Motorists involved in Florida car crashes generally know to call the police, but what if an auto accident occurs in a parking lot? A parking lot is not a public road, so some drivers may be confused as to what to do. However, just because your Naples accident takes place in a parking lot does not mean that you should veto phoning the police. In fact, contacting the police may be very important.
A collision in a parking lot can involve damage to vehicles and injury to people just as a crash on a street or highway can. For that reason you should call in emergency help if anyone is injured. However, even if no one is hurt, an article in U.S. News and World Report recommends that you call the police anyway to file a report on the accident. If the other party tries to later claim you were at fault and sue for damages, you are left with your word against the word of the other party if there is no police report.
However, there is no guarantee the police will come to your accident scene. Sometimes the police will not deem it necessary to come to a parking lot accident if no one sustained injury or if the damage to the vehicles was too inconsequential. The police may also not prioritize a parking lot collision if there are extreme weather conditions present.
Whether the police come to your location or not, you should still gather insurance information from the other driver and take pictures of the accident scene. Also check for witnesses to the collision to get their stories and their contact information. You will want to contact them later if the other party tries to claim you were at fault.
Keep in mind this article is written to educate readers on motor vehicle accidents that take place in parking lots. It does not provide you with legal advice.