Car Knocks Down Pedestrian

Transcript: A car knocks you down in a store parking lot, nobody calls the police, but now you are hurting and decide to call an attorney.

Hi, I’m Indiana Personal Injury Attorney David Holub.

Just what are your legal rights if the police don’t come out and make a report where, as a pedestrian, you get knocked-down by a car?

This question comes up often. People who get knocked down, or fall, are often too embarrassed to report the incident. Also, when adrenaline is flowing, it can mask the severity of an injury. People think they will quickly heal if they just go home and rest.

First, it’s common to suffer a trauma that appears to be minor only to find that hours or days later there is a serious injury. Doctors tell us that it can take two weeks for injuries to appear following a trauma.

Second -Don’t feel that all is lost just because the police were not called. Obtaining a police report to document an incident, even if you are unsure if you are hurt, is important. But if you don’ t have a report all may not be lost.

Third, even with no police report, you still may be able to make a case.We have found that with the low cost of security cameras, in many parking lots at grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, shopping centers, and the like, there will be video footage showing the incident involving the knockdown or fall of the pedestrian.

Video can be just enough to allow an attorney to track down the responsible party. We had a case recently where a driver at a gas station backed up and bumped another car parked at the pump. In doing so it knocked down a fellow pumping gas into his car.

The driver that caused the knocked down drove away, but we were able to identify him via a video camera and purchase records.

Typically, there is a time and date stamp on a video. Sometimes it’s possible to see a license plate on a video. Store records can be checked to who was involved in a transaction. Credit or debit card records can lead to the names of individuals who were present at the time of an incident. Even your own purchase receipt can help show when you were at a store.

This information can be cross referenced against the cameras inside the store at the cash registers. If your attorney shows you the video you may be able to identify the driver of the car standing in the checkout line before the incident.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you have questions about your legal rights involving a personal injury claim, please give us a call at (219) 736-9700.