Parking lot accidents in St. Louis are not always minor. People get hurt, cars get damaged, and insurance companies often look for ways to avoid paying. Whether the crash happened at a grocery store or in a downtown garage, the law still applies. Fault matters, and so do your next actions. At McCready Law, car accident attorneys handle this type of case on a regular basis, and they know what it takes to challenge denials from the insurance company and expedite the claims process.
It is easy to think that a parking lot crash is a trivial matter, especially when the police are not involved. However, under state law, fault still determines who pays and how much they are liable for. If the other driver backed out blindly, drove through a stop line in the lot, or hit the victim in a crossing area while they were exiting the store, it makes a difference.
Under state law, fault is determined based on evidence, such as eyewitness testimony, security footage, skid marks, and vehicle damage. Insurance companies look for anything they can find to push part of the blame onto the injured party. This effort can reduce or even block an individual’s payout under the state’s pure comparative fault system.
After an accident, the pure comparative fault system assigns each driver a percentage of blame. Insurance companies use evidence such as police reports, photos, witness information, and anything else that shows what happened to try to demonstrate that the injured party was to blame. It is essential to file a police report and contact a St. Louis parking area accident attorney to avoid paying for someone else’s reckless driving.
If someone suffers injuries after being hit by a vehicle in a St. Louis parking lot, filing an insurance claim starts with notifying the at-fault driver’s insurer. The victim will need to provide basic facts, damage estimates, medical bills, and often a recorded statement. In many cases, it takes several weeks for the insurer to even assign an adjuster to the case.
It is well known that insurance companies are often not focused on the injured party’s best interests. Common delaying tactics they utilize include repeatedly asking for more information or questioning whether an individual’s injuries were actually caused by the accident. They might say the victim was partly at fault, so it is wise to keep a record of any bills, scans, photos, and communications and contact an accident lawyer as soon as possible.
If the insurance company offers a low settlement or simply denies a claim, a lawsuit is usually the next course of action. In most cases, you have five years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. The earlier someone begins building their case, however, the stronger the evidence may be.
We have handled both insurance claims and lawsuits for parking lot injury cases across the state. We know what insurers look for, how to respond when insurance companies delay, and when to file a lawsuit.
McCready Law has been helping injured people demand justice for over two decades, focusing exclusively on injury cases and has recovered over $200 million for its clients.
The bilingual staff at McCready Law are available to assist you by phone or email. The firm’s lawyers offer free legal consultations and case reviews, and they always work on a no-win, no-fee basis. For more information about parking lot accidents in St. Louis and how you could protect your right to compensation, contact McCready Law today.
