Criminal assaults in parking lots are surprisingly common. Many people get into fights over parking spaces, near miss collisions, or aggressive tailgating. Even worse, some criminals hang out in parking lots, especially at night, before jumping unsuspecting customers.
In October, a woman was beaten in a Walmart parking lot over a parking spot dispute. This is only one of many assaults that happen in business parking lots. The woman had been waiting several minutes for a man to back out of a spot and expected to slide in once he vacated it. However, a different woman cut her off and took the spot instead. When the victim confronted the woman, a bottle was thrown at her car and she was physically attacked.
As seasoned Miami premises liability attorneys, we have assisted many shoppers when they are attacked in parking lots. To determine whether you have a claim, please contact Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein today.
Holding a Business Liable for the Attack
If you were assaulted in a parking lot, you can always sue the attacker, provided the police catch him or her. However, suing an attacker is sometimes unrealistic, because many people have no assets to pay any court judgment you win. This is called being “judgment proof,” and it is a real problem.
Nevertheless, the parking lot owner might be to blame in some situations. All property owners owe visitors a duty to keep the premises reasonably safe, and this includes protecting people from physical assaults that are foreseeable. Businesses must carry liability insurance that will pay compensation due to attacks, so this is another benefit.
The amount of security necessary will depend on several facts. For example, there might be a history of crime in the area, in which case the parking lot owner should have adequate lighting so that criminals do not loiter. The owner might also need to install security cameras and have security patrol the parking lot. In other situations, a lot owner might need to install fencing or other barriers to keep people out. When complaints are made about people loitering, an owner should call the cops.
Can You Sue for Your Parking Lot Assault?
Before deciding that you don’t have a case, contact a member of our team for a free case evaluation. We can analyze the events leading up to the assault and visit the parking lot to see what security measures are in place.
Businesses are not anxious to admit liability for attacks, but our premises liability attorneys can make a compelling case to their insurer that your claim is legitimate. For more information, call our firm today at 305-371-2692.