Car accidents in parking lots can often leave people with injuries that are surprisingly severe. While some parking lot car accidents do happen at high speeds, these accidents usually occur when someone backs out into another car or when two cars crash at low speeds around a tight corner. Still, back injuries, whiplash, and other moderate injuries can still occur. If you were hit by a car while walking, you may have suffered even more serious injuries.
For a free legal consultation on your parking lot car accident, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras today. Our Maryland parking lot car accident injury lawyers represent victims of car accidents and work to help them get compensation for their injuries and other expenses. For your free case consultation, call our attorneys today at (410) 694-7291.
Injuries from Car Crashes in Parking Lots in Maryland
Most car crashes, whether they occur in a parking lot or on the highway, involve property damage only. This means that, statistically speaking, it is rare for car accidents to involve injury, highlighting just how negligent the other driver must have been to have hurt you. While speed is often a factor in how dangerous the crash is, you could still suffer surprisingly serious injuries from a low-speed parking lot car accident.
One injury most commonly associated with car accidents is whiplash. This injury occurs when your head whips forward and backward during a crash, and it can actually leave you with long-term pain and discomfort in your neck. In fact, a percentage of whiplash victims do not fully recover, which means that this can often be a permanent injury that yields substantial compensation and makes this an important injury to consider filing a lawsuit for.
Other back and neck injuries also occur in car crashes in parking lots. If you were rear-ended or were hit by a speeding car while you were backing out of a space, the force could cause low-back injuries. You could also suffer other back injuries or neck injuries aside from whiplash in these kinds of crashes.
If you were hit by a car while walking in a parking lot, your injuries could be far more severe. These accidents are often caused by drivers who drive too fast for the parking lot’s conditions or who were not paying attention to the road and keeping an eye out for pedestrians. Injuries from this kind of crash could involve serious blunt force trauma, head injuries, broken bones, and internal injuries that might require intensive medical care.
Suing for Parking Lot Car Accidents in Maryland
If you were involved in a car crash in a parking lot, you might not think it is worth the time or effort of filing an insurance claim or worrying about a lawsuit. However, if you suffered physical injuries that required hospitalization or caused you ongoing pain and suffering, you should consider setting up a consultation with an attorney and looking at your options.
An insurance claim is often sufficient for getting the money you need to repair your vehicle, but if you faced medical expenses or lost wages because of injuries from a car accident, an insurance claim might not be your best option. the damages you are paid from an insurance claim might not be enough to cover your needs, and you could lose the opportunity to seek damages for pain and suffering if you accept an insurance payout.
Instead, your best option for seeking compensation might be to file a lawsuit against the driver who hit you. This driver’s insurance will usually provide them with a lawyer and pay for damages if you take them to court, so it is important to have an experienced car accident lawyer on your side who can take on this kind of legal team and fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Proving Fault Under Maryland Law for a Car Accident in a Parking Lot
One of the biggest points of stress that many people face after a car crash is the question of who was at fault. In many accidents, it is clear that one driver was the one who caused the crash and that the other was the victim, but many other cases might turn on fine points of law.
Under Maryland law, car accident cases are handled under a “contributory negligence” doctrine. This means that if the victim contributed in any way to causing the crash, the case might be thrown out. it is important to work with an attorney and let them explain what happened to the court rather than saying anything that might be construed as an admission of fault.
Ultimately, to decide who was at fault, the court will look at traffic laws and standard safe driving practices to determine which driver did something wrong. Backing out of a space without looking or speeding around a corner are some of the most common causes of car accidents in parking lots, and it is pretty clear that the driver who was not looking or the driver who was speeding would be at fault. Cases can be more complex when two drivers back into each other or when a driver pulls through a parking space, backs into a car that did not stop, or drives through an intersection that has no stop signs dictating who should yield.
Call Our Maryland Lawyer for Parking Lot Car Accident Victims
Talk to a lawyer for help with your case. If you were injured in a car crash in a parking lot, you might have surprisingly serious injuries that caused expensive medical bills, lost wages from time off work, and serious pain and suffering. Talk to a personal injury lawyer in Baltimore about how to get these injuries compensated before you accept any insurance payouts or file any claims with insurance companies for your injuries. For a free legal consultation, contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s Maryland parking lot car accident injury lawyer today at (410) 694-7291.