How To Manage Moving Truck Accidents in The Parking Lot in Minneapolis Minnesota

When you think of car accidents, chances are you imagine moving cars on the freeway or even on regular city streets. While moving car collisions occur on a regular basis, parking lot and apartment lot accidents with moving truck rentals are more common than you think. Most drivers take precautions to avoid backing or driving their moving van rental into parked cars, but they still happen on occasion. If you have been involved in an accident in the parking lot of your box truck rental, there are a few steps to follow right away. We have put together an easy-to-follow guide to help you properly navigate your way through a parking lot accident encounter in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Always stay at the scene

Following your fender bender, you should pull over and ensure that you and anyone else around you have not been hurt. In most cases, driving into a parked car in a moving truck rental in a parking lot won’t result in harsh injuries, but it is important to make sure. Moving truck rentals, box trucks, cargo vans, and other rental trucks are larger than regular cars. As such, they have a tendency to do more damage, even at slower speeds. Do not leave the scene of the accident regardless of how small the damage may be. Take a deep breath, make sure you are not impeding traffic, and move on to the next step. Like in other cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota traffic rules are very strict when it comes to remaining on the scene after a car, or moving truck accident.

Try to find the owner if possible

If you hit another car with your rental moving truck, it is best to wait for the other driver to return to their vehicle. At this point, you can exchange insurance information and give a detailed account of what transpired. If you are unable to wait for the owner of the car, you can also write a detailed note and provide rental truck insurance information in a clearly visible area where they will see it. If the accident occurred in the parking lot of a store or apartment complex, you can also go inside and ask the customer service desk to page the car owner. While you are waiting for the owner, it is a good idea to go ahead and give the rental truck hotline a call.

Take notes and pictures of the moving truck accident in the parking lot

It is a good idea to take photos of the damage as soon as it happens. Make sure to capture images of both vehicles from several different points of view. It is also a good idea to take pictures of the parking lot, the entranceway, or the clearance area around the truck and parked cars. You can also take a picture of the license plate of the other vehicle for your records. This will help when filing a claim with the moving truck rental insurance company. Taking notes is also important. Note down the time of day, the weather, the make and model of the car, and the other driver's information.

Call the Minneapolis, Minnesota authorities for serious accidents

In most cases, parking lot accidents in Minneapolis, Minnesota that doesn’t result in injuries don’t need police support. However, if the damage is serious enough, or if someone is hurt, it is a good idea to give them a call. In the event someone is hurt, call emergency services, followed by the Minneapolis, Minnesota police. Once they arrive, they can write up a police report and also help to locate the owner of the car or motorcycle. In many cases, an official police report will be needed to submit to the moving truck rental company for their insurance claim.

Contact the moving truck rental company and the insurance company

Speak with your moving truck rental company and their insurance company right away to report the accident. They may ask you to have a police officer file a report, or they may send a claims adjuster to view the damage. Give them all of the details of the accident and also the contact information of everyone involved if it is available. Most of all, stay calm and keep in mind that you buy insurance with your rental just for this purpose.