ResultsCar Crashes Into Store Injuring Several

Attorney, George Patterson has handled claims on behalf of customers who were injured when a car crashed into a store. One incident occurred in Gaithersburg, Maryland in Montgomery County. The car accident occurred when a driver pulled into a parking space in front of a store in a strip mall and accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. The car jumped a short sidewalk and crashed into the building. The car did not come to a stop until it was entirely inside the store. The car crashed into the business, drove through a waiting area and injured several customers and employees of the store. Lawyer, George Patterson represented several occupants of the store that were unexpectedly hit by the car and sent into other customers. Cases where a driver mistakenly hits the accelerator instead of the brake often result in multiple people sustaining severe injuries. In such cases it is important to have an experienced car accident, premises liability and personal injury lawyer to pursue all available avenues of recovery. George Patterson successfully resolved the case without having to file suit. George Patterson also represented a customer of a business that was on a busy roadway. A car crash occurred in the roadway sending one of the cars into the business, injuring the customer. Mr. Patterson successfully pursued this case in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County and obtained a favorable verdict for the customer.

A car crashing into a store may seem like a freak accident. That is not the case, engineers and architects design stores with common safety features to prevent these tragedies. Many older buildings were not originally designed with protections. These stores often had customer parking that was directly in front of a store. Some store fronts had limited structural strength by the entrance. A store should not be designed with a sheet of glass and a door separating customers and employees from vehicle traffic. Engineers and architects seek to avoid parking spaces directly in front of a building entrance facing the store. Engineers will also utilize bollards and large planters that guard the entrances to stores from an out of control car. This is particularly important for stores with large glass entrances with multiple sets of doors. The entrances are unable to stop a vehicle and should be protected by concrete bollards or other similar obstructions. The design of the parking lot should also be examined. Is the parking lot designed such that a travel lane is perpendicular with the entrance to a store? Such a design could magnify the damage caused by a driver sustaining a sudden medical emergency while driving or the consequences of a simple rear-end car accident propelling one car into a crowd of people entering a store.