Judge Returns Verdict in Favor of Grocery Store in Single-Car Parking Lot Accident Case
Kyle Lewis successfully tried and defended an area grocery store sued by a plaintiff who damaged his car when he drove it off the end of the store’s parking lot. The Plaintiff drove over a curb and his car became wedged between the Defendant’s parking lot and an adjacent lot that was two feet lower in elevation. The car’s frame was bent as a result of the accident. At trial, the Plaintiff argued that the area of the parking lot at issue was unsafe because it appeared to be a through street that wrapped around the back of the store. The Defendant argued that the parking lot was reasonably safe—there was an open and obvious curb that was clearly the boundary of the lot, and the Plaintiff had to cross multiple marked parking spaces perpendicular to his direction of travel that indicated he was driving the wrong way. Following trial testimony, the presiding Judge returned a verdict in favor of the Defendant.