The City of Los Angeles has more than 27 square miles of parking lot space. People walking through them are typically watching for cars and rushing to or from their destinations. It is no surprise that so many California slip and fall accidents happen here.
If you fall as a result of broken pavement or accumulated debris, the lot’s owner or manager might be liable. Individuals should always confer with a Los Angeles slip and fall lawyer as soon as is possible to determine who is responsible, and how you can pursue a claim to recover the largest available damages award.
Who Is Responsible for Keeping a Parking Lot Safe and Hazard-Free?
These types of accidents are a subset of premises liability law. Generally, the owner or manager of the property is liable for any losses and injuries, but ownership and management of parking lots are often spread out among multiple parties.
The lot can be owned by one party, and another can control its parking operations. Individual retail establishments might bear some responsibility for parking lot safety in the areas or walkways that are immediately outside of their stores. Apartment building managers are obligated to keep their parking areas danger-free, but one parking lot might serve several buildings that have different ownership.
Parking lot slip and fall accidents that happen in municipal parking lots pose unique requirements for filing lawsuits against cities, counties, or the State of California. At Salamati Law, we are best able to identify the liable parties when you suffer injuries in an accident.
When Will a Parking Lot Owner Be Liable for Slip and Fall Injuries?
You are expected to exercise a minimum amount of care and to watch for obvious hazards when you are walking through a parking lot. Regardless, you might still slip and fall even if you are careful, particularly if the lot has:
- potholes, broken or uneven surfaces, or debris that the owner or manager knew about but failed to repair or to rope off.
- accumulations of oil or other liquids that create slippery and unsafe surfaces.
- inadequate lighting or broken light fixtures that make it difficult to see slip and fall hazards.
- poor layouts, blind spots, or lane configurations that force you to walk on dangerous or crooked pathways.
- steep slopes or broken stairways that you are forced to use to enter or exit the lot.
If possible, take pictures of the conditions that caused your injuries, and make notes of the conditions. You can improve your opportunity to recover compensation for your injuries if you can show all of the facts and details.
How Can You File a Parking Lot Slip and Fall Claim Against the City or County?
The Los Angeles city government operates more than 100 parking facilities with more than 11,000 parking spaces around the city. Unlike lawsuits against private parties, a parking lot slip and fall claim against the city or any other California public agency will be controlled by the California Tort Claims Act. That Act requires an injured party to provide the city with a notice of a claim within six months. Failure to follow the Act’s procedures will prevent individuals from recovering any damages for their injuries and losses.
If you are injured in a slip and fall accident in a parking lot that is owned or managed by any public entity in California, make sure that you confer with a personal injury lawyer as soon as is possible.
Contact us today for a free consultation
Hard surfaces and a high level of activity frequently combine to cause serious parking lot slip and fall injuries. For more than twenty years, we have helped Southern California victims to recover the largest possible damages awards. See our website or call us directly for a complimentary consultation with a slip and fall lawyer in Los Angeles.
