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Parking lot accidents involve many different factors which are not present in other Oak Lawn car accident cases. It is important for people to know that parking lots of stores are private property. While the rules of the road apply, it is unlikely a person will be able to get a police officer to investigate a parking lot crash or write up a police report following a parking lot accident. Therefore, it is critical for you to get all the relevant information from the other driver, including their driver’s license information, car registration information, as well as their insurance information.
If you have been injured in a parking lot collision, contact an Oak Lawn parking lot accident lawyer today. An experienced car accident attorney will be there to answer your questions and help you file a claim.
Although cars usually driver at slower speeds in parking lots, accidents are still common. Many drivers do not properly check for other cars when backing up and end up colliding with oncoming traffic. Also, parking lots have pedestrians walking to and from the store and their parked vehicle. For these reasons, it is important to pay extra attention while driving in a parking lot. Although driving at lower speed allows for more reaction time, the hazards in a parking lot are greater.
Some people think all auto accidents are the same, even if they occur in a parking lot. However, this is incorrect. Parking lots for stores are private property, which means police officers cannot investigate auto accidents on private property. If the parking lot of the store has a security guard, the individual can ask them to prepare an incident report. Someone in a parking lot accident should also do their own investigation by taking pictures of the scene and get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses. They should also get the driver’s license, registration, and insurance information of the other driver’s involved in the accident. Knowing what steps to take following an accident could help an individual recover from the wreck. Among those steps, the most important is to get in touch with an Oak Lawn parking lot accident lawyer that could help the individual file their claim.
Even if an accident occurs in a parking lot, which is private property, insurance companies will evaluate the claim in the same manner. Because there is often no police report from a parking lot accident, having the individual’s own investigation material is especially important. A person does not want the case coming down to their word against the other driver’s word. In a parking lot case, someone must prove fault as well as damages. An insurance company will require proof of both of these items before agreeing to make an offer to settle the parking lot case. An Oak Lawn parking lot accident lawyer could help an individual gather evidence in order to prove fault and damages.
A parking lot accident does not have to be 100 percent one person’s fault. Often, an accident results from a combination of fault. For example, if a pedestrian is walking and texting and gets hit by a car, the accident will likely be considered a combination of fault of both parties. The car has the duty to keep a lookout for pedestrians, but pedestrians have a duty to pay attention to their own surroundings. If an injured party is partially at fault for the accident, this is called contributory negligence. The amount of damages a person can recover will be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to the person.
If you have been injured in a parking lot accident and want to file a claim, call an Oak Lawn parking lot accident lawyer. An attorney could help you assign fault and get you the compensation you need.