe place to walk, or time to react if a car comes around a corner too fast. Additionally, poor signage may cause another driver to drive the wrong way or drive unsafely.
Parking Structure Injury Cases
There are dozens of other ways to be injured in a parking deck. Many of these structures have stairs, meaning you could face injuries if the stairs are poorly-lit, uneven, or weak. The same is true for weak handrails, which may collapse or break, allowing you to fall.
Many parking structures accumulate debris, like broken glass, trash, and other waste. These items may be left in walking areas, stairwells, or other places where they can create a tripping or slipping hazard. Falling on one of these hazards may be embarrassing, but it could also leave you with surprisingly serious injuries.
Outdoor surfaces are some of the biggest hazards for slipping and falling. Especially when the weather is colder, ice, snow, and other precipitation can accumulate on the ground. Walking to your car can become a struggle if the property owners failed to adequately de-ice the surface or shovel snow.
You also face a risk from other people in these parking structures. Especially if you are paying to have your car safely parked, away from intruders, parking lots and structures should not be readily open to the public. If poor security, lack of fences or security doors, or poor monitoring allows someone to enter the area, you could be at risk of being the victim of a crime. Muggings, robberies, assaults, and sexual assaults commonly occur in poorly-lit, unmonitored locations like parking lots or parking decks. If you were the victim of a crime, you may be able to sue the property owner for its inadequate security procedures.
NY Parking Lot Injury Attorneys
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident, a slip and fall, or as the victim of a crime in a parking lot or parking deck, call our attorneys. The New York City personal injury lawyers at Sullivan and Galleshaw represent injury victims on a wide range of injury cases. To schedule a free consultation with our lawyers, call (718) 843-0300 today.