Parking lot pedestrian accidents occur frequently as vehicles maneuver in close proximity to shoppers, employees, and visitors. These accidents involve unique liability questions about driver duties, property owner responsibility, and fault allocation in these shared spaces.
Why Parking Lots Are Dangerous
Parking lots concentrate pedestrian-vehicle interactions. People walk between parked cars, behind backing vehicles, and across travel lanes continuously.
Drivers are often distracted by searching for spaces, looking at phones, or focusing on parking maneuvers rather than watching for pedestrians.
Limited visibility from parked vehicles, support columns, and lot design creates blind spots where pedestrians can't be seen.
Common Parking Lot Accidents
Backing accidents occur when drivers reverse without checking mirrors, cameras, and blind spots for pedestrians behind their vehicles.
Pedestrians in travel lanes are struck by vehicles focused on finding parking spaces rather than watching for walkers.
Stop sign failures at parking lot intersections cause collisions when drivers roll through without looking for pedestrians.
Excessive speed in parking lots prevents drivers from stopping for unexpected pedestrians.
Driver Liability
Drivers must exercise heightened care in parking lots where pedestrians are expected everywhere.
Speed limits in parking lots are low (typically 5-15 mph) because pedestrians may appear anywhere.
Drivers backing up must yield to all traffic including pedestrians. Backing drivers bear near-absolute liability for backing collisions.
Property Owner Liability
Property owners must maintain reasonably safe parking lots. This includes adequate lighting, visible lane markings, clear signage, and maintained surfaces.
Design defects - blind corners, inadequate pedestrian walkways, confusing traffic patterns - may create owner liability.
Failure to address known hazards like poor visibility areas where accidents have occurred previously supports negligence claims.
Proving Parking Lot Negligence
Surveillance footage from parking lot cameras often captures accidents. Property owners typically have extensive camera coverage.
Witness testimony from other shoppers, employees, and bystanders helps establish how the accident occurred.
Accident reconstruction can determine vehicle speed and driver reaction time from physical evidence.
Comparative Fault Issues
Drivers may argue pedestrians should have been watching for vehicles in parking areas. However, drivers still owe duties of care.
Walking behind parked cars is expected in parking lots. Drivers must anticipate pedestrians appearing from between vehicles.
Pedestrian distraction may contribute to fault but doesn't eliminate driver responsibility.
Children in Parking Lots
Children move unpredictably and may not recognize vehicle dangers. Drivers must exercise extra caution where children are likely present.
Shopping areas, schools, and recreational facilities require heightened attention to child pedestrians.
Striking a child in a parking lot strongly suggests driver negligence in failing to watch for expected pedestrians.
Rideshare and Delivery Vehicles
Increased rideshare and delivery traffic in parking lots creates more pedestrian-vehicle encounters.
Drivers focused on finding passengers or delivery addresses may neglect pedestrian awareness.
Company liability may apply when rideshare or delivery drivers cause pedestrian injuries while working.
Damages in Parking Lot Cases
Medical expenses for treatment of injuries, which can be severe even at low parking lot speeds.
Lost wages for missed work during recovery.
Pain and suffering for physical pain and emotional trauma from the accident.
Evidence Preservation
Request surveillance footage immediately. Many systems overwrite within days or weeks.
Photograph the scene - vehicle position, sight lines, signage, lighting conditions.
Identify witnesses before they leave the parking lot.
Pursuing Parking Lot Claims
Investigate all potentially liable parties - the driver, vehicle owner, employer, and property owner.
Document property conditions that may have contributed to the accident.
Consult an attorney who can preserve evidence and identify all available sources of compensation.