Car Crashes into Building

I’m David Holub, an attorney focusing on personal injury law in northwest Indiana.

Welcome to Personal Injury Primer, where we explain the law in simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss personal injury law topics.

Today’s question comes from a caller who was injured at work when a car attempting to park in front of his office building mistakenly accelerated and crashed into the building, broke through the window and wall, and seriously injured building occupants. He wanted to know his legal options.

In Indiana, drivers have a duty of care when driving, which also applies to parking a vehicle.

More specifically, Indiana law imposes a duty on drivers to exercise the care that an ordinarily prudent person would use under similar circumstances, including the duty to control a vehicle safely in all circumstances to avoid collisions.

For example, drivers must maintain a proper outlook while operating a vehicle.

Also, Indiana Code 9-21-8-23 prohibits starting or stopping a parked vehicle unless the movement can be made with reasonable safety.

In most situations, a driver’s actions in accelerating and crashing into a building will result in a finding that the driver breached the duty of care to maintain control of their vehicle and avoid collisions.

The driver in the caller’s case likely bears legal responsibility for the crash under Indiana law.

One defense might be for the driver to establish that the car mechanically malfunctioned due to a product defect with the vehicle or some other cause beyond the control of the operator.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you are a victim of someone’s carelessness, substandard medical care, product defect, work injury, or another personal injury, please call (219) 736-9700 with your questions. You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at DavidHolubLaw.com – while there, make sure you request a copy of our book “Fighting for Truth.”