We take on a lot of road accident claims involving car parks; they’re extremely common. From people pulling out of spaces without looking (usually reversing), or people not paying enough due care and attention to pedestrians, we’ve seen it all!
From the perspective of a driver, there is an increased duty to look out for pedestrians in a car park. It’s obvious that car parks will be full of people walking in between cars with shopping, and it’s expected that there will be mums trying to juggle a trolley load of shopping together with screaming kids who are running around and generally hating being there! The Highway Code normally stipulates that in situations where pedestrians are likely to be, the driver has an increased duty of care.
As such, if you have been hit by a driver who has not been paying enough attention in a car park, it’s likely we can help you out with a claim for personal injury compensation. Even at low speeds being hit by a car can do some pretty serious damage, which is why we offer the whole package – we recover compensation for your injuries, as well as losses like lost earnings or medical expenses, and we will try and assist with private medical care funded by the other side right from the start as well.
If you are a driver who has been hit by another vehicle reversing out of a space without looking, or pulling out of a traffic aisle without checking properly, then the same rules apply for when you’re out on the roads; the driver pulling on to the major traffic route from a side or minor traffic route is normally at fault.
However, we commonly get split situations in car park accidents where both drivers are partly to blame. There are straightforward 50-50 claims when two drivers have pulled out of a space in to each other’s path, or other situations where two drivers have reversed in to the same space perhaps. In this scenario, both drivers can make a claim against each other’s insurance but will only receive 50% of any compensation payable to reflect the fact that the blame is shared.
For specialist advice about making a claim for compensation arising from a car park accident, call our friendly claims team on 0800 634 75 75 today. Unlike many of the advice services you see online, we’re real lawyers – as in, we’re an actual law firm! We’ll advise you on a no obligation basis, and represent you if you want us to do as well!
