Because parking lot accidents happen at low speeds, some people wrongly believe they aren’t “serious” collisions. At Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler, LLC, we realize that the opposite is true. Parking lot collisions can send people to the emergency room with serious pain and injuries that require months to heal. Even worse, our clients incur thousands of dollars in car repair bills, all through no fault of their own. Below, our Wisconsin car accident attorney identifies the main reasons why you should take parking lot accidents seriously. Call our law firm if you have questions.
Low Impact Collisions Cause Major Injuries
A car does not need to travel 60 miles an hour to injure a person. Even a low speed “jolt” can lead to serious injuries:
- Whiplash—getting struck from behind will cause a person’s head to stretch forward before snapping back. This is whiplash, and it can damage nerves, muscles, and ligaments in the neck.
- Compressed nerves—a nerve can suffer damage from compression, which will result in constant pain.
- Concussion—whiplash often jiggles a motorist’s brain, which can lead to a concussion, even at a low speed. Concussion symptoms often last for months and include memory loss, impaired speech, loss of balance, mood swings, and confusion.
- Back injury—any jolt can tweak a person’s back, causing a ruptured disc, back sprain, or other injury. Back pain is often debilitating.
If a person was not even fully buckled up, they could suffer even more serious injuries—fractures, facial injuries, and chest injuries. These injuries are expensive to treat, but victims will also lose out on compensation from work.
Car Damage is Expensive to Repair
Inflation impacts more than your grocery bill. It also has made car repair incredibly expensive over the past couple of years. Even moderate damage on a vehicle could now cost more than $10,000 to fix. And if your car is totaled, you are facing one of the worst new or used car markets in decades.
Even worse, some people will also suffer an increase in car insurance premiums, especially if you use collision coverage to pay for repairs. You should call our law firm soon after the crash to discuss whether you can seek compensation for car damage.
You Should Call the Police
Some people assume they don’t need to call the police after a parking lot accident, but you definitely need a record of the crash. Anyone hurt in a parking lot collision can request compensation from the at-fault driver. You should stop, swap personal and insurance information, and call the police. An officer will probably create an accident report.
Call Us for Assistance
Our legal team excels at winning car accident cases, regardless of where it happened. If you were struck in a parking lot, you might be able to sue the driver who hit you or make a claim on their liability coverage. Call Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler, LLC, today to schedule a free consultation to go over all your legal options and learn more about what kinds of compensation you might receive.