Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Sorry for the essay, it's late and I'm distraught.
My car is a 2012 Mazda, nothing special. Parked it in the city for two hours, and noticed a different vehicle parked behind me when I got back after dinner. I also noticed a huge dent on the corner of my rear bumper with some white streaks and at the same height of the white car behind me. I can't help but assume this person hit my car while trying to parallel park. What boggles my mind is why they would still park their car behind me if they did hit it..I imagine most people (assuming they didn't want to be identified as the perpetrator) would drive off. The other car is fairly old (late 80s) and has a rubber bumper, and upon inspection it looked like like they hit something very recently (e.g., my car).
Anyway, I have a strong suspicion this vehicle is the one that hit mine. I took a bunch of pictures at many angles, and called up my insurance company on the spot. They asked me for the plate, and since it was a vanity plate it wasn't much help. They didn't have access to the DMV vanity plate system I guess -- from what I can tell most databases like this don't. I checked Autocheck and CarFax and while they can look up plates, they can't look up vanity plates. The driver conveniently plated a sun shade over their VIN, so I couldn't pull that either.
My insurance company called me back a few minutes later and told me that in order to find out who hit my car (I'm in CA), I'd have to fill out a form with the DMV and the driver would get a notification with my information and why I asked for it. Or I could hire a PI to do it on my behalf. After all that, the driver could still deny they hit my car, and I would basically waste all my time doing this for nothing. I can't imagine a driver admitting to hitting someone's car unless they felt very guilty. Which of course they should have left a note to begin with.
My deductible is high ($1k) as I'd rather have savings through insurance payments, so if the driver denies any wrongdoing, I'd have to pay out of pocket if I wanted it fixed. I spent about two hours and was able to pull the entire bumper off and get most of the bump out, save for a couple of crease marks which will never go away. It's all cosmetic (like most fender benders), and honestly, it doesn't bother me enough to want to get it fixed. My bumper has been hit before, though not this bad, and it was estimated to cost $900 to replace about 4 years ago. I imagine it's much cheaper now.
I'd probably spend 3-4 hours trying to chase this down, and I would very likely get nothing out of it. Worst case the person could be a maniac and would have my name and address and hunt me down. Am I being too pessimistic/paranoid? Should I try fighting this for the sake of principle?
My car is a 2012 Mazda, nothing special. Parked it in the city for two hours, and noticed a different vehicle parked behind me when I got back after dinner. I also noticed a huge dent on the corner of my rear bumper with some white streaks and at the same height of the white car behind me. I can't help but assume this person hit my car while trying to parallel park. What boggles my mind is why they would still park their car behind me if they did hit it..I imagine most people (assuming they didn't want to be identified as the perpetrator) would drive off. The other car is fairly old (late 80s) and has a rubber bumper, and upon inspection it looked like like they hit something very recently (e.g., my car).
Anyway, I have a strong suspicion this vehicle is the one that hit mine. I took a bunch of pictures at many angles, and called up my insurance company on the spot. They asked me for the plate, and since it was a vanity plate it wasn't much help. They didn't have access to the DMV vanity plate system I guess -- from what I can tell most databases like this don't. I checked Autocheck and CarFax and while they can look up plates, they can't look up vanity plates. The driver conveniently plated a sun shade over their VIN, so I couldn't pull that either.
My insurance company called me back a few minutes later and told me that in order to find out who hit my car (I'm in CA), I'd have to fill out a form with the DMV and the driver would get a notification with my information and why I asked for it. Or I could hire a PI to do it on my behalf. After all that, the driver could still deny they hit my car, and I would basically waste all my time doing this for nothing. I can't imagine a driver admitting to hitting someone's car unless they felt very guilty. Which of course they should have left a note to begin with.
My deductible is high ($1k) as I'd rather have savings through insurance payments, so if the driver denies any wrongdoing, I'd have to pay out of pocket if I wanted it fixed. I spent about two hours and was able to pull the entire bumper off and get most of the bump out, save for a couple of crease marks which will never go away. It's all cosmetic (like most fender benders), and honestly, it doesn't bother me enough to want to get it fixed. My bumper has been hit before, though not this bad, and it was estimated to cost $900 to replace about 4 years ago. I imagine it's much cheaper now.
I'd probably spend 3-4 hours trying to chase this down, and I would very likely get nothing out of it. Worst case the person could be a maniac and would have my name and address and hunt me down. Am I being too pessimistic/paranoid? Should I try fighting this for the sake of principle?
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Why didn't you call the police and get them to do a report right there? The car was right there. It just seems so obvious and easy. What am I missing?
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
For multiple reasons:
1) I needed to pick up my kids (had dinner with friends) and they were cranky as heck. I didn't have 30 minutes to wait for an officer to arrive.
2) I have a friend that was a cop in the city for a while, and he said unless someone is hurt, they won't come onsite anyway.
3) The city has an online form to submit police reports, which is also used for hit and run situations such as mine. So even if I called them up, they likely would have referred me to this online form anyway.
1) I needed to pick up my kids (had dinner with friends) and they were cranky as heck. I didn't have 30 minutes to wait for an officer to arrive.
2) I have a friend that was a cop in the city for a while, and he said unless someone is hurt, they won't come onsite anyway.
3) The city has an online form to submit police reports, which is also used for hit and run situations such as mine. So even if I called them up, they likely would have referred me to this online form anyway.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
+1. You're making assumptions but you didn't call the police.*3!4!/5! wrote:Why didn't you call the police and get them to do a report right there? The car was right there. It just seems so obvious and easy. What am I missing?
Let your insurance deal with it, and if you are subject to a deductable that is higher than the damage, then deal with it out of pocket.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
If it doesn't bother you enough to fix it, I would just let it go. Life is too short to try and avenge every injustice.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
+1Goal33 wrote:Let your insurance deal with it, and if you are subject to a deductable that is higher than the damage, then deal with it out of pocket.
Isn't that why you have an insurance company? They are more efficient at pursuing this possible claim than you are.
Last edited by celia on Sun Jul 23, 2017 4:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I value my time @ $250/hour. I would never bother doing anything unpleasant, like chasing the character who drives a battered car, unless I had close to 100% probability of success and close to nil probability of damage to my body (never mind the car body!). You can afford a $1k deductible on your policy. Figure out how much your time is worth. I suspect close to my yardstick?
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Seems almost impossible to prove even if you found them.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
The purpose of catching them is not to get compensated, but to get them in trouble with the law.
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Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I think it really depends on the officer who sees the report if they will chase it down.
Long story short, rear-ended on the freeway a few years back. We exchanged info, as I was talking to the police inside my car (too loud on freeway), other driver grabbed the top sheet of my notepad with his info and took off.
State trooper arrived and based on the imprint on the next page, we were able to get name and address. He visited multiple times and tracked him down. At the end, it was worthless and the guy lived in a filthy trailer, had no insurance and was borrowing a friend's car who also had no insurance.
**Are you sure your deductible applies in this case? I don't remember having to pay one for a tiny little bumper ding that was about $950 in damage.
Long story short, rear-ended on the freeway a few years back. We exchanged info, as I was talking to the police inside my car (too loud on freeway), other driver grabbed the top sheet of my notepad with his info and took off.
State trooper arrived and based on the imprint on the next page, we were able to get name and address. He visited multiple times and tracked him down. At the end, it was worthless and the guy lived in a filthy trailer, had no insurance and was borrowing a friend's car who also had no insurance.
**Are you sure your deductible applies in this case? I don't remember having to pay one for a tiny little bumper ding that was about $950 in damage.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
At this point, I would not pursue it as it is not worth the trouble.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Unfortunately, I don't think they'd get in that much trouble. And unless there was a witness, they could always say "it wasn't me". Being a responsible member of society is sometimes burdensome. That's why so many people choose not to be one. I would also be mad about it, but there's really nothing you can do.*3!4!/5! wrote:The purpose of catching them is not to get compensated, but to get them in trouble with the law.
I’d trade it all for a little more |
-C Montgomery Burns
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Save yourself stress and let it go. In my experience the police are not interested in what they consider minor crimes. (Years ago someone broke into my apartment and stole various electronics. He or she left an entire dirty hand print on a white door, and the police had no interest in doing anything, even though I would guess the odds are 100% that would be in their database.) Also, at least in my experience, they have no interest in accidents unless there are injuries.
It kind of makes me wonder why we have laws. Someone could set up a profitable business as a minor criminal and never wind up in jail.
It kind of makes me wonder why we have laws. Someone could set up a profitable business as a minor criminal and never wind up in jail.
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Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
That has been my experience as well. I got into a small accident and they told me that they don't even come out to investigate unless it is a serious accident or someone has been injured.mouses wrote: Also, at least in my experience, they have no interest in accidents unless there are injuries.
For the OP, the other option is go down to the police station and fill out an accident report. My insurance won't even do anything until they had an accident report.
I do agree though if it wasn't a big deal I would just forget about it. Life is too short to worry about stuff like this.
Good luck.
"The stock market [fluctuation], therefore, is noise. A giant distraction from the business of investing.” |
-Jack Bogle
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
My wife was involved in a hit and run last fall. A guy ran into the back of her. He did stop but when my wife went back to her car to get something to write with, the guy jumped in his car and took off. We called our insurance company and filed a police report but didn't have a plate number so there was not much they could do.
Because it was a hit and run, it was covered under comprehensive, not collision which in our case had a much lower deductible of $250. The insurance adjuster cut us a check for $500 ($750 estimate - $250 deductible), we got it repaired for $600 and so we were only out around $100.
I'd check with insurance to confirm your deductible on comprehensive is the same as collision. Then decide if it worth the time and trouble to try to collect from the other party. One other thing I will add based on experience with aging parents and the fact that this was an older car is that it may have been driven by someone elderly who didn't even realize they hit your car.
Because it was a hit and run, it was covered under comprehensive, not collision which in our case had a much lower deductible of $250. The insurance adjuster cut us a check for $500 ($750 estimate - $250 deductible), we got it repaired for $600 and so we were only out around $100.
I'd check with insurance to confirm your deductible on comprehensive is the same as collision. Then decide if it worth the time and trouble to try to collect from the other party. One other thing I will add based on experience with aging parents and the fact that this was an older car is that it may have been driven by someone elderly who didn't even realize they hit your car.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I don't believe the insurance company would pursue this for the amount of money involved.celia wrote:+1Goal33 wrote:Let your insurance deal with it, and if you are subject to a deductable that is higher than the damage, then deal with it out of pocket.
Isn't that why you have an insurance company? They are more efficient at pursuing this possible claim than you are.
The OP shouldn't waste his time on this either - no matter how much effort is put in nothing is likely to come of it.
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Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I agree with the consensus that you should let it go. I am not minimizing the incident - if it happened to me I would be upset also, but I don't think there are any useful paths forward.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
There's nothing actionable here especially if you don't think it needs to be repaired and it doesn't seem like you are questioning your choice of the $1K deductible.
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I would let it go.
Not worth your time and aggravation, especially since the odds of successfully proving fault are slim.
Not worth your time and aggravation, especially since the odds of successfully proving fault are slim.
Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Insurance rules vary by state. In my state hit and run falls under your uninsured motorist coverage, which may have a different deductible and also doesn't "count against" you in terms of your insurance rates.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I did some Googling, but I'm unable to find specific laws in, for example, NYC that say you are allowed to hit the person's car while parking. However, word on the street is that there is a 5 mph allowance. Nearly everybody in the city has bumper guards (front and rear), and you tell NYC cars by how torn up their bumpers are (or by the black scrape marks on their bumper guards).
You have all of my sympathies, but if this happened in or near a particularly dense urban area, then maybe it helps explain the person's behavior.
You have all of my sympathies, but if this happened in or near a particularly dense urban area, then maybe it helps explain the person's behavior.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Unless the driver of the other car admits that he hit your car it's game over. You'd need a video tape or an eye witness. Without an injury, the police probably would not investigate further. Let it go.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
It's not worth pursuing because identifying them is unlikely to have any real consequences or effects at all.
There's a reason parts of an automobile are called "bumpers" and "fenders". Sounds like yours served its purpose. What's crazy is that bumpers don't offer protection like they used to when they were made of chromed steel. Blame the automobile manufacturer, not the other driver.
There's a reason parts of an automobile are called "bumpers" and "fenders". Sounds like yours served its purpose. What's crazy is that bumpers don't offer protection like they used to when they were made of chromed steel. Blame the automobile manufacturer, not the other driver.
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Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
We had a fist size dent in a rear bumper. I Googled for 'removing a dent in a bumper', found a YouTube video, watched that. In 5 minutes with a hair dryer the hot air and a little help from behind the plastic bumper dent popped out. You might want to touch that up with a little spray paint and wax, if it was scratched. That was a lot less effort than going via insurance company, police and lawyers.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
On the road for work I pulled into a parking spot at a store, the guy in the car next to me started backing out about the same time I stopped. He turned the wheel too hard and scratched my rear passenger door with his bumper. Store video surveillance shows the whole thing. Cops were called. Cops showed up. Guy had alcohol on his breath, no proof of insurance, expired tags, and "didn't have his license on him". The frontage road for the store was "not city property" and the accident happened on private property. Therefore the nice Alabama cop recorded the information for a "property damage report" and the guy who hit my car drove away to his hotel (on the same frontage road) and no tickets were given.
What do you think is going to happen if you manage to track down the guy who "maybe", "allegedly", was "probably" the person who scratched your car with his?
What do you think is going to happen if you manage to track down the guy who "maybe", "allegedly", was "probably" the person who scratched your car with his?
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
To clarify a few things:
The bump was pretty big. About the quarter size of a basketball dented in. I got it down mostly to look normal now and won't be pursuing anything (unless of course my insurance company decides to move forward). There are still scratches, but not enough to make me want to repaint or anything. About three 6 inch long scratches from the other car's bumper.
Overall the damage is probably in the $1k range, assuming they'd have to replace the bumper, since it's probably cheaper than trying to repair it at this point.
I'm not kidding when I say I'm confident the car behind me hit mine. Their damage and my damage correlate really, really well. Paint colors traded, height of the dent etc.. I was able to look up the owner of the vehicle (thanks to their vanity plate and business website; which of course is not good enough for insurance purposes) and if's the same person, they are old enough where they might not have even known they hit me..
Again, I don't really care at this point. If I did, I probably would have waited around for the police and maybe even wait for the other driver to come back.
The bump was pretty big. About the quarter size of a basketball dented in. I got it down mostly to look normal now and won't be pursuing anything (unless of course my insurance company decides to move forward). There are still scratches, but not enough to make me want to repaint or anything. About three 6 inch long scratches from the other car's bumper.
Overall the damage is probably in the $1k range, assuming they'd have to replace the bumper, since it's probably cheaper than trying to repair it at this point.
I'm not kidding when I say I'm confident the car behind me hit mine. Their damage and my damage correlate really, really well. Paint colors traded, height of the dent etc.. I was able to look up the owner of the vehicle (thanks to their vanity plate and business website; which of course is not good enough for insurance purposes) and if's the same person, they are old enough where they might not have even known they hit me..
Again, I don't really care at this point. If I did, I probably would have waited around for the police and maybe even wait for the other driver to come back.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I hope their next accident is not more serious.t60 wrote:... they are old enough where they might not have even known they hit me...
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Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
Difficult to prove what you did not see happen. In the absence of witness coming forward or video of accident there is absolutely nothing you can do except let karma take its course. If it was an old person they may have no idea they did any damage and if it was an uncaring unethical d-bag I guarantee you that they are already living a life of justifiable punishment just by dint of having to live with themselves and who they really are when no one is looking.
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
That works out to ~ 7 cents/second. So, for example, if it would take a grand total of 4 seconds to see a quarter on the ground, stop your forward progress, take a quick look around, pick it up, then put it in your pocket and resume motion - that means you would be 'out' 3 cents, a losing proposition.msk wrote:I value my time @ $250/hour....
David
"Money will not make you happy. And happy will not make you money." - Groucho Marx
Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
What do you wish to achieve? Fix your bumper for free? Insurance (hit/run) might apply. Get the fellow in trouble? maybe. Help society? Maybe. Tracking down someone down on their luck doesn't really help much, IMO. It does give police a reason to look into the driver, and its possible he was a criminal, in which case it might do more good. Anyway, it's up to you, but given what's passed and relative minor damage, I'd let it go now.runner3081 wrote:I think it really depends on the officer who sees the report if they will chase it down.
Long story short, rear-ended on the freeway a few years back. We exchanged info, as I was talking to the police inside my car (too loud on freeway), other driver grabbed the top sheet of my notepad with his info and took off.
State trooper arrived and based on the imprint on the next page, we were able to get name and address. He visited multiple times and tracked him down. At the end, it was worthless and the guy lived in a filthy trailer, had no insurance and was borrowing a friend's car who also had no insurance.
**Are you sure your deductible applies in this case? I don't remember having to pay one for a tiny little bumper ding that was about $950 in damage.
+1Kenkat wrote:I'd check with insurance to confirm your deductible on comprehensive is the same as collision. Then decide if it worth the time and trouble to try to collect from the other party. One other thing I will add based on experience with aging parents and the fact that this was an older car is that it may have been driven by someone elderly who didn't even realize they hit your car.
Another dilemma. If it were someone who didn't realized they caused damage, would tracking them down to recover compensation be the main driving motivation or getting a dangerous driver off the road? And if it was just an irresponsible driver, would you be more or less inclined to purse the matter? So if you're on the fence on the matter, take action for everyone else's sake!
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Re: Would you chase down this possible hit and run lead?
I didn't care about helping society, but yes, I feel people need to be responsible for their actions. Ultimately, I did nothing and the guy turned himself in and ended up with some ticket, I believe.inbox788 wrote:What do you wish to achieve? Fix your bumper for free? Insurance (hit/run) might apply. Get the fellow in trouble? maybe. Help society? Maybe. Tracking down someone down on their luck doesn't really help much, IMO. It does give police a reason to look into the driver, and its possible he was a criminal, in which case it might do more good. Anyway, it's up to you, but given what's passed and relative minor damage, I'd let it go now.runner3081 wrote:I think it really depends on the officer who sees the report if they will chase it down.
Long story short, rear-ended on the freeway a few years back. We exchanged info, as I was talking to the police inside my car (too loud on freeway), other driver grabbed the top sheet of my notepad with his info and took off.
State trooper arrived and based on the imprint on the next page, we were able to get name and address. He visited multiple times and tracked him down. At the end, it was worthless and the guy lived in a filthy trailer, had no insurance and was borrowing a friend's car who also had no insurance.
**Are you sure your deductible applies in this case? I don't remember having to pay one for a tiny little bumper ding that was about $950 in damage.
This was years ago, I did use my insurance to fix the bumper. Didn't have much of a choice, the paint had spider-web like cracking that was getting worse quickly after the accident (this was back when I actually about how my car looked, now, well someone backed into me last month, cracked my bumper and I told them don't worry about it)