Concerns about the coronavirus have caused many grocery store items to be much scarcer than they normally are. Items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and bleach are flying off shelves minutes after being stocked. Store parking lots across the country are packed with hurried customers stocking up on supplies, so the risk of parking lot car accidents is especially troubling. If you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident in a parking lot, you may wonder who is legally responsible for the accident.

Liability in Parking Lot Car Accidents

Some people assume that parking lots are basically free-for-all zones which are outside the bounds of traffic laws. However, parking lots do have right-of-way rules that drivers are expected to follow. When drivers disregard these rules, serious vehicle or pedestrian collisions can occur. The two main types of parking lot lanes are feeder lanes and thoroughfare lanes. Feeder lanes are the smaller lanes between rows of parking spaces and thoroughfares are the wider lanes that typically exit to the main street. Drivers in thoroughfares usually have the right-of-way. However, regardless of the type of lane, all drivers must yield to approaching vehicles and pedestrians. Anyone entering or exiting a parking space is expected to yield to pedestrian and vehicle traffic around them and only move the vehicle if the coast is clear. If a driver causes an accident because he or she disregarded right-of-way rules, it is likely that this driver will be liable for the damages caused in the accident.

Common Issues That Lead to Parking Lot Accidents

Distracted driving is a major problem in parking lots. Children in the backseat, cell phones, GPS systems, the radio, or other distractions take a driver’s attention away from the road and can cause him or her to make dangerous mistakes. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and inexperienced drivers are also responsible for a large percentage of parking lot accidents. Most of the time, if a driver strikes another vehicle that is legally parked, the driver of the moving vehicle is at fault. If both cars were moving at the time of the accident, fault may lie with one or both drivers depending on the circumstances of the accident. It is important to note that in Illinois, a person who is injured or suffers property damage in a car accident may still be eligible for limited compensation even if he or she was partially at fault for the accident.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over a third of U.S. adults are sleep-deprived on a regular basis. Experts suggest that adults get at least seven hours of sleep each night, but many of us are getting far less than that. Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on concentration, reaction time, and coordination. Driving while sleep-deprived dramatically increases a person’s chances of being involved in an auto accident. According to research from AAA, missing just one or two hours of sleep doubles a driver’s chances of being involved in a car crash.

Drowsy Driving Thought to Be a Factor in 20 Percent of Fatal Car Accidents

When a driver is too tired to drive safely, he or she does not only put his or her own life at risk, he or she also endangers the lives of other motorists, passengers, and pedestrians. Sleep-deprived truck drivers are especially worrisome. Although federal law mandates that truck drivers get a certain amount of sleep and take regular rest breaks on the road, many drivers do not adhere to these standards. Drivers may be expected to meet tight deadlines and may therefore skip sleep in order to meet these deadlines. Some truck drivers and trucking companies even falsify log books in order to conceal the fact that truck drivers drive while dangerously sleep-deprived.

Lawsuits Involving Sleep-Deprived Drivers

If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident involving a driver who fell asleep at the wheel or was too sleepy to drive safely, you may be considering bringing a personal injury claim against the negligent party. Proving that a driver was too sleepy to drive safely can be difficult, but a personal injury lawyer can help. A lawyer can examine evidence, collaborate with experts such as accident reconstructionists, interview witnesses, and take other steps to gather support for your claim. Though a personal injury lawsuit you may be entitled to compensation for the damages you experienced as a result of the accident including compensation for medical bills, lost income, future medical costs, reduced employability, pain and suffering, and more.

Across the globe, people are taking precautions in order to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Whether it is frequent handwashing, using hand sanitizer, wiping surfaces with disinfectant, or avoiding large gatherings, everyone can take steps to help minimize the damage caused by the virus. You may wonder whether or not a person or entity can be sued for failure to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. If someone spreads the coronavirus to another and then that person passes away, do the surviving loved ones have a valid wrongful death claim? Whether or not a party can be sued for spreading the virus is a complex topic that will vary dramatically depending on the circumstances.

Businesses Who Do Not Take Appropriate Precautions Can Be Held Liable

There are a few different ways that a business or company could be held liable for a coronavirus death. Consider the following examples:

• A store owner may be considered negligent if he or she did not take steps to maintain a clean facility and therefore reduce customers’ exposure to coronavirus.
• A restaurant owner who encourages an employee to come to work despite the employee exhibiting signs of coronavirus infection could be held liable if the employee passes the infection to customers.
• A nursing home refuses to implement screening procedures among staff with resident contact and a resident passes away after contracting the coronavirus from a staff member.

It can be extremely difficult to determine exactly where and how a person contracted a viral infection. If you have reason to believe that your loved one passed away from the coronavirus due to the negligent actions of a business, contact a lawyer to learn about your legal options.

A serious fall accident can happen to anyone. Something as simple as an unsecured rug, spilled liquid, broken step, unstable handrail, or loose floorboard can cause an individual to fall and be seriously hurt. Fall accidents can cause injuries that require extensive hospitalization, surgery, and long-term physical therapy. A person who suffers a fall can also be left unable to work or enjoy life as he or she could before the accident. When a party’s negligence causes an individual to experience a fall accident, the party may be liable for the injured person’s damages. If you ever suffer a serious fall, there are three steps you should take.

Step 1: Go to the Emergency Room or Visit Your Doctor As Soon As Possible

Elderly individuals and those with disabilities are at an increased risk of being hurt in a serious fall.  However, even if you are a relatively healthy person, a slip and fall accident can cause you significant physical harm that results in long-lasting consequences. Traumatic brain injuries and spine injuries caused by a fall are especially concerning. The symptoms of traumatic brain injury are often subtle and the injured person may not immediately realize how hurt he or she actually is.

If you fall and hit your head or suffer any other bodily injury, get checked out by a medical professional as soon as possible. Not only will getting medical treatment help prevent your injuries from worsening, it may also protect your ability to collect compensation in the future. Medical records detailing your injuries are almost always needed for a successful personal injury lawsuit.

When most people think of personal injury claims involving car accidents, they typically assume that the driver of one vehicle is bringing a claim against the driver of another vehicle. However, this is not the only type of situation in which a person may be seriously injured in an auto accident. Passenger injuries can be just as catastrophic, if not worse, than driver injuries. If you have been hurt in a car accident and someone else was driving, read on to learn about how you may be able to recover compensation.

Determining Fault in a Passenger Injury Claim

The person at-fault for a car accident involving passenger injuries may be another motorist or it may be the driver of the vehicle that the passenger was riding in. In many car accident cases, the fault lies with more than one party. Often, passengers injured in a car accident feel uncomfortable bringing an injury claim against the driver of the vehicle that they were in because they have a personal relationship with that person. If this is your situation, it is crucial to remember that a personal injury claim is not an attack against the at-fault driver. If you choose to file a claim, you will most likely be bringing the claim against the insurance company, not the individual. You deserve to be compensated for your injuries even if the liable party is your friend, relative, or colleague.

Recovering Compensation for Damages

In order to bring a successful injury lawsuit, you and your attorney will need to prove two main elements: liability and damages. A driver who was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving recklessly, using a cell phone while driving, or otherwise acted negligently will most likely be considered liable for the accident. Damages refer to the economic and noneconomic losses you suffered from the accident. Emergency room bills, expenses related to ongoing medical treatment such as physical therapy, prescription medication costs, and other medical expenses are some of the most common damages awarded in car accident injury lawsuits. Many claimants also pursue compensation for lost income due to missed work. If you had personal property in the vehicle that was damaged or ruined in the accident, you may be eligible for compensation for these items as well. In many cases, a claimant is also awarded compensation for his or her physical pain and mental suffering.