5 common types of parking lot collisions

Serious motor vehicle collisions can occur in nearly every environment. From city streets and highways to parking garages and mall parking lots, moving vehicles can crash, leading to injuries and property damage. Whether you are driving a car, truck, motorcycle or delivery van, parking structures represent a compressed area filled with other vehicles, tight angles and blind corners through which to navigate. Unfortunately, collisions are common in these areas.

While there are countless factors that can lead to a motor vehicle collision, there are five common ways a wreck can occur in a parking lot or parking garage:

• A moving car strikes a parked car: Due to blind spots, distractions and reckless cornering, it is not uncommon for a driver to strike a parked car. Unfortunately, there could be occupants in the parked car who experience the full force of the collision.
• Two or more vehicles leave their parking spots at the same time and collide: Leaving a parking spot at high speed often leads to a collision. The force of the collision is multiplied when two or more cars are moving at the same time.
• Two or more moving vehicles collide on a blind or narrow corner: Engineers design the turns in a parking garage or parking lot to allow vehicles enough space to maneuver and the proper visibility to see other motorists. Unfortunately, reckless, inattentive or distracted drivers can cause serious collisions in these tight spaces.
• A vehicle leaving a parking spot collides with a moving vehicle: Quickly backing out into a lane of traffic can result in a T-bone or side-impact collision.
• Two or more moving vehicles compete for the same parking space and collide: Whether it is the holiday season or just a busy Saturday afternoon, it is not uncommon for drivers to become frustrated in a crowded parking structure. Often, two drivers will see the same open parking space at the same time and accelerate toward it. The drivers might develop “tunnel vision” and fail to see the other driver, leading to a collision.

Even though most parking lot and parking garage accidents occur at lower speeds due to the confined environment, it does not mean the results are not significant. Depending on numerous factors such as the vehicle’s size and angle, and the driver’s body position and medical history, vehicle occupants can suffer serious head trauma and spinal cord damage.