Improperly Maintained Parking Lot Conditions Open Up Businesses to Personal Injury Liabilities

VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2017, an estimated 6000 pedestrians were killed in the U.S., with as many as 500 deaths occurring in parking lots and garages. Injuries not resulting in death number even higher. The parking lot owner or manager may be fully or partially responsible for these injuries and deaths. This is especially true if the accident resulted from improper parking lot maintenance.  Unfortunately, there is no collected data for personal injuries, only fatalities.

Parking lot defects and poor maintenance cause accidents.

If someone suffered injuries in a parking facility resulting from someone else's negligence, the property owner or business can be held liable and ordered to pay monetary compensation for the medical bills, lost wages, or other damages associated with a permanent disability or serious injury.

The owners and managers of parking areas and garages, have a duty to ensure that their property is maintained in a reasonably safe condition for their parking lot customers and visitors. Moreover, owners and managers have a duty to warn customers of dangerous conditions, and if necessary, to take the proper actions to promptly remove or correct these hazardous conditions.

Thousands of non-vehicular pedestrian accidents occur annually. Poor maintenance, sidewalk or parking lot defects can also cause these accidents. Whether injured by a vehicle or a property defect, a pedestrian can demand damages for injuries suffered from negligence. Negligence is the failure to do (or not do) something to protect others from foreseeable risks.

Example for litigation.

Trip hazards are can be very dangerous. At a fast food restaurant, Concrete Parking Stops can effectively stop cars from overrunning their parking spots and encroaching on walkways creating hazards for the disabled. But a failing concrete wheel stop can go from a safety precaution to a dangerous trip hazard. In these photos, it appears the internal support rebars rusted, creating internal pressures that is now causing the concrete to crumble and expose the rebar.

The exposed, rusty ends of the rebar, as well as the rebar spikes used to hold the parking stop in place, are becoming hazards that can tear clothing, scratch skin or catch a foot causing a pedestrian to stumble and fall. This can open up the business and/or property owner to serious legal actions.

These failed concrete parking stops are truly unsightly and are not the image most eateries or businesses seek to have as one of their first and last impressions as a customer arrives in and departs from the parking lot.

Also, removing and disposing of the failed wheel stops is not easy due to weight and often having spikes driven a foot or more into the asphalt to anchor the stops in place. Waste haulers can have restrictions on concrete wheel stops by categorizing the waste as construction debris.

Solution.

When initially installing or replacing wheel stops, consider recycled Rubber Parking Stops. Unlike concrete or plastic stops, which necessitate frequent replacements, rubber wheel stops are sturdier and do not break or need to be replaced. Their flexible rubber design conforms to the contour of uneven surfaces and ideal for parking lots and garages. Some Rubber Parking Stops come with reflective striping that increases visibility in low light conditions and raises pedestrian safety.

Rubber wheel stops last longer, weigh less and can be recycled anywhere tires are accepted. Many Rubber Parking Stops are made in the USA.

Finally, parking lot owners and managers should also ensure that their premises are well lit at all times, in order to help prevent motor vehicle, pedestrian, and slip-and-fall accidents from occurring in the first place.

CONTACT PERSON:
Eli Cronbaugh
Customer Service & Sales
Pacific Cascade Corporation
14208 N.W. 3rd Court • Suite 200
Vancouver, WA 98685
1-800-292-7275 ext. 201
[email protected]'
ParkingZone.com

ABOUT PACIFIC CASCADE CORPORATION
Since 1987, Pacific Cascade Corporation has been providing the Parking, Hospitality, Traffic Enforcement, and Environmental Sustainability Industries with products to manage and support their effective operational needs. parkingzone.com

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