Injury from foot caught in mechanical parking lot... Court rules "Building owner and parking attendant to pay 50% compensation"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A ruling was made that the building owner and the parking attendant must jointly pay half of the damages, including medical expenses, to a victim who injured their knee and thigh after their foot got caught in a gap on the floor of a mechanical parking lot.

According to the Korea Legal Aid Corporation on the 8th, Judge Kim Jinseok of Daegu District Court Civil Small Claims Division 2 recently ruled in a damages lawsuit filed by Mr. A against building owner Mr. B and parking attendant Mr. C of the mechanical parking lot, ordering Mr. B and Mr. C to jointly compensate 4 million KRW for medical expenses and 1 million KRW for consolation money.

Earlier, in October 2020, Ms. A and her daughter visited a hospital inside a large commercial building in Daegu and requested Mr. C to retrieve their car. Afterward, as the daughter headed to the driver's seat, Ms. A walked toward the passenger side. During this process, her foot got caught in a gap on the parking lot floor, causing her to fall. Ms. A injured her knee and thigh muscles and had to undergo hospitalization and outpatient treatment for about 40 days.

Ms. A, who worked three shifts at a small textile company earning about 1.7 million KRW per month, experienced a reduction in her monthly salary to 1.15 million KRW for about two months, and demanded medical expenses from Mr. B's side.

Ms. A claimed, "In mechanical parking lots, passengers other than the driver must wait outside the parking lot," and "Mr. C did not prevent entry." On the other hand, Mr. C countered that "the relevant information was notified, and a notice prohibiting passenger entry is posted on the parking lot wall."

Representing Ms. A in the lawsuit, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation pointed out, "The mechanical parking lot notice is mixed with other postings and is not in a location that is 'easy to check' as stipulated by the Parking Lot Act," and "Although the mechanical parking lot manager is required to receive safety training from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority every three years, this was not observed." Based on this, Ms. A claimed a total of 13 million KRW, including 8 million KRW for medical expenses and lost income, and 5 million KRW for consolation money.

Judge Kim recognized the liability of Mr. B and Mr. C for damages. He stated, "Ms. A ignored the parking attendant's warning not to enter the parking facility before the car was retrieved and also failed to check the floor after entering," limiting Mr. B and Mr. C's responsibility for medical expenses to 50%.

Public interest attorney Kim Dongcheol of the Korea Legal Aid Corporation, who handled the lawsuit, said, "There are cases where citizens unfamiliar with how to use mechanical parking lots get injured," and added, "Facility managers should strengthen safety measures in accordance with relevant laws."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.