Do you know exactly what to do when you get involved in a parking lot accident? You might think that this incident will never ever happen to you. But parking lot accidents happen every day. The most common parking lot accidents include a person being hit by a vehicle, reversing or maneuvering mistakes, and car collisions due to competing parking spaces. Violent crimes also happen in parking lots more often than you think. Officials from the National Safety Council (NSC) reported that trips, slips, and falls in parking lots are the leading cause of older adults’ fatalities. In addition, parking lots with potholes, debris, cracks, inadequate pavement stripping, lack of signage, ice, puddles, snow, and poor lighting can result in pedestrian injuries.
So, how do you prepare yourself to handle these parking lot scenarios?
This guide explains the important things you need to do after a parking lot accident to keep you ready if ever you encounter such an incident.
- Secure Your Safety
After a parking lot accident, the most important thing to do is to ascertain your safety. If you have passengers, check if everyone is okay.
Check out these practical tips to ensure your safety after a parking lot collision:
- Call The Emergency Hotline
An impactful rear-end collision or getting hit from behind can cause back, neck, and spinal injuries. Call the emergency hotline or rush the victim to the hospital if you or any passengers complain of pain or sustain bruises and wounds due to a parking lot accident.
- Don’t Ignore Minor Injuries
Don’t overlook any minor bruise or physical injury. Internal bleeding from the stomach, lungs, and other vital organs could happen days or weeks after a car collision. See a doctor the same day to undergo a thorough physical assessment, take laboratory and scan studies, and obtain prompt medical intervention. In that way, you can also get a medical certificate or other medical documentation necessary to process an auto insurance claim.
- Avoid Panic Or Heated Argument
Many people who encounter parking lot accidents tend to panic or draw themselves to a heated argument. There are even news reports about people getting killed due to shooting incidents in parking lots. Therefore, staying away from these scenarios is best to avoid compromising your safety and involving yourself in a crime.
- Talk To A Lawyer
Parking lot victims can consult a lawyer specializing in handling similar cases. Attorneys can assist in seeking crime victims compensation and filing civil lawsuits against the offending party.
An experienced personal injury or car accident lawyer can help negotiate a settlement from the insurance company or the offender. On the other hand, a criminal lawyer who handles parking lot criminal cases, such as robbery, assault, and rape, can help a victim seek justice by filing a criminal lawsuit.
Here are the essential things to prepare when you talk to a lawyer after a parking lot accident:
- Your Narrative Report
It’s important to provide a complete and detailed narration of the incident to your lawyer. Make sure to write your narrative report in a journal or record your verbal narration on your smartphone or recorder as soon as possible—the earlier, the better while your memory of the incident is still fresh.
- Collected Evidence
You also need to present any piece of evidence, such as your vehicle’s dash camera, to your lawyer for investigation. Learn more about evidence-gathering after a parking lot accident below.
When choosing a lawyer, hire one from your local area. You also need to ensure that the attorney has a good track record of winning settlement negotiations and legal cases. Do in-depth research about the type of cases the lawyer handles, the rate of legal fees, and the payment methods the law firm accepts.
- Call The Authorities
Call the security or police to help manage the situation, especially if the parking lot accident caused severe physical injuries and major property damage.
The security personnel can assist both parties and the police after the incident. They can request the security agency to see the closed-circuit television (CCTV) videos as evidence.
If your phone is battery-drained and no security guard is nearby, check if there are other people in the area and ask for help to contact the authorities.
- Gather Evidence
Most people think that both parties are at fault in parking car accidents. But this isn’t true. One thing you have to keep in mind is that treating parking lot accidents should be the same as roadside accidents. Hence, collecting substantial evidence is important because insurance providers follow fault determination rules to determine the at-fault party.
Here are some tips when gathering evidence after a parking lot accident:
- Take Photos
Take as many pictures of the accident scene as possible, especially if there are major property damages and injuries present.
- Review Your Dash Camera
If your vehicle has a dash camera, you need to watch the video to see if it clearly captured the parking lot accident. This evidence can help establish a strong claim or lawsuit against the at-fault party.
- Get Contact Information
Obtain the other driver’s name, contact details, and car insurance info. Don`t make the mistake of not providing yours too. This step will help establish good communication to handle claims and other legal issues. Additionally, get the contact details of any witnesses to support your claim or help with the lawsuit.
- Obtain A Police Report
Don’t take parking lot accidents lightly. Make sure to get the authorities involved to document the incident. By doing so, you can easily get a police report for claims processing or as court evidence.
Important Note:
Once you’re safe and secure handling the situation, you may collect evidence. Nonetheless, never attempt doing this step on your own. Do it when a police officer or security guard arrives.
As much as possible, it’s best to entrust the entire investigation to the authorities. You don’t want to trigger any anger or misunderstanding from the other party because of personally gathering evidence. This action could result in driver’s rage incidents, panic, or a heated argument.
Conclusion
Parking lot accidents are common but unexpected. They can happen to anyone else, including you. So, it’s a must to be ready at all times. If ever you encounter a parking lot accident, you now know the important things you need to do. Don’t forget the tips featured above and always be calm when handling a similar situation.