While most people worry about getting hit by cars in parking garages, there’s also the risk of slip and fall accidents. Uneven pavement, dim lighting, and unsafe stairwells make parking garages dangerous. If you are hurt, you need to know who you can sue, when you can sue them, and how much you can get from a lawsuit.
Parking garages are liable for slip and falls from hazards. If attendants park cars and hit customers, their employers may also be liable. We’ll have three years to file your lawsuit. As we prepare the case, we may collect photos, videos, and eyewitness statements. How much compensation you get depends on your damages, so we’ll calculate your losses carefully and gather proof of them.
Call The Carrion Law Firm for a free case assessment from our NYC personal injury lawyers at (718) 841-0083.
When Can You Sue a Parking Garage for Injury in NYC?
When walking through a parking garage, you might slip, trip, or fall over hazards. Loose floor mats, cracked pavement, slippery stairs, and poor lighting are common parking garage hazards that cause slip and falls.
Since parking garage owners have a duty to maintain safe and hazard-free areas, they are liable for slips and falls in lots, stairwells, elevators, and other accessible areas.
Garage attendants who park cars might make sharp turns around corners, striking pedestrians. The parking garage is liable for its workers’ actions, too, so you may also file a lawsuit for those accidents.
If you’re hit by a car, we’ll see if your injuries pass New York’s serious injury threshold, letting you sue. Otherwise, you’ll have to use your personal injury protection insurance for compensation since New York is a no-fault state.
How Long Do You Have to Sue a Parking Garage for Injury in NYC?
New York’s statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is only three years, and the clock starts to count down on the date of injury.
Slip and falls or car accidents in parking garages leave victims with broken bones, lacerations, and other injuries that need urgent medical attention. You might get distracted with your physical recovery, so let our lawyers focus on your financial one and initiate your case immediately.
Our Brooklyn personal injury lawyers will aim to file sooner than the three-year deadline so you also get compensation faster. Victims should not rush their claims, however, as they might not be prepared to go to court and prove fault.
What Evidence Do You Need When Suing a Parking Garage for Injury in NYC?
Our lawyers can preserve evidence after falls or other accidents in parking garages. If you wait too long to contact us, some evidence might get lost.
Photos
Before you leave the parking garage, take photos. Photograph the hazard that made you slip, trip, or fall. If a parking garage attendant or another driver struck you while driving, photograph their car and any debris.
You can also take pictures of your injuries to prove you were hurt at the scene.
Videos
Most parking garages have security camera systems. After taking on your case, we can contact the owner and demand they preserve any footage from the accident. Video footage is some of the strongest evidence, as it may show exactly how and why a victim was injured.
Eyewitness Statements
If anyone else was present during the accident, tell our lawyers. We can interview them immediately and record their statements. Eyewitnesses can testify when lawsuits go to trial, corroborating the victim’s version of events.
How Much Compensation Can You Get When You Sue a Parking Garage for Injury in NYC?
We won’t exclude any damages from our compensation calculations, making sure we seek relief for all losses you incur.
Economic Damages
Economic damages compensate victims for concrete expenses, like medical bills. Lost wages are also included, and we can calculate them using tax returns and paychecks. New York also lets victims recover other economic damages, like transportation accommodations, mobility aids, in-house medical assistance, and childcare costs.
Economic damages aren’t capped, so victims can recover whatever they incur. Since we need proof of these damages, we will keep all relevant bills, invoices, and receipts as evidence.
Non-Economic Damages
Injury lawsuits against parking garages may also yield non-economic damages. Tell us about the physical pain and discomfort of your injuries and your reduced quality of life overall. When injuries are particularly bad, long-lasting, or hard to recover from, victims may get more non-economic damages. We can have victims testify about their experiences in court and have mental health experts who have evaluated victims do the same.
New York doesn’t restrict how much compensation for non-economic damages injury victims can get. Settlements sometimes leave these damages out, so we will review them carefully before advising you to accept. When settlements don’t give enough for a victim’s pain and suffering, a jury award may.
How Long Do Injury Lawsuits Against Parking Garages Take in NYC?
Personal injury lawsuits may take a few weeks or many months. If settlement talks take too long, we can go to court rather than continue negotiating.
We can arrange evidence into compelling arguments so settlement talks go faster. When defendants realize their chances of success at trial are very low, they may give better offers sooner.
Even if you need compensation fast, don’t jump at the first offer. It will likely be low, leaving out pain and suffering damages.
There’s no guaranteed way to know how long your case will take. If it’s taking too long for your liking, we can go to trial. Once the trial begins, you might keep getting settlement offers, which we can keep entertaining.
Call Us About Your Parking Garage Accident in NYC
Call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083 for help with your case from our Harlem, NY personal injury lawyers.