What Happens If You Crash Into a Storefront?

Let’s say you are pulling into a parking spot in front of a local café. Maybe your foot slips. Maybe your iced coffee spills and distracts you. Next thing you know – boom – your car is inside someone’s storefront, and that latte order just turned into a claim.

It happens more often than you’d think. According to the Storefront Safety Council, over 100 storefront crashes happen every single day in the U.S.

So now what?

Table Of Contents

What Happens If You Crash Into a Storefront?

Will Your Auto Insurance Cover the Damage?

Short answer: yes – if you have the right coverage.

Let’s break down what types of Auto insurance may come into play:

Property Damage Liability

This covers damage to the café’s building, fixtures, furniture, and anything else you’ve unintentionally redesigned with your bumper.
Example: You accidentally drive through a window. Your Property Damage Liability portion helps pay for repairs and replacements.

Bodily Injury Liability

If someone inside (like a barista or customer) gets hurt, this coverage helps with medical expenses, lost wages, and legal costs if you are sued. This coverage can do the same for your passengers if they are seriously injured.

Caveat

Some policies might have exclusions or special rules (for example, if the passenger is a household member who is already covered under your policy or if it’s a commercial vehicle). Still, in personal Auto policies, passengers are almost always covered under BI.

Collision Coverage

This covers repairs to your car (minus your Deductible), even when the accident is your fault. If your front end went through a brick wall, this is what will help you fix it.

Rental Reimbursement (RR) Coverage

So your car went through a wall, and now it’s in the shop for a week (or more). How are you supposed to get around? If you added Rental Reimbursement (RR) Coverage to your Auto policy, you are in luck.

Example: While your car is getting repaired from that surprise café entrance, RR coverage helps cover the cost of a rental so you can still get to work, run errands, or avoid becoming besties with your neighbor’s 20-year-old station wagon.

Just remember: It has daily and total limits (e.g., $40 per day for up to 30 days).

Did You Know?

Many drivers assume their insurance automatically pays for a rental after an accident, but that’s only true if you’ve added RR coverage to your policy.
Read more about how Rental Reimbursement coverage works here.

Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay) or Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

These cover medical costs for you and your passengers, regardless of who was at fault.
Example: You and a friend are in the car, and both get whiplash. MedPay or PIP helps with ER visits, X-rays, and follow-ups.

What If Your Policy Limits Aren’t Enough?

Here’s the scary part – if the costs exceed your Auto insurance limits, you could be personally liable for the rest.

Imagine:

$85,000 in property damage
$120,000 in combined medical bills and legal fees
And your policy only covers $50,000 in property damage and $100,000 in bodily injury.

Guess who’s covering the difference?

That’s where an Umbrella policy becomes a financial lifesaver. For a relatively low annual premium, it can provide a significant boost in protection over your standard Auto and Home policies.

You can choose a limit starting at $1MM.

What to Do After the Crash

Check for injuries and call 911
Exchange info with the business owner (yes, just like a regular car accident)
Document the scene with photos and notes
File a claim with your auto insurance ASAP
Cooperate with your insurance company and any police or adjuster involved

Can You Be Sued?

Yes. If the damage or injuries exceed your policy limits – or if you weren’t insured properly – the business and injured people have the right to take legal action. That’s why it’s so important to have adequate coverage, including the Umbrella policy as a backup.

Final Thought: Accidents Happen – Be Ready

No one plans to crash into a building (at least, we hope not). But if it happens, the last thing you want is to deal with the damage and a financial nightmare.

Protect yourself by:

Carrying high enough liability limits
Including Collision and Medical coverage
Adding an Umbrella policy for peace of mind

Curious about how the business handles the crash on their side? Read how businesses protect themselves from storefront crashes.