Parking garages compress all the risks of city driving into tight concrete boxes. Sight lines are poor, lighting is inconsistent, drivers get impatient, and cameras often miss what matters. I have walked clients through hundreds of these cases, from low-speed scrapes to spine-fracturing impacts on downward spirals. The playbook is different from an open-road collision. Evidence vanishes faster. Liability turns on details like ramp grades, light levels, and signage that no one noticed at the time. What follows is the action list I use as a car collision lawyer when a client calls from a garage or the morning after.
The first five minutes: stabilize, then curate evidence
The name of the game in a parking structure is controlled urgency. You want to move quickly without making the mistakes that haunt claims later. Safety comes first. If the car is operable, shift it out of the lane to a marked area. Activate hazard lights. If you smell fuel or see smoke, do not attempt to drive it. Most garages have sprinklers and exhaust systems, but they are not designed for vehicle fires. Call 911, report your location using the level and nearest pillar marker, and follow the operator’s instructions.
Once you are safe and any immediate injuries are addressed, start curating evidence. The garage scene is dynamic. Vehicles arrive and leave, attendants sweep the floor, security loops back every few minutes. A client in Houston once called me 20 minutes after a ramp collision. By the time I got the property manager on the line, the cameras had already recorded-over that segment due to a faulty retention setting. We recovered enough from a backup, but it taught me to treat every minute like it matters.
Photographs anchor everything. Use your phone’s wide and standard lenses and shoot more than you think you need. Start with the vehicles in their final positions, then capture close-ups of damage, skid marks, yaw marks, and debris fields. Photograph the ceiling height, the lighting fixtures, and any blackout bulbs. Look for fresh tire dust where the other driver might have braked or cut the wheel. If water pooled from recent rain or from pipes, document it. Take a series down the ramp in both directions to show slope and visibility. Snap the mirrors that show around corners, the convex domes, and any painted warnings like SLOW, ONE WAY, or YIELD. Then take the signs at the entrance, the posted speed limit, clearance warnings, and the ticket machine language. Those details seem trivial until an insurer argues you were driving against arrows you never saw.
Gather witnesses while they are fresh. Ask for names, phone numbers, and a sentence or two of what they saw. If they are rushed, offer to text them and let them reply when free. Do not coach, just capture. If the other driver is present, exchange insurance and license details, and photograph those documents rather than transcribing by hand. Note the plate number and the vehicle’s VIN plate at the base of the windshield. If the driver is a gig worker or in a company-branded vehicle, document the badge, app, or employer decals. Commercial policies and employer liability can dramatically change recovery options.
File a report with garage security if available. Ask for the incident number and the security supervisor’s name. If a police response is delayed or declined due to no injuries, request an online or station report within 24 hours. In many states, a collision report is required if property damage crosses a threshold, commonly five hundred to twenty-five hundred dollars. You will not know the true figure, but err on the side of filing.
Why garages rewrite the rules of fault
On the street, fault often flows from right-of-way rules and traffic controls. In garages, the environment is manufactured and private. The operator’s design and maintenance choices affect visibility and driver behavior. That matters to liability. I have analyzed garage collisions where car accident claims lawyer fault was split 70-30 because a convex mirror was installed at a height that only benefited SUVs, leaving compact drivers blind on approach. In others, a steep downward spiral combined with polished concrete created a friction coefficient too low to stop a vehicle in time, even at ten miles per hour.
Comparative negligence frameworks apply in most jurisdictions. If both drivers contributed to the collision, recovery reduces proportionally. The argument in a garage often turns on who had the directional right of way, whether either driver was backing, and how the design affected foreseeability. Backing claims are common. Insurers love to assign blame to a driver reversing from a space, but that is not automatic. If a through driver barrels past a line of parked SUVs without braking at cross aisles, a jury can easily find shared fault.
Lighting is its own battlefield. Insurers frequently deny that a lighting deficiency matters unless a bulb was entirely out. They tend to ignore low-lumen fixtures, cold-start delays, or color temperature that washes out sight lines. Photos and a quick lux reading can change the conversation. I keep a pocket light meter in my bag. You do not have to, but if you can return to the garage later, record a reading under similar conditions. Even a phone app can give a ballpark that supports an expert later.
Signage is another pivot point. I once defended a client against a claim that they drove the wrong way. The arrows were indeed pointing against my client’s path, but the entrance funnel forced drivers into a dead-end where the only exit required a brief reverse of direction. The operator had taped paper signs to remedy it, then removed them the next day. Our photos of adhesive residue on the concrete and testimony from the attendant who complained to management saved the claim.
Insurance realities when you never hit 20 mph
A low-speed collision can still cause costly damage. Bumpers house sensors. Headlight assemblies can run north of a thousand dollars. A modest crumple can total an older car when parts are scarce. Insurers sometimes treat garage collisions as minor by default, especially when air bags did not deploy. Resist the pull to minimize your own injury. Whiplash can happen at speeds in the single digits, particularly with angled impacts on ramps where gravity adds force.
If you carry collision coverage, your own insurer can pay for repairs and subrogate against the at-fault party. That often moves things faster. Deductibles become a factor. In many claims, I advise clients to get an early estimate from a reputable body shop rather than waiting on an insurer’s preferred vendor, then submit both. Keep a clean paper trail. Uninsured or underinsured motorists coverage may apply if the other driver flees or carries state-minimum limits that do not cover your losses. In garages with no ticketed entry, hit-and-run is disturbingly common. Camera retrieval becomes the hinge.
Commercial policies come into play when the other driver is working. A delivery driver on a route, a ride-hailing contractor between rides, or a maintenance truck leaving a job can open access to higher policy limits. The details matter: whether a rideshare driver was in app-on or app-off status can shift coverage between personal and commercial insurers. I have had rideshare claims denied on first pass, then paid after we pulled the company’s own logs showing pings in the driver’s app at the moment of impact.
The call to the property manager and what to ask
Do not wait long to notify the garage operator. Their cameras overwrite and their staff turnover is brisk. Ask for the manager on duty, provide the date, time window, level, and location markers, and request preservation of all footage covering fifteen minutes before and after the incident. That includes entry and exit cameras, cross-aisle domes, and ramp views. Ask specifically whether the system stores offsite or onsite, and how long clips remain before auto-delete. Then follow up with a written preservation letter by email and certified mail if time allows. Tone matters. Keep it professional and factual, not accusatory.
Request the maintenance logs for lighting and camera systems for the prior six months. Ask for incident reports in the same area. Some operators will push back, citing privacy or policy. That is fine. The request itself matters. If they later destroy or “lose” data after notice, courts in many jurisdictions allow adverse inferences. I have secured strong settlements after a property manager admitted on deposition that they purged footage while my client’s letter sat unanswered.
If you are injured, request ADA-related documents that might show the garage’s compliance efforts with lighting and signage. This is not to turn every collision into a premises liability case, but in a surprising number of events the property’s negligence serves as an independent fault source. When a garage designs a blind, double-helix ramp with polished concrete and no slow signage, and that design contributes to a crash, the garage’s insurer belongs at the table.
Medical attention that fits low-visibility injuries
People shrug off pain after garage collisions because they can still walk and talk. Then they wake up stiff, with headaches and tingling hands. The physics of angled ramps and tight turns means unusual force vectors. Cervical and lumbar soft tissue injuries are common, as are knee impacts against dashboards and shoulder strains from seat belts. If you feel any symptoms within the first 24 to 48 hours, get evaluated. Urgent care is better than waiting a week. Tell the clinician exactly what happened, including the ramp grade, seat position, and direction of force if you recall it. That detail improves diagnostic accuracy.
Follow-up care varies. Physical therapy after a low-speed collision often runs six to twelve weeks, with two to three sessions per week early on tapering off. Keep every appointment and save home exercise logs. Gaps in treatment give insurers material to question causation. If symptoms escalate or you develop numbness spreading from neck to hands or lower back to feet, ask about imaging. Many clients want to avoid scans. That is reasonable, but shared decision-making with a doctor ensures your records reflect the choice and the medical rationale.
For clients who are parents, I flag seat and booster replacements. Manufacturers often recommend replacing child restraints after any collision, even at low speeds. Save the manual or look up the guidance by model. Photograph the labels. The cost is recoverable in most claims.
How a car accident lawyer approaches the file
When my office opens a garage case, the early focus is on preserving every scrap. We send three letters within 24 hours: to the property operator, to the at-fault driver’s insurer, and to our client’s insurer. The first locks down footage and logs. The second instructs adjusters to route contact through counsel and to preserve recorded statements from their insured. The third triggers first-party benefits where available and introduces us as the point of contact.
We map the scene. A site visit pays dividends. I like to go at the same time of day, ideally within a week, to observe light and traffic patterns. I photograph the pay stations, entry gates, and posted rules of use. If there is an attendant booth, I chat politely and ask about usual traffic volume, trouble spots, and recent changes. Attendants hold institutional memory. Many will not sign statements, but their observations guide our theory.
Forensic detail flows from simple tools. A measuring wheel verifies lane widths. A smartphone inclinometer gives an approximate ramp grade. A tape measure captures the height of convex mirrors and signage. These numbers counter adjuster claims that a driver “should have seen.” On one case, our measurements showed a hairpin curve at a 9 percent grade where the inside lane was 7 feet 3 inches wide, less than recommended for two-way travel. That single fact reframed expectations of a safe speed.
We also look at vehicle data. Modern cars store crash event data even without air bag deployment, though less detail. If the case warrants, we coordinate a download. For lower-value claims, we often rely on photographs, repair estimates, and medical records to keep cost proportional. A personal injury lawyer balances the cost of proof with likely recovery. Spending two thousand dollars to prove a point in a five-thousand-dollar case does not help the client.
Statements and the temptation to fill silence
Insurers like to call early. They sound helpful and ask for your side of the story, just to “close the file.” I rarely let clients give recorded statements without counsel present. Memory hardens around what you say under stress. Even innocuous phrases become weapons. Saying “I didn’t see them” invites arguments about inattentiveness, when the real issue was a blind corner and a dark bulb. Short, factual, and guarded is better. If you already gave a statement, do not panic. We can often contextualize or correct it, especially if you moved between levels of pain or saw a doctor after the call.
Statements to the garage operator also matter. Describe, do not editorialize. Ask for their incident report and their insurance carrier. If a manager presses you to sign something, decline until you review it. I ask clients to send me anything the property presents. In one case, a garage tried to get a driver to sign a release in exchange for a week of free parking. That would have wiped out the injury claim. We stopped it and secured the footage anyway.
Repair shops, diminished value, and rental realities
Choose a repair shop you trust, not the cheapest or the insurer’s first suggestion. Direct repair programs can work fine, but their primary client is the insurer. Independent shops advocate for OEM parts and thorough alignment checks. In a ramp collision, I push for a full alignment and a suspension inspection. The side loads can bend control arms at slow speeds. If a shop finds swing-arm damage or subframe movement, insist on documentation with photos.
Diminished value matters even after proper repairs. A vehicle with a recorded collision history often sells for less. In some states, you can claim this loss, particularly when the other driver is at fault. The strongest diminished value claims involve relatively new, well-maintained vehicles with clean prior histories. We usually present market data, dealer statements, and appraisals. Insurers fight these claims, but when documented well they pay more often than most people think.
Rental coverage is a constant headache. If you have rental reimbursement on your policy, use it. If not, and the other driver is clearly at fault, push their insurer to authorize a rental immediately. They often stall, saying they need to speak with their insured. I cite the police report or the preliminary liability assessment and remind them of the duty to mitigate downstream losses. If you put a rental on your own card while liability is being sorted, keep receipts and rental agreements. A motor vehicle accident lawyer can usually recover those costs, though it can take time.
When the property owner’s negligence becomes a claim
I do not sue every garage. Most cases are simple driver versus driver. But a subset deserves a premises claim. The threshold question is whether the property’s design or maintenance created an unreasonable risk that contributed to the collision. Examples I have pursued:
- A garage with broken convex mirrors for months, documented by prior incident reports, where a side-impact collision occurred at the very junction those mirrors were meant to protect.
When a premises claim enters the mix, we add the operator and sometimes the owner to the demand. Their insurer brings different money and different defenses. They will argue that drivers should have adjusted, but they cannot escape duties to maintain reasonably safe conditions. Documenting notice is crucial. Maintenance logs, prior complaints, and staff emails make or break these claims.
Settlements and the math behind fair offers
Settling a garage collision claim pulls several levers: property damage, medical expenses, lost wages, out-of-pocket costs, and non-economic damages like pain and inconvenience. Each jurisdiction frames those differently. The negotiation dance follows a familiar path, but the evidence you gathered in the garage gives your car accident lawyer leverage. Clear photographs, preserved footage, witness contacts, and timely medical records tighten the case.
Expect the first offer to be low, especially on soft tissue claims without imaging. That is not personal. It is institutional behavior. We build a counter with a tight package: cover letter, medical summaries, bills, wage verification, photos, and an analysis of liability that includes the design and maintenance issues. If we have footage, we provide select stills and offer supervised review of the full clip to encourage a realistic valuation.
I explain ranges, not certainties. A fair settlement for a straightforward low-speed collision with six to eight weeks of therapy might live in the five-figure low end, depending on jurisdiction and policy limits. Add aggravating facts like a hit-and-run resolved by camera evidence or a commercial insured on the other side, and the number moves. Introduce fractures, surgical care, or permanent impairment, and the case jumps tiers.
What to do differently if you left without exchanging information
People leave the scene for reasonable reasons. Maybe the other driver sped off. Maybe you thought damage was minor. If you left without a report, act fast. File an online police report and notify the garage. Return to the scene if practical and photograph the area. Ask security for assistance locating footage. Your own insurer should be told within the window specified in your policy, often as soon as reasonably possible. This preserves uninsured motorist and med-pay options.
Consider canvassing. In garages attached to residential buildings, residents often park in the same zone nightly. A simple, polite flyer with your contact details and the time window yields surprising returns. I have had neighbors text grainy but usable photos of a fleeing car’s plate from six levels up. If canvassing leads nowhere, we sometimes hire a licensed investigator for a limited sweep, capped in hours and budget. If the costs near the value of the claim, we pull back. A road accident lawyer’s job includes telling you when to stop digging.
The one-page action list to keep in your glove box
Use a short checklist when stress hits. Print this, fold it, and tuck it next to your registration.
- Safety first: move to a safe spot, hazards on, call 911 if anyone is hurt or if vehicles are disabled. Photograph everything: positions, damage, signage, lighting, mirrors, ramps, entrance signs, and tickets. Exchange information: licenses, insurance cards, plates, VINs, employer or gig details if applicable, and witness contacts. Notify the property: ask for incident report number and request camera preservation for the time and area. Seek care: if you feel pain, get evaluated within 24 to 48 hours and describe the mechanics of the collision.
How to choose the right advocate for a garage collision
Not every car accident attorney handles parking structure nuance well. Ask pointed questions. How many garage cases have they resolved in the last two years? Do they know how long local operators retain footage? Do they have experience with premises claims layered onto motor vehicle collisions? Can they explain comparative negligence in your state without hedging? You want a car crash lawyer who will get their shoes dusty on a site visit, not just email demands.
Fee structures matter. Most car accident attorneys work on contingency, taking a percentage of recovery plus case expenses. Ask for clarity on the percentage at each stage, pre-suit and post-filing. Ask how they decide whether to hire experts, and how those costs impact your net recovery. A transparent car injury lawyer will show you the math with actual numbers. On a twenty-thousand-dollar settlement with a third fee and two thousand in expenses, your net after reimbursed medical bills might land between eleven and fourteen thousand, depending on liens and reductions. You should see those projections early, not at the end.
Communication style is as important as pedigree. You want a vehicle accident lawyer who returns calls, shares updates, and listens when you describe pain patterns or missed work. Some firms lean volume. Others keep caseloads lean to allow hands-on work. There is no single right choice, but fit affects outcomes. Clients who feel heard tend to follow through on care plans and evidence gathering, which strengthens claims.
The long tail: what to save and how to protect yourself
Even after settlement, hold onto your file for at least three years. Keep digital copies of photos, estimates, bills, treatment notes, and correspondence. If your injuries flare months later, these records help a new provider connect care to the collision. Keep the security manager’s contact details and any footage access logs. If you replaced child seats, keep the receipts and the old seat’s model information until the claim closes.
Update your own coverage. After a garage event, many clients realize they lacked rental reimbursement or had a high collision deductible. Consider increasing uninsured and underinsured motorist limits. If you own a newer vehicle, check your policy for OEM parts endorsements. A few dollars per month can protect against aftermarket parts substituting into a complex repair.
Finally, recalibrate your own garage habits. Slow to a crawl at cross aisles. Cover the brake pedal on spirals. Use your horn lightly when line of sight is blocked. Park farther from elevators if that keeps you clear of the busiest zones. These are unglamorous habits, but they spare you from learning the hard way why a traffic accident lawyer like me obsesses over lux levels and ramp grades.
When you need legal assistance, do not wait
The early hours set the tone. A seasoned car lawyer can prevent common mistakes, preserve evidence, and position your claim for fair resolution. Whether you think you need a motor vehicle accident lawyer, a personal injury lawyer, or a collision attorney who understands premises overlap, make the call before the footage cycles and the adjuster’s narrative hardens. Smart moves now make the difference between a frustrating fight and a measured path to repair, recovery, and closure.
If you are reading this after a hit in a parking garage, breathe, follow the action list, and reach out to a trusted car wreck lawyer or vehicle injury attorney when you are ready. The concrete and steel of a garage do not care about your story. The record you build will.