Were You Seriously Injured In A Dangerous Parking Lot In New Jersey?
Parking lots are one of the most common sights in any urban area of New Jersey. They are so common, in fact, that it is easy to overlook just how dangerous they can be. Many premises liability claims concern injuries sustained in parking lots, either due to collisions with/between motor vehicles or accidents involving slipping and falling or tripping and falling.
These accidents often occur because property owners were negligent in the management, maintenance and repair of their parking lots. If you were seriously injured due to property owner negligence, our skilled attorneys at Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP, can help you seek compensation for your injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages.
Common Causes Of Parking Lot Falls And Accidents
We can help you seek compensation for any scenario in which you tripped and fell in a parking lot due to property owner negligence, including:
- Slips and trips caused by failure to remove snow/ice and to apply salt in the winter
- Tripping over debris dropped in the parking lot and not cleaned up by property owners/managers
- Tripping on uneven pavement, cracked concrete and other hazards related to surface deterioration
- Tripping and falling while trying to get out of the way of cars due to poor traffic management
- Tripping at night due to low lighting and poor visibility in the parking lot
- Tripping on construction equipment because the property owner failed to warn visitors about repair work being done in the lot or elsewhere on the property
Because so many stores, nightclubs and other businesses monitor their parking lots with cameras, we may be able to obtain video or photographic evidence of the accident and its cause. During the investigation, we will also collect our own evidence of the dangerous conditions and seek witness statements from anyone who observed what happened at the time of your injury.
Assessing And Documenting Your Injuries
Trip-and-fall accidents in parking lots can result in serious injuries. Common examples include:
- Broken bones, cuts and bruises
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures/dislocations to knees, elbows, wrists and other body parts likely to make direct contact with the ground when falling
- Soft-tissue injuries resulting in chronic pain
- Facial and dental injuries
- Permanent disfigurement
We will help you obtain all necessary medical records to document the full extent of your injuries. Then, we will use this and other information to hold negligent property owners accountable and to pursue full and fair compensation on your behalf.
Steps To Take After A Parking Lot Trip-And-Fall Accident
After a trip-and-fall accident, it is vital for injured people to take the right steps to protect their health and their access to financial support for their injuries. Some of these steps include:
- Seek medical attention – Even if you do not believe that your injuries are severe, getting immediate medical attention can help you assess the damage done by a fall, document your injuries and prevent those injuries from becoming worse.
- Report your accident to the business – Reporting your accident to the business alerts them to the harm you experienced and to the trip hazard that led to your accident. Depending on the business, they may have a specific report form for this report.
- Collect information – Taking photographs of the scene, gathering contact information from witnesses, saving clothing or other damaged items and saving a copy of your report to the business helps preserve this information and support your claim.
- Explore your options with an attorney – Seeking legal guidance can be an important way to understand your options and pursue the compensation you need to heal after a fall.
Can You Hold A Business Liable For A Trip-And-Fall Accident If You Did Not Buy Anything?
By making their business open to the public, retailers and other businesses have a duty to keep their property safe for their customers. This is true whether or not their visit to their property actually resulted in a purchase. As a result, you can hold a business responsible for the harm done by trip hazards on their property even if you did not buy anything on the day you experienced your fall.
What Is The Difference Between Trip-And-Fall And Slip-And-Fall Accidents?
While slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents may sound similar, there is a subtle difference between these two types of falls. Slip-and-fall accidents occur when a person loses their balance on a wet, icy or otherwise slippery surface. A trip and fall, on the other hand, occurs when a hazard causes a person to trip. Some common tripping hazards include potholes and cracks in the pavement or objects like power cords that create obstacles on sidewalks.
Speak To A Skilled And Caring Attorney For Free
We are pleased to offer free initial consultations to prospective clients in and around Newark and East Orange, New Jersey. To schedule yours, call us at 973-675-8277 or fill out our online contact form. We take personal injury cases on contingency basis, which means we do not charge any legal fees if we don’t help you recover money. We can provide services in English, Spanish and French Creole.