Involved in A Car Accident in A Parking Lot?
Nobody is anxiously awaiting the day it is finally their turn to be involved in a parking lot car accident, especially in the middle of the afternoon when things had been going well so far. But, if you drive a car long enough, this day is coming for you. Part of driving a car is that things happen when you least expect it and you have to learn how to react to them in the moment. There are a LOT of ways that things can go wrong in a parking lot, most of which can be avoided by making sure that you are being aware of your surroundings and that you aren’t being impatient. If something does go wrong, no matter what the circumstances, it is important that you know what action to take when dealing with a parking lot collision.
What if I Cause Damage to A Car in A Parking Lot?
- Don’t ever leave the scene of the accident, no matter how small it may seem. If another customer or a surveillance camera catches you, you could catch severe hit-and-run charges for what may have been a minor fender bender
- Make every effort to find the owner of the other vehicle. Try going into the store closest to where the car is parked and speaking with someone at the customer service desk. You might be able to get them to announce the cars make and model over the PA system and alerting the driver that way.
- Leave a note for the other driver. If your attempts to locate the other driver are unsuccessful, then write down basic information such as your name, phone number, and a brief explanation of the accident, and place it in a secure spot such as under the driver side windshield wiper. Take note of the other car’s license plate number and take a photo of the damage if you have a smartphone with you
- Call the police. If you have done some serious damage to the other car, you might want to go ahead and involve the police right away. Give them your statement and let them formally document the accident. It will also now fall to them to locate the other driver.
What if My Car is Damaged in A Parking Lot?
- Get in touch with your insurance agent and let them know what has happened.
- Record as much evidence as you can. Take notes, take pictures, and see if anyone around saw what happened. If so, get their statement as well as their name and current contact information.
- If you are able to locate the other driver, take down as much of their information as you can (name, address, insurance info, etc.) and jot down their version of events as well. Any bits of information that you are able to collect here may be very useful later on
- Check with whichever stores are the closest to where the accident occurred and see if any of them have security footage of the approximate area and see if any of that footage shows the accident that damaged your vehicle. It is possible that stores will only allow their security footage to be viewed by a law enforcement officer or by an attorney, so don’t be too shaken if that turns out to be the case. The employee is just following company policy.
If you are involved in a car accident in the Los Angeles area, no matter what the location, it is necessary that you contact a practiced car accident attorney as soon as you possibly can. The Los Angeles Injury Group will work tirelessly to guarantee that you are able to recover any damages to which you are entitled. Navigating the legal system can be a complex and exhausting endeavor, and we are here to make sure that you do not have to go through it alone. For a free consultation with one of our accident attorneys, please give us a call at (310) 954-7248 today.