Automotive electrical question

About 3-4 weeks ago, I was in an accident. Ever since then, I’ve noticed that there are three lights that never go off - the lights in the door keyholes and the light over the ingition. Typically, these lights are supposed to light up when you pull on the door handle, so you can see where to put the key in the dark. But since the accident, they’re on all the time. So I assumed there was a short somewhere.

I didn’t think too much of it, thinking that these three tiny little lights couldn’t be using much electricity. However, this evening, my car wouldn’t start, and I had to get a jump start. So, those of you knowledgeable in these things, what do you think? Is it just a coincidence that my battery crapped out right now, or should I ask the shop to track down and fix the short?

We have no way of knowing with absolute certainty that the voltage drain on the battery from the short is what caused your problem, but it definitely could have and probably did. Get it fixed.

You didnt say if the car was repaired or not since the accident. **GaryT** this is a classic example of putting two and two together. However, I will agree with you that these lights draw very little and they should not drain a good battery in one day. Its possible that the battery was/is going south and the light problem sped things up.
Get the light problem fixed and while your at it pick up a new battery.