Car insurance claim responsibility
If my car is hit while driving in a parking lot, how long is the usual time that it takes to determine car insurance claim responsibility?
Michael
That’s a good question, Michael.
Car accidents that take place in parking lots are often very tricky. The reason for this is because driving in a parking lot is not as defined as is driving on a street, where you have traffic signals and clear lane markers. I know I’m not the only one who has made the mistake of going the wrong way down a lane in a parking lot, simply because they only put the arrow on one end of the lane. If I weren’t lucky, even I could have gotten into a car insurance accident due to this.
This lack of clear limitations makes it harder to figure out who is at fault when the accident takes place in a parking lot. You can’t simply blame someone for something such as switching lanes without putting on their blinker or whatever. For the most part, it has to be determined whose story fits the damages best. This is why it’s always important
(and sometimes legally required) to call an officer of the law to the scene of any accident, regardless of where it happens or the damage. That way you have an impartial observer who can document the current story and damages in case someone decides to change it up.
The process will be made quicker and easier for you if you have someone who can corroborate your story, such as a witness. This shouldn’t be so hard in a parking lot, because these are normally full of people–so long as you can get one to stick around until the police show up.
However, much of the problems in the length of time that it takes to do something such as figure out who has the car insurance claim responsibility for liability in an accident often come from the uniqueness of the accident. If you have a cut and dry case of being rear ended, then you can get things over with relatively quickly. However, if it’s a little less simple, such as if you run into each other head on, then some more questions need to be asked.
One way to speed up the process is to get someone to help you out who is very well practiced in the car insurance claim responsibility area. That’s right, an attorney. Don’t go throwing your money at a lawyer for any old accident, but if you think it might be a long, contested, drawn out thing, then some legal aid is helpful. You should also make sure that you document the events properly, such as taking pictures of the vehicles so that things such as point of collision can be studied. Also, stick to your story–don’t lie, because lies are easy to forget.
Getting a lawyer is pretty easy. The only thing you have to do is call your state’s bar and ask for recommendations for a car insurance accident lawyer. They will give you free suggestions, and they know their stuff. Another way is to ask friends who have been in similar situations.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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