Car accidents that occur in parking lots are different from any other type of crash for one major reason: most parking lots in Charlottesville are on private property, and typically, police departments do not write tickets on private property. Tickets are written for violation of state or local rules for driving while on public roads. These laws typically do not apply to parking lots because they are private property.
The rules that Virginia has for driving do not necessarily allow the police department to give someone a ticket for their driving on private property. However, if a driver on the parking lot causes an injury, and they are not following the typical rules of the road, a jury may find that they are negligent in that they are not using ordinary care. If you or a loved one was injured in a Charlottesville parking lot accident, it is essential that you get in touch with a lawyer right away. You may be eligible to receive financial compensation.
The rules of safe driving in a parking lot are based on reasonable care or what a prudent person would do under such circumstances. It is important for drivers in parking lots to understand they must drive at much lower speeds as much lower speeds are going to be considered reasonable. In lots, there are often cars backing out that have much less visibility, adult pedestrians, and there are also possibly children that might be missed. All of these factors
The response to a parking lot accident will be different from one on the public road because most parking lots are private. This means is that most cases, police departments will not respond to a crash on private property. They may respond if there is an injured party there, and they will help the injured person get medical attention, get to the emergency room or call the rescue squad, but they are much less likely to issue any kind of moving violations or tickets against the driver that caused the injury.
On private property, and the rules of driving that the state of Virginia sets apply in Charlottesville do not really apply for the purposes of issuing traffic tickets. However, even if the police cannot enforce this with criminal law, the general rules of the road still apply in the civil side. If someone is driving on the wrong side of the road in a parking lot, they will likely be found negligent and potentially liable for any ensuing damages.
From a practical standpoint, insurance companies treat parking lot cases in Charlottesville a little bit differently. They may be much quicker to deny responsibility by either claiming that their driver was not negligent. In cases where there is no specific police enforced criminal duty to behave a certain way, the insurance companies will do everything they can to avoid their policy holder’s liability.
However, just because the company denies the claim does not mean that it cannot be pursued, but it is more likely that a lawsuit is then necessary to make a recovery for the injured party. Even though the injuries in a Charlottesville parking lot crash may not be as severe as a highway accident, injuries may still cause permanent harm and lead to financial damages.
Contributory negligence can make a difference in parking lot cases because if the person that caused the accident is able to show the injured party was not using reasonable care, they might not have as much responsibility for the damages. If an injured person was talking on their cell phone while walking through the parking lot, a jury might decide that they were not paying attention, they may be found negligent, potentially reducing a driver’s degree of fault.
If you or a loved one got into a car accident while in a parking lot and it was another driver’s fault, you may be eligible to receive financial compensation. To learn about your options for recovery, contact a lawyer today and ask for more information on Charlottesville parking lot accidents. Schedule a consultation right away.
