Parking Lot Injury Lawyer

Parking lots at big box stores — businesses in enormous, boxy structures stores — frequently have appallingly poor security measures in their parking lots to safeguard their clients from violent attacks. Victims of robbery, sexual assault, kidnapping, rape, and other crimes committed on their property have the legal right to seek financial restitution through a civil action against irresponsible shop owners and operators. Parking lot crime has increased in the previous ten years and will continue to pose a threat to customers’ safety. Some large department shops and bargain outlets have thousands of parking spaces and garages. With only one security guard, if any, this becomes a significant difficulty to appropriately monitor and control. Criminal activity is at an all-time high when the parking lot is awash with shoppers. 

Crime in Parking Lots at Big Box Stores

Among security problems at big box stores are:

• Inadequate or non-existent security cameras to capture criminal activity
• Poorly trained and inexperienced employees for warding off or dealing with criminal activity
• Poor lighting of parking lots to discourage criminal activity at night
• No visible security guards were hired to protect customers
• Insufficient security guards hired to protect customers
• No security experts to monitor, analyze and report on trends in criminal activity or gang presences
• No warnings to customers or crime problems on the premises

These and other security issues afflict many huge “big box” businesses across the country, enabling, if not encouraging, robberies, assaults, rapes, kidnappings, and murder on their premises. Indeed, surveys and studies have identified surges in violent crimes in parking lots and elsewhere on the grounds of such massive, big-box businesses, and security experts identify several gaps in basic security systems as contributing factors to such crimes. While more than 75 percent of crimes at these massive discount retailers or big box stores occur outdoors, a significant portion happens within the business. These crimes can take place in locker rooms, bathrooms, and even stores.

Stores Often Targeted by Criminals

Among chains of big box stores targeted by criminals are:

• Walmart and Walmart Supercenter stores, from America’s largest retailer. These discount general merchandise and grocery stores have been described by a judge in a violent crime case as “magnets” for crime, particularly on their large parking lots, though crimes also can occur within the stores
• Target, Walmart’s chief competitor as a discount store selling groceries and general merchandise
• Costco, which merged with Price Club and sells groceries and general merchandise
• Kmart, owned by Sears Holdings Corporation, which sells groceries and general merchandise
• Office Depot merged with Office Max, which sells office supplies
• Staples Inc., which sells office supplies
• PetSmart, which sells pet supplies
• Toys “R” Us, which sells toys and is targeted for preying upon mothers and small children
• Sam’s Club, which is a membership store that sells groceries and general merchandise in discounted bulk

Victims of violent crime who were victims of poor or non-existent security at these or other large box retailers have a legal right to seek financial compensation – and justice — through a civil damage lawsuit containing premises liability claims.

What exactly is Premises Liability? A property owner must ensure the safety of visitors to that facility.

When there are obvious security issues and a property owner does nothing or does too little to remedy them, the property owner can be judged negligent and legally accountable for injuries or fatalities caused by accidents or violent crimes committed against visitors, customers, or workers on that property. Victims and their families then have a legal entitlement to compensation.

• Medical and hospital expenses after an injury in a violent crime
• Lost present to future wages or salary due to work time missed because of a violent assault on a store’s property
• Pain, suffering, and mental anguish experienced as a result of a violent crime caused by lack of adequate security measures on a store’s property

Parking Lot Crime Injury Lawyer

If you or a member of your family has been the victim of a violent crime, rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, or even the murder of a family member on a store’s property, parking lot, or any other section of the department store’s property, call The Willis Law Firm to preserve your legal rights. We can put an experienced personal injury attorney with over 30 years of expertise on your side. Employ a lawyer who is familiar with security specialists’ investigations and assessments of carelessness on the property of several establishments.