Joanie was at the grocery store. She had her sweet little kiddos and a cart full of groceries. As she exited the store, she first put her kids in their car seats. As luck would have it, a gust of wind came along and took that heavy, grocery-packed cart across the parking lot into another car denting the side panel. Yikes. What is Joanie to do?
Joanie caused property damage to someone else’s property. So, she should report it to her carrier and let the claim’s adjuster contact the other party. They can handle it from there.
What if a random runaway cart hits your car? Or what if the person who was handling the cart, has now left the scene? This is often treated as a hit-and-run accident. In those cases, there is no other driver to be held liable, so your own insurance typically kicks in. Of course, you need to have physical damage coverages on your vehicle for there to be any coverage. When this type of accident occurs, it typically is covered under your collision coverage.
Isn’t the store or parking lot owner responsible? Typically if your car is parked in a lot and a shopping cart hits it, the owner of the property can’t be held liable for the damages in most cases. In a parking lot, it’s typically fair to say that a store has taken reasonable measures when they have posted warning signs and installed cart corrals all throughout the lot. As long as the carts are cleared from the corrals on a regular basis, the store could argue that it’s fulfilled its duty to protect its customers from foreseeable events like shopping cart damage.
Since there’s a duty to protect, stores can be held liable for damage to your property if reasonable safety measures are not taken.
No matter the situation, It’s in your best interest to talk to your agent about filing a claim. They can walk you through the nuances of the situation and the claims process.
If you have any questions about this, want to learn more, or would like a quote for insurance, please feel free to reach out to us. We are here to help however we can. (603) 273-0953, or keslarinsurance.com.
