Kansas City Parking Lot Accident Attorney

Parking lot accidents account for up to 20 percent of all car accidents in Kansas City and all across Missouri. Each year, approximately 60,000 Americans get injured and 500 others die in parking lot accidents all across the United States.

The vast majority of parking lot crashes are caused by one of the parties’ negligence, carelessness or wrongdoing. “Statistically speaking, distracted driving and cellphone & texting are among the leading causes of parking lot accidents,” says a Kansas City parking lot accident attorney at Mayer & Rosenberg, P.C.

Contrary to the popular belief, just because vehicles are traveling at significantly lower speeds in parking lots compared to roadways does not necessarily mean that parking lot injuries are always minor or insignificant. In fact, cases in which car drivers, passengers, or pedestrians suffered life-threatening injuries or even died in parking lot accidents are not unheard of.

Do you need to call the police for a parking lot accident?

From the standpoint of determining fault and recovering damages, parking lot accidents can be more complicated and complex compared to motor vehicle collisions that occur on the road or highway. That’s because it can be difficult to find witnesses in parking lots and in most states, police departments do not respond to reports of car accidents that occur on a private property unless it resulted in a serious injury or death.

Still, it is important to make that call to the police and report your parking lot accident. Our experienced parking lot accident attorney in Kansas City explains that not making that call may give your insurance company or the insurer of the other motorist an excuse to deny your coverage (demonstrating proof that you reported the parking lot accident to the police will make a huge difference in the long run).

Determining fault after a parking lot crash

While car drivers involved in a parking lot accident are responsible for this type of accident in the vast majority of cases, you should never rule out the possibility that the owner of the parking lot where the accident occurred could also be liable. In some cases, parking lot accidents are caused by inadequate lighting, damaged pavement, obstacles, or improper design of the parking lot.

As you can see, establishing fault in a parking lot accident is not nearly as easy and straightforward as it seems. That’s why victims of parking lot accidents benefit from hiring a Kansas City parking lot crash lawyer to ensure that (a) they are not wrongly accused of causing the accident, and (b) they get the maximum compensation they deserve.

Types and causes of parking lot accidents

While the vast majority of parking lots have a speed limit of 15 mph, many drivers disregard this rule and drive at a speed that exceeds the limit. Thus, a large percentage of parking lot accidents are caused by speeding. Some of the most common types of parking lot crashes include:

• Failure to look in the rear-view mirror and side-view mirrors when parking or exiting their spot;
• Failure to signal;
• Failure to look while turning or driving backwards;
• Swinging too wide when parking;
• Distracted driving (more often than not, distracted drivers are either navigating their GPS or using cellphones in parking lots);
• Accidentally backing into another vehicle or pedestrian;
• Operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
• Losing control of the vehicle;
• Road rage;
• Rear-end accident;
• Head-on crash;
• Missing signs in the parking lot;
• Poor lightning in the parking lot;
• Operating a vehicle on damaged pavement such as potholes or cracks;
• Crashing into obstacles in the parking lot; and
• Many other types and causes.