Phoenix, Arizona, residents likely know that there are correlations between speed and the seriousness of a car accident. That doesn’t mean that serious injuries don’t occur when speed isn’t a factor in an incident. An accident involving an Arizona Wildcat student in a Chipotle Mexican Grill parking lot on Wednesday, Feb. 5, illustrates this point.
According to witnesses and police, it appears the woman was backing her SUV into a parking lot too quickly. The vehicle went over the curb and hit a bench. According to police, the bench was then pushed into the door of the restaurant, causing some minor property damage.
Three individuals sustained what one police officer called significant injuries. They were transported to a nearby hospital. Police report those injured were unable to say exactly how they were injured. One witness said the entire thing happened quickly. She saw the car back into the bench, then saw one person lying under the bench. According to the witness, ambulances arrived within minutes.
Police received the call about the incident around 1 p.m. on Wednesday. They reported that the driver also suffered injuries but refused treatment and did not want to be transported to the hospital. All injuries received during the incident were reported as non-life threatening.
When an at-fault driver causes injuries or property damage off of the roadway, police are not always able to ticket the individual. Whether or not the woman in this incident received a citation was not reported. However, lack of citation does not mean a personal injury claim doesn’t exist. When someone is injured through the actions of another person, they have a right to consider and proceed with compensation claims for medical expenses, property damage, pain and suffering and other damages.
Source: The Daily Wildcat, “Accident on University Boulevard hospitalizes three” Jazmine Foster-Hall, Feb. 05, 2014