If you fell in a shopping center parking lot in Audubon, New Jersey, the company that owns or manages that lot may owe you money. New Jersey law requires a business to keep the pavement its customers walk on reasonably safe. When a pothole or a hidden wheel stop causes a slip and fall accident, that shopper can seek money for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Audubon slip and fall accident lawyers handle claims for shoppers hurt on private retail pavement. Two large shopping centers sit along the Black Horse Pike at the edge of the borough. This discussion covers how those lots break down and who answers for it.
Audubon’s Shopping Center Lots Are Two Decades Old
Audubon covers just 1.50 square miles. Almost all of its big stores sit at one edge of the borough, along the Black Horse Pike.
Audubon Crossings opened there in 2005, on the site of an older center torn down the year before. Audubon Commons is located beside it, anchored by a grocery store. Park at the far end of either lot on a Saturday, and the walk in crosses a wide field of asphalt. That asphalt is now about 20 years old.
Why Does Summer Heat Damage the Pavement in Audubon Parking Lots?
Heat softens asphalt, and soft asphalt gives way under weight. That is why these lots take their worst surface damage in the hottest weeks of the year.
A parked vehicle rests its full weight on one small patch for hours. Delivery trucks turn through the same lanes every day. The surface ruts and rolls where those loads sit, and cracks open along the edges of each rut. Rain then works into the cracks, and a pothole follows.
Falls put a lot of South Jersey residents in emergency rooms. New Jersey Department of Health figures count 10,495 Camden County residents of all ages treated and released for a fall in 2024. A shopper stepping out of a car does not expect the ground to drop an inch.
What Makes Wheel Stops Easy to Trip Over in Audubon?
A wheel stop is the low concrete block at the head of a parking space, and it sits right where people walk. When its paint wears off, it disappears against gray asphalt.
Faded striping makes that worse across both centers. Worn lines blur the edges of each space, so shoppers cut across at angles they did not plan. Those paths run over wheel stops instead of around them.
Age adds a second problem. Concrete blocks crack, shift out of line, and settle into softened asphalt. A stop half buried in degraded pavement is harder still to pick out. Most people carrying bags to a car never look down.
Why Are Cart Corrals a Fall Risk at Audubon Retail Centers?
Cart corrals gather wear, clutter, and foot traffic into one small piece of a lot. Both centers here run on shopping carts, so those spots take punishment all day.
A Walmart anchors the larger center. An ACME grocery store anchors the one next door. Carts get shoved into the same rails hundreds of times a day. Wheels grind that strip of pavement until it ruts and crumbles.
Loose carts drift out of a full corral and roll into walking lanes. Bags, cups, and broken plastic collect around the rails. A shopper returning a cart is pushing forward, not watching the ground.
Does Poor Lighting Cause Falls in Large Audubon Parking Lots?
Yes, and the risk is worst at the far edges. Light is strongest in the rows closest to the buildings, while the spaces farthest out sit in shadow.
A lot with more than 1,700 spaces cannot be lit evenly by a row of poles. When bulbs burn out, weeks can pass before anyone replaces them. Cart corrals and lot edges are where that coverage runs thinnest.
In a dark row, a rut or a leaning wheel stop reads as flat ground. Evening shopping puts people in those outer rows after sunset. The hazard does not change after dark, but a shopper’s ability to see it does.
Who Must Keep an Audubon Shopping Center Lot Safe?
The company that owns or manages the lot usually carries that duty. Both Audubon centers are private property, not government property, so the claim runs against a business.
New Jersey follows premises liability, the rule that a property owner must keep its property reasonably safe. A paying shopper is what the law calls a business invitee, meaning a customer invited onto the property to do business. That status carries the strongest protection the law gives a visitor.
Therefore, the owner has to inspect the pavement, fix what is broken, and warn about what is not fixed yet. More than one company can share that job. A property manager, a tenant, or a paving contractor that patched the surface badly can each answer for a defect.
How Can You Pursue a Parking Lot Fall Claim in Audubon?
Proof of a pavement defect disappears fast. A pothole gets patched within days of a fall, and the exact spot that hurt you is gone.
Photograph the defect before you leave, and take a wide shot showing where it sits. Ask for the names of anyone who saw you go down. Report the fall to the store and request a copy of the incident report. Get medical care that same day, because the record ties your injury to the date.
At Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer, our Audubon slip and fall accident lawyers work to lock down that proof. We know these two centers and how their lots are run.
Frequently Asked Questions About Parking Lot Falls in Audubon
- What Insurance Covers a Shopper Hurt in an Audubon Parking Lot?
A fall personal injury claim usually runs against business liability insurance carried by the center’s owner and by the company that manages the property. Depending on where in the lot you fell, a tenant business’s policy or a paving contractor’s policy can also be part of the claim. More than one policy behind a single fall is normal at a center this size.
- What Money Can You Recover After a Fall at an Audubon Shopping Center?
A claim can cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A hard landing on asphalt often means surgery, months of therapy, and time away from work. The value tracks how badly you were hurt and how long recovery runs.
- How Long Does an Audubon Shopping Center Fall Case Take?
Much of it depends on your treatment, because no one can value the case until doctors know your outcome. A claim with a clear defect and a short recovery can resolve in months. One that the insurance company fights, or one with a lasting injury, takes longer.
If You Fell and Got Hurt, Talk to Our Audubon Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers at Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer
Hurt in a fall at an Audubon shopping center parking lot? Rand Spear – The Accident Lawyer can review what happened and explain where you stand. Our Audubon slip and fall accident lawyers hold negligent property owners accountable for pavement they let fall apart. Call 215-985-0138 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Located in Philadelphia, as well as Cherry Hill and Marlton, NJ, we assist clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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