Unsafe Parking Lot Design Contributes to Fatal Storefront Car Crash

Case Overview

This case involves a motor vehicle that drove through a storefront at a high rate of speed, fatally wounding a shopper at a large retail outlet. At the time of the incident in question, the decedent had just entered the store when she was struck from behind by the Defendant’s vehicle. According to the Defendant, he lost control of his vehicle while driving in the parking lot, causing him to drive into the unprotected glass storefront at a very high rate of speed. It is alleged that the parking lot was negligently designed, and that the storefront should have been protected with bollards or other safety devices to prevent vehicles from entering the store.

Questions to the Civil Engineering expert and their responses

Please briefly describe your familiarity with the subject matter discussed above.

I am extremely familiar with the subject matter. Statistically speaking this happens about 60 times a day, and these incidents are completely predictable, probable, and preventable. I have been published and lectured on the topic of bollard type barriers and how crucial they are for public safety.

Are specific barriers (bollards or any other safety guards) industry standard in parking lots / sidewalks in areas of high pedestrian traffic in order to prevent accidents like this from occurring?

Barriers such as bollards or safety guards are the emerging industry standard in parking lots / sidewalks in areas of high pedestrian traffic in order to prevent accidents like this from occurring. Large retailers have adopted this standard, and there are a number of parking paving/design companies who also have made this a mandatory addition to their work if a barrier is not already present.

About the expert

This expert is a specialist in vehicle incursion accidents. He has led studies on how frequently they occur, their common causes, and the most frequent design or construction failures which lead to them. Within the last decade, he has worked closely with people in government, industry, academia, and the military to understand the depth of the problem and the day-to-day cost in damages, lost productivity, medical costs, workmen's compensation claims, etc. He is currently helping design, test, and manufacture bollards, barriers, and pedestrian safety systems which are now protecting people and property on several continents.

E-055442

Specialties:

Civil Engineering