Accident in Toy Store Parking Lot Injures Man

Case Overview

This case involves an accident, which severely injured a pedestrian. The driver, a forty-three-year-old male, was searching for parking in a toy store’s parking lot. The driver began pulling into a spot but struck the plaintiff. Unaware that the plaintiff was under his vehicle, the driver drove for eight feet with the plaintiff being dragged under his vehicle. The plaintiff sustained several lacerations, a broken arm, and several bruises on his legs. The parking lot had no speed limit signs, crosswalks, or speed bumps, but did have overhead lighting.

Questions to the Premises Liability expert and their responses

In failing to post speed restrictions, provide pedestrian crossing, or speed bumps, was the toy store negligent in the design and maintenance of the parking lot?

In large, commercial parking lots, it is important to provide information and regulations to ensure that pedestrians can safely get from their vehicles to the store. Furthermore, when considering that it is a large toy store, safety procedures are even more important because of the likely presence of small children. With no safety measures in place beyond the overhead lights, it seems like the store was negligent in its parking lot design. I have worked as a parking lot expert witness on multiple cases, and I am an engineering professor at a local university.

About the expert

This expert earned his BA in Architecture from the University of Florida and his BA in Criminal Justice from the University of South Florida. After, he completed an MS in Architecture at the University of Illinois, followed by a PhD in Criminology at Florida State University. He went on to work in the criminology field as a security consultant for several companies including PB1 Hotels LLC, Pinnacle Housing Group, and the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at several universities including the University of Miami, Florida International University, and the National Crime Prevention Institute. Previously, he was an Adjunct Professor of Social Inquiry at Florida Atlantic University. Currently, he serves as the President of a security company in Florida, where he provides consultation in fields including crime prevention, security negligence, and risk threat vulnerability assessments. He is also a visiting instructor at a Texas University where he teaches Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).