Many people visit friends or go shopping without worrying about finding a dangerous condition in a parking lot. However, one of the most common places to experience a slip and fall is in a parking lot. Many people may not know what to do next after an injury from a hazard in a parking lot. As personal injury lawyers, we are here to help guide you on the next steps for moving forward after a slip and fall in a parking lot.
How do slip and falls in parking lots happen?
In Missouri, slip and fall accidents are common and can cause a variety of injuries — from small injuries like a broken wrist, to more severe injuries like a concussion. These slips or falls can happen anywhere, especially in public parking lots or garages such as those at grocery stores or shopping centers.
Oftentimes, slip and fall injuries will occur because of the following conditions or actions:
- Stepping into a pothole
- Tripping over uneven pavement
- Slipping on debris
- Falling because of ice, snow, water accumulation or other slick substances
- Poor lighting
- Poor parking lot design
- Avoiding moving vehicles
What are common injuries from slip and falls in parking lots?
If you slip and fall in a parking lot, you will likely be making contact with rough asphalt, concrete dividers or other hard surfaces. These falls can cause a variety of injuries depending on the angle of your fall. For example, if you fall forwards, you are more likely to hurt your arm if you attempt to brace your fall compared to a fall backwards which may cause a blow to the head.
Some of the more common injuries from a slip and fall in a parking lot are:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head trauma
- Neck and back injuries
- Paralysis
- Broken Bones
- Severe bruising or other abrasions
Oftentimes, these injuries can lead to expensive medical bills, missed days from work or a complete restructuring of your daily life. If you were injured from a slip and fall in a parking lot, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible to evaluate your injuries.
Who is at Fault in a Slip and Fall in a Missouri Parking Lot?
For slip and fall cases in Missouri, you should consider focusing on the person or party who owns or has control of the property where your fall took place. You might also consider the potential that a maintenance company may have been negligent. For example, if you were injured in a parking lot at a local mall because of a hole in the asphalt, you might consider filing a lawsuit against the property owners of that specific parking lot or a maintenance company that may have worked in the area.
Missouri law explains that property owners or those in control of a property must exercise reasonable care to make a property safe for those on the property. This means that they must make the property reasonably safe by by:
- Removing, barricading, or warning others of dangerous conditions such as holes, slick spots, cracks or other conditions that may cause injury.
What Should I Do After I Slip and Fall in a Parking Lot?
In Missouri, if you are a customer of a business and want to make a case against the person or business in control of the property, you must be able to prove four conditions related to your fall: A St. Louis slip and fall attorney will be able to help you determine if you have all requirements outlined prior to making a claim.
The four elements or requirements include:
- A dangerous condition existed on the parking lot.
- The party in possession or control of the parking lot knew or by using ordinary care could have known of the condition;
- There was a failure to use ordinary care to remove, barricade or warn of the condition;
- You were damaged as a result of the fall.
Additionally, a slip and fall attorney will be able to help you navigate Missouri’s “pure comparative negligence rule.” This allows the court to assess a percentage of the fault on the injured party and the property owner. So, if you were in any way at fault at the time of the injury, the property owner would only pay a percentage of the damages.
Looking to Hire a Missouri Slip and Fall Lawyer?
A slip and fall can happen anywhere, but a fall in a parking lot can have legal ramifications that require the help of a lawyer. If you experienced a serious fall in a parking lot in St. Louis or another area of Missouri, our slip and fall lawyers are just one phone call away. Contact us today for a free consultation about your recent personal injury.