Poorly lit parking lots pose a significant safety risk, especially at night. When the lights go out, danger looms. Accidents, kidnappings, robberies and murders are all fair game when the owner of a parking lot decides to leave their premises in a poorly maintained condition.
Criminals prefer to engage in their felonious behavior when others cannot see them doing malfeasance. The chance of a person becoming the victim of a robbery dramatically increases when it’s dark outside. Indoor parking garages become particularly dangerous in these instances. A person’s screams for help are less likely to be heard in a poorly lit basement of an underground parking garage.
Dimly lit parking lots are like magnets for criminal behavior. Crime statistics show that more than 10% of all crimes occur in parking lots, including auto burglaries. Luxury vehicles are notoriously susceptible to burglarized or stolen when criminals have an opportunity to engage in illicit activities with no lights, cameras or security guards to see them in action. Kidnapping is another danger you may potentially face when using a less-than-ideal lit parking facility.
If those issues are not bad enough, the opportunity to become injured increases substantially when you can’t see the hazards that lie in front of you. Car accidents are more apt to occur in parking lots and garages with poor lightning and inferior design due to sharp turns with a lot of shadows and blind spots.
It’s every Florida property owner’s responsibility to make sure that their premises are reasonably safe. If you’ve been the victim of a robbery, theft, kidnapping, injury or car accident due to a poorly lit parking lot, then you may be able to hold the property owner accountable for any injuries that you suffer. You may also be entitled to additional monetary damages. An experienced premises liability attorney can advocate for you to receive the type of settlement you deserve in your Tampa case.