Damage from bent sign post | Fault?

(Washington DC)

I was at a parking lot and took a right turn to leave, swerving around a sign post.

However, the sign post, which had already been hit by another car at some previous time, was seriously bent, so the top part I could see was almost two feet further back from the base of the post.

So when I took the turn, thinking the base was further to the back, under the part that was visible from the car, I ended up too close to the base of the signpost, which meant it carved into the side of the car.

Maybe this will be clearer from the photo.

I am really annoyed at myself, as I have a perfect driving record in almost 30 years. Nonetheless, is the owner of the parking lot not obligated to keep the signs in good order and restore hit items that obstruct the way for other cars?

Thank you. This by the way is a great resource.

Answer:


Hello,

We can understand how frustrating this must be. The parking lot owner does have a duty to keep the parking lot safe. There may be negligence on the parking lot owner.

However, parking lots are places where drivers must ensure even extra care. There are cars, people, shopping cars, and sometimes even children. This places a heavy duty to you to ensure nothing can hit you. The post was there to be seen (at least, that’s what they will argue).

You may have some liability on this, but you can make the argument that the lot owner must pay at least part of your damages.


Good Luck
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