You may not be driving very fast in a parking lot, but it is still possible to become injured from parking lot accidents in Albuquerque. Parking lots often have poor visibility, and backing up from a parking space is a particularly dangerous maneuver. Most parking lots do not follow the same traffic laws as roads and highways, which makes them confusing to some drivers. While one motorist is concentrating on finding an open space to park, another may be concentrating on watching out for pedestrians. If neither are paying attention to each other, they could crash, but which one is liable for the damages? In cases like these, an experienced car accident attorney is valuable.
If you have been injured in a parking lot, contact the team at New Mexico Accident Firm. We handle tricky legal situations like these and may be able to gain compensation for you through a civil lawsuit.
Determining liability in an accident that occurs in an Albuquerque parking lot can be difficult. Local police usually cannot enforce traffic laws in a parking lot, so there may not be the same type of evidence that there would be in an accident that occurred on a road. An experienced lawyer can still gather information to help determine who is at fault for the injuries in the crash. There may have been several eyewitnesses or security camera footage to refer to.
In many cases, more than one driver is at fault, and the lawyer will try to prove how much fault belongs to each driver. Then, New Mexico’s comparative fault laws can be put into play. If the injured person is 30 percent at fault, and the defendant is 70 percent at fault, the injured person could still collect compensation, but the total amount of compensation will be reduced by 30 percent.
If the parking lot itself was to blame for the accident, then the liability could fall on the owner of the parking lot. For example, there could have been an obstruction blocking a driver’s view, or the lot could have been poorly designed.
One thing a lawyer could help with is determining the amount of damages that occurred as a result of the accident. Some damages are easy to calculate, such as the medical expenses that the injured person pays. Other damages are less obvious but just as important, such as the amount of wages the injured person lost because they were injured. Some injuries can be so extensive and long-lasting that the injured person is unable to earn the same amount of wages. A lawyer can add the unearned future wages to the total amount of damages.
Non-economic damages can also figure into the total amount of compensation for Albuquerque parking lot accidents. For example, an injured person could recover damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and physical disfigurement.
Injuries in parking lot accidents in Albuquerque can be just as bad, or even worse, than injuries that occur on the road. On top of that, it may not be crystal clear who was at fault in the accident because of the congested nature of parking lots. Contacting an experienced local lawyer as soon as possible after the accident could help you get a better outcome in any legal actions taken.
Our legal team is here for you. Contact us to benefit from our experience and dedication.
