When Parking Lot Auto Accidents Occur in Texas
There are standard procedures that occur, and to follow, whenever someone gets into an auto accident on the road.
However, that's not the only place people drive, and it's certainly not the only place where drivers get into accidents.
Parking lots, with sometimes hundreds of drivers backing up, traveling too fast or being distracted, can be a frequent location for auto accidents.
While Texas laws that pertain to procedure after these auto accidents are generally the same, dealing with insurance can sometimes be more of a hassle.
In many ways, parking lots create a perfect storm for auto accidents.
Even the best drivers can be vulnerable to mistakes when backing up, and can fail to see an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian behind them.
Sometimes drivers do not realize that they should be traveling at a very slow speed and drive too fast for the narrow confines of a parking lot.
Perhaps one of the worst elements of a parking lot is the number of drivers who are driving while distracted.
When people drive in parking lots, they frequently have their eyes out for open spots and not for other vehicles and pedestrians.
Or, they could be texting or calling a friend to inform that person that they have arrived.
Or, they could be looking for a particular storefront in a large shopping center.
When people take their eyes off the road, accidents happen.
Chapter 550 of the Texas Transportation Code covers procedure for accidents.
It applies on both public property, like highways, and private property other than private residential property or paid parking lots.
In any accident involving injury or damage to a vehicle, any involved driver must remain on the scene until that driver has given his or her name, address and insurance information, and rendered aid to any injured person.
If the accident involved injury or death or the property damage appears to be worth more than $1,000, the drivers involved are required by law to report the incident immediately to law enforcement, and the law enforcement officer is required to make a written report.
Regardless, people involved in an accident may call police regardless of where the accident took place, and the police officer may write a written report.
There is nothing about the fact that the accident took place on private property that keeps the officer from doing so.
While the law is the same, insurance companies may be more difficult to deal with after an accident in a parking lot.
An accident that happens on the road may have a clearer, "black-and-white" determination of fault: For example, one person was driving legally, and the other person ran a stop sign, and therefore one person is clearly at fault.
Parking lot accidents can be less clear, meaning insurance companies may be more prone to rejecting claims.
Victims may have to bring the insurance company to court to get compensated for their injuries.
However, that's not the only place people drive, and it's certainly not the only place where drivers get into accidents.
Parking lots, with sometimes hundreds of drivers backing up, traveling too fast or being distracted, can be a frequent location for auto accidents.
While Texas laws that pertain to procedure after these auto accidents are generally the same, dealing with insurance can sometimes be more of a hassle.
In many ways, parking lots create a perfect storm for auto accidents.
Even the best drivers can be vulnerable to mistakes when backing up, and can fail to see an oncoming vehicle or a pedestrian behind them.
Sometimes drivers do not realize that they should be traveling at a very slow speed and drive too fast for the narrow confines of a parking lot.
Perhaps one of the worst elements of a parking lot is the number of drivers who are driving while distracted.
When people drive in parking lots, they frequently have their eyes out for open spots and not for other vehicles and pedestrians.
Or, they could be texting or calling a friend to inform that person that they have arrived.
Or, they could be looking for a particular storefront in a large shopping center.
When people take their eyes off the road, accidents happen.
Chapter 550 of the Texas Transportation Code covers procedure for accidents.
It applies on both public property, like highways, and private property other than private residential property or paid parking lots.
In any accident involving injury or damage to a vehicle, any involved driver must remain on the scene until that driver has given his or her name, address and insurance information, and rendered aid to any injured person.
If the accident involved injury or death or the property damage appears to be worth more than $1,000, the drivers involved are required by law to report the incident immediately to law enforcement, and the law enforcement officer is required to make a written report.
Regardless, people involved in an accident may call police regardless of where the accident took place, and the police officer may write a written report.
There is nothing about the fact that the accident took place on private property that keeps the officer from doing so.
While the law is the same, insurance companies may be more difficult to deal with after an accident in a parking lot.
An accident that happens on the road may have a clearer, "black-and-white" determination of fault: For example, one person was driving legally, and the other person ran a stop sign, and therefore one person is clearly at fault.
Parking lot accidents can be less clear, meaning insurance companies may be more prone to rejecting claims.
Victims may have to bring the insurance company to court to get compensated for their injuries.
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