You’re usually driving slowly in a parking lot, so it’s surprising to know that there are many accidents happening in the crowded parking lots of shopping malls. Most times, the owner of the car that is hit isn’t even around. However, there are usually surveillance cameras and between you and the police, you can track the culprit down.
Call an accident lawyer asap
It’s unbelievable how many accidents occur in parking lots. Some of the worst are when cars back out of a parking space and knock a child over. A common problem with this scenario is the use of a cell phone while maneuvering around a parking lot.
Apart from contacting your insurance agent, you also need to be in touch with accident lawyers. There are just so many complexities when you hit a parked car that without a lawyer, you can’t possibly work through them. Maybe it’s your car that was hit through no fault of your own. USAttorneys.com advises you on the best, most experienced local accident lawyers. They are known for their success at recovering compensation for their clients involved in tricky, complex, parking lot accidents.
Alert your insurance agent
Insurance companies are unreasonable most of the time, and people want to avoid reporting accidents because it means their insurance rates will go up.
So while it can be tempting to try and avoid reporting the parking lot incident to them, you should. The reason being is that the cost of paying to fix the damage on the other car could be way beyond your means. Also, if you don’t report the accident immediately and then you decide to later on, the insurance company won’t pay for the damages.
Leave a note
If you’ve waited for the owner for an hour, and they still haven’t returned, you can leave a note on the windscreen for them. You can’t just leave the accident scene as there are quite likely surveillance cameras dotted around the place. Then you’ll have a ‘leaving the scene of an accident offense against your name.
On your note, explain briefly what happened and leave all your contact details on the note, complete with your auto insurance details. Then you can leave the area safe that you’ve done the legal thing.
Wait for the owner
The best thing is always to wait for the owner. In most states, you are required to make every kind of reasonable effort to find the owner. The idea is to inform them of what all has happened.
Of course, if they take way too long returning to their car, you can leave a note. In the meantime, be certain of what to do in your state as there are some states where it is mandatory to contact the police. This is for those cases where there is damage to the other car, or there has been an injury. When injuries are involved, the penalties for failing to report an accident can be harsh.
Take photos
While you wait for the owner of the car you hit, take photos of the car showing the damage. You can do this with your cell phone. If you don’t have your phone with you, write down the details.
Try to include pictures of the car’s number plates and their license discs. You will also need to take pictures of your own car’s damage as your insurance may require this. If you did leave the scene of the accident, it is looked upon as a hit and run.
This is a criminal offense. The best move in this regard is to speak to an attorney without delay. They can at least communicate with everyone in a professional, unflustered way, presenting your case in the best possible light.