Tampa Auto Accidents Lawyer for Injuries Sustained in Parking Lot Accidents

The Tampa Bay area is chock-full of shopping centers, malls, and stores, and each one of these busy retail locations has acres of parking lot space. Statistics show that every time you go through one of these parking lots, you are at risk of being injured. Did you know that 20 percent of all auto accidents occur in parking lots? That's right, one in five auto accidents takes place in a parking lot, involving everything from small dings to fatal injuries. Even though one might presume that slow speeds in parking lots would lessen the chance for accidents and injuries, often the opposite is true. Parking lots are busy places with numerous pedestrians, limited visibility, and distracted drivers. This, it turns out, is a recipe for accidents waiting to happen.

To minimize your risk of parking lot accidents, Tampa auto accidents lawyer Dale Appell, P.A. offers the following tips to avoid parking lot accidents:

• Put on your seatbelt, even in parking lots
• Turn your headlights on, day and night
• Don't fumble with cell phones, sunglasses, your radio, etc. while you are driving in a parking lot
• For maximum visibility, use more than your mirrors—turn around to look behind your car before you back out
• Park away from congested, busy areas—the farther away, empty spots will give you more visibility, space, and distance from hurried drivers
• Obey all stop signs and crosswalk rules
• Drive slowly
• Try to avoid driving distractions in parking lots—pay attention and watch for other cars, pedestrians, and other hazards
• Make sure you have plenty of visibility—do not block your windows with bags and merchandise
• Try to avoid spaces next to large vehicles

Pedestrians should use caution in parking lots, too, since they are exposed to even more risk than cars. If you are walking through a parking lot, watch for signs that cars might be pulling out of parking spaces (i.e. reverse lights, car doors closing, people inside cars, etc.) Hold children's hands and don't distract yourself with cell phones, keys, or other things that will take your attention away from being alert in a parking lot. Also remember that large vehicles and nighttime darkness limit everyone's visibility in parking lots, including drivers' views of pedestrians.

If you have sustained parking lot accident injuries in Tampa, Clearwater, St Petersburg, or anywhere else in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa auto accidents lawyer Dale Appell may be able to help you recover your losses from medical bills, lost wages, and more. Please call or e-mail our law firm for more information.