quiet-grouse-01611h ago

Parking lot fender-bender — can I really be held partially at fault for this??

Still kind of shaking as I type this, happened maybe two hours ago.

I was pulling through an empty row in a grocery store parking lot, moving pretty slowly, when another car came flying around the end cap of the aisle and clipped my front quarter panel. Like, they were clearly cutting the corner way too tight and way too fast for a parking lot.

My dashcam caught the whole thing. Watching it back, I genuinely don't see what I could have done differently — I was barely moving, staying in my lane, no obstructions blocking my view of where they came from.

The other driver got out and immediately started saying we were "both at fault" and that I should have been watching where I was going. I was so flustered I didn't push back in the moment. We exchanged info, I took photos of both cars and the scene, and I got a copy of the police report number.

Now I'm home and second-guessing everything. Their insurance might argue I had some responsibility just because it's a parking lot? I've heard parking lot accidents are automatically 50/50 in some states, but I don't know if that's actually true or just something people say.

Damage to my car looks significant — whole front corner is crunched. No injuries that I can feel right now, but my neck felt a little stiff walking in the door.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? How do I make sure my dashcam footage actually gets used properly? Should I reach out to my own insurance first or wait to hear from theirs?

8 replies

Most helpful first

keen-marmot-98411h ago
Almost identical thing happened to me last spring. The other driver pulled the "we're both at fault" line too — I think they say that hoping you'll just split it and move on. My dashcam footage ended up being the thing that settled it clearly in my favor. Save that video to at least two places RIGHT NOW, like a cloud backup and a USB drive. Do not rely only on the camera itself.
clear-mole-77611h ago
Don't let the other driver's framing get in your head. Adjusters sometimes lean on the "shared fault in parking lots" idea because a lot of people just accept it without pushing back. If you have video showing you were in a travel lane moving at a normal speed and they came around a blind corner too fast, that footage is gold. Don't let anyone talk you into a split-fault settlement before you've even shown them the tape.
cool-sparrow-19411h ago
I used to handle these kinds of claims. The 50/50 parking lot thing is not an automatic rule — it's just a lazy default some adjusters use when there's no clear evidence either way. Clear dashcam footage changes everything. When you call in the claim, specifically say upfront that you have video and that you'll be submitting it. That usually shifts the tone of the whole conversation pretty quickly.
gentle-bison-50311h ago
A couple of practical things worth doing now: (1) Write down everything you remember while it's fresh — time, weather, speed, what each person said at the scene — because you'll forget details faster than you think. (2) When you submit that dashcam footage, send it through whatever official claim portal they give you and keep your own confirmation that it was received. Don't just hand over your only copy or let them download it off your camera in person.
mellow-lynx-77211h ago
Please don't ignore that neck stiffness. Adrenaline is really good at masking pain right after an impact, and soft tissue stuff like whiplash can take 24–48 hours to fully show up. Even if it feels minor, get seen by your doctor or an urgent care and let them document it. If you wait too long it can look like the injury wasn't related to the accident.
bold-finch-66211h ago
Not legal advice, but: the 50/50 assumption in parking lots is not law — fault is still determined by who was driving negligently. Someone speeding around a corner in a parking lot has a pretty weak argument that the person in the travel lane shares blame. The dashcam footage you described sounds like it could be very useful. Might be worth at least a free consult with a PI attorney before you agree to any fault determination with the insurance companies.
kind-seal-29811h ago
Ugh, this sounds so stressful. You did everything right — stayed calm, got the report number, took photos. Give yourself a little grace here. And seriously, go sit down and eat something, your hands are probably still shaky from the adrenaline. The paperwork stuff can wait a couple of hours.
cool-beaver-90111h ago
File with your own insurance today and let them fight it out with the other carrier. I know people worry about their rates but that's what you pay premiums for. Also stop second-guessing yourself based on what some random driver said in a parking lot — they have every incentive to muddy the water.