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Someone hit my car and drove off

VacationForever

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I'm sorry to hear you're going through this hassle and expense. I had a similar thing happen to me a few years ago and ended up having to pay my $750 hit and run deductible. One of the features I really like on my new car is that it has a security mode (sentry mode) that allows you to record video surrounding the car whenever something comes within a few feet of it.

I hope you don't lose too much sleep over this, as for me personally getting needlessly stressed out is the worst part!
Which car has this? Thanks!
 

Talent312

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A few years ago, we parked the car on the street with a "for sale" sign. I was awakened at 2am by a young man who said that he had just hit our car. The kid seemed genuinely sorry about it. I invited him in while we waited for the police.

He claimed he had swerved to avoid a cat in the street, but proceeded to throw up in our kitchen sink. He knew one of the responding officers, so instead of doing a DUI investigation, the report showed a stick figure of a cat crossing the street.

Later that morning, got a we call from someone who had seen the car the day before and wanted to buy it. "No you don't," I told him. A couple of weeks later, the kid's insurance company totalled it for 2x our asking price.

--------------------
Then another time, while I was visiting my brother at his office in a nearby town, a young woman tried to park her car in the same spot where mine was parked. At least she had the honesty to own up to it. The receptionist knocked on the door where my brother and I were talking, and asked if I owned a red Pontiac...

.
 
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am1

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My boy backed into a car in a very tight parking lot, went in to find the person.
Wife was ok but the husband was an ass chewed him out the whole time making him feel terrible. Was about $1400 "claimed" damage they said, we paid it out of pocket as we had 2 teens driving to protect our insurance keeping it intact if something major happened..
Don't think they used the money to fix it, my boy said after that experience if he had to do it over again he would have / will drive off.
They should have praised him for doing the right thing, just can't win.

May have been an ass but hopefully if it happens again and your boy decides to drive off the long arm of the law will be after him. Hopefully he is no longer on your insurance with that attitude.
 

Free2Roam

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May have been an ass but hopefully if it happens again and your boy decides to drive off the long arm of the law will be after him. Hopefully he is no longer on your insurance with that attitude.
The "long arm of the law" rang my doorbell at 130am a couple months ago.

He said - via the Ring Doorbell - that he needed to speak with the owner of the red car out front because "his cruiser" backed into the car as he was leaving my neighbor's house (responding to what turned out to be a false alarm from her home security system.) I went to the door to chat with him for a few minutes and thanked him for alerting me... he gave me a card with a claim number and said he'd return shortly with the paperwork. I watched as he backed his cruiser the rest of the way down the street! Why he didn't just u-turn and drive forward after already backing into one car is beyond me.

I mentioned the Ring Doorbell and home security system (both with cameras) because I couldn't help but think that's why he didn't just hit and run. It could've cost him his job. Someone or something is always watching these days,
 

Brett

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I also had a similar thing happen to me years ago - a real hassle
That "sentry security mode" feature would be good (but I won't buy a Tesla to get it)
 

Big Matt

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The other big difference is that if it falls under comprehensive, a claim does not affect future insurance rates (at least that is true with my insurer). So if the damage is $1 over the deductible, there is no reason not to file a claim.

Kurt
This is great advice. Make the claim and let the insurance deal with the body shops. If it is one of the bigger ones (Allstate, Geico, State Farm) it will be a very easy process. You are entitled to a rental car also.
 

Firepath

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Not to sound ageist, there are 2 men's (large) groups, comprise mainly of older guys, which finished their rounds around lunch time and I bet it is one of the guys who hit our car while leaving after lunch. I am thinking about bringing it up to these 2 groups and see if someone will fess up.
That's exactly what I was thinking. I handled auto claims for many years and often the parking lot accidents involved elderly people who sometimes didn't even realize they'd hit anything. Often they aren't as flexible for looking behind and around. Sometimes they are so afraid of losing their ability to drive (freedom) that they are afraid to report an accident. Not that it's okay, just a different perspective.
 

VacationForever

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That's exactly what I was thinking. I handled auto claims for many years and often the parking lot accidents involved elderly people who sometimes didn't even realize they'd hit anything. Often they aren't as flexible for looking behind and around. Sometimes they are so afraid of losing their ability to drive (freedom) that they are afraid to report an accident. Not that it's okay, just a different perspective.
Yep. The word has gotten out to the pro shop guys and we got the word out to these 2 groups and see if someone owns up.
 

Luanne

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This is great advice. Make the claim and let the insurance deal with the body shops. If it is one of the bigger ones (Allstate, Geico, State Farm) it will be a very easy process. You are entitled to a rental car also.
You are entitled to a rental car, if that is included in your policy. And usually the insurance company has an amount they will pay per day, so it might not be totally covered.
 

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One more thing to check on the insurance policy is an uninsured motorist clause. Often the deductible for it is much less than collision. Contact your local agent (if you have one) or the 1800 number if you don't. I had no clue my insurance had this coverage with a deductible of only $200. Worth a shot.
 

VacationForever

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We decided not to proceed with the claim and also not file a police report, unless the repair estimate/bill goes up after the body shop takes it apart next Monday and finds that the "metal" behind the bumper and back quarter panel is affected.

Yesterday we were surprised when reading exclusions on the golf cart policy that was sold to us through our insurance carrier a week before. We were stressed for about 2 hours with many calls to this insurance company and the 3rd party company which was carrying this. We found another carrier to write a new golf cart policy with immediate effect. Within the next 10 days, we will be switching to another carrier for all of our policies - auto, home and umbrella. We don't want a claim to affect our rates with a new carrier.
 
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The same thing happened to me with a rental car (about $1,500 damage), BUT I have Chase Sapphire Reserve card and had primary auto rental insurance, thus I paid $0
 

Laurie

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This has happened to me. I found my car way down the street from where I'd parked, because the hit-&-runners rear-ended it and pushed it down the block. I did file police report and insurance claim, no one was ever charged. The car was considered "totaled" due to its age, so I was paid cash (wasn't a lot), whatever they valued at minus my deductible, and it didn't affect my insurance rates. It was a very odd feeling to find it in a different spot and see the damage.
 

Icc5

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My brother's car was hit several years ago at a light (rear ended at red light). My brother called the police who came out. The other driver had no license, no insurance. Brother's car was totaled and was told to file a law suit against the other driver. What my brother said to me is the other guy wouldn't ever have any money. The police cited him but didn't arrest. My brother's insurance offered almost nothing for the totaled car because it was several years old.This was in San Jose,California.
 
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We decided not to proceed with the claim and also not file a police report, unless the repair estimate/bill goes up after the body shop takes it apart next Monday and finds that the "metal" behind the bumper and back quarter panel is affected.

Yesterday we were surprised when reading exclusions on the golf cart policy that was sold to us through our insurance carrier a week before. We were stressed for about 2 hours with many calls to this insurance company and the 3rd party company which was carrying this. We found another carrier to write a new golf cart policy with immediate effect. Within the next 10 days, we will be switching to another carrier for all of our policies - auto, home and umbrella. We don't want a claim to affect our rates with a new carrier.
If you're planning to submit it to insurance, you should file a police report ASAP. The longer the delay, the more likely it is that if you do find out who hit you, they may not end up having to pay. Their insurance company will likely argue that with the delayed report, and no physical evidence proving what car hit yours, that the damage happened some other time.
Your insurance will also likely require a police report number to file a claim. I know mine does ( State Farm) in IL.
Also, when I was hit by an uninsured motorist on my motorcycle last July, I engaged a lawyer who settled with my insurance company for $19k and my insurance company now has a civil lawsuit against the guy that hit me.

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VacationForever

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If you're planning to submit it to insurance, you should file a police report ASAP. The longer the delay, the more likely it is that if you do find out who hit you, they may not end up having to pay. Their insurance company will likely argue that with the delayed report, and no physical evidence proving what car hit yours, that the damage happened some other time.
Your insurance will also likely require a police report number to file a claim. I know mine does ( State Farm) in IL.
Also, when I was hit by an uninsured motorist on my motorcycle last July, I engaged a lawyer who settled with my insurance company for $19k and my insurance company now has a civil lawsuit against the guy that hit me.

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We have 10 days to file a police report here.
 
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We have 10 days to file a police report here.
Illinois wants the motorist report sent to IDOT within 10 days. Police report needs to be immediate or you get cited for failure to report which can suspend your license if the police have to track you down. That's for the offender not the victim though.

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easyrider

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Bummer about your car , especially since its so new.

My hit and run story is about a woman putting makeup on while driving down a four lane road. She crossed over the line and the mirror of her car hit right above the rear tire on my suv. It left a couple of dents. At the stop light I told her to pull over into this huge parking lot. She decided to take off so I called the police. She did too. The police acted like I hit her. I told them that she hit me.

I thought she should have at least got a ticket for hit and run but I later found out she works for the city.

So I bought a dent puller and popped the dents out. Looked fine.

A year latter I received a phone call to look at a damaged house. A tree had fallen on it. I was the distributor of the product used on the exterior of this house. I was told the people were trying to sell the house and needed it repaired quickly. I went over and it was the lady that hit my suv and took off.

I told them that I was too busy and to call some one else. They did. Funny thing was the other contractor had to call me to figure out what material was used on this house. I could have ordered it and had it the next day but I was still not happy with the way this lady acted after she hit me so I never responded. Her husband called me to complain and I did tell him about how his wife had hit my suv. He remembered the broken mirror.

About four months later the contractor that was doing the repair called me. I did order the materials with a huge mark up. In a round a bout way they did pay for the dents, lol. Karma.

Bill
 

am1

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Bummer about your car , especially since its so new.

My hit and run story is about a woman putting makeup on while driving down a four lane road. She crossed over the line and the mirror of her car hit right above the rear tire on my suv. It left a couple of dents. At the stop light I told her to pull over into this huge parking lot. She decided to take off so I called the police. She did too. The police acted like I hit her. I told them that she hit me.

I thought she should have at least got a ticket for hit and run but I later found out she works for the city.

So I bought a dent puller and popped the dents out. Looked fine.

A year latter I received a phone call to look at a damaged house. A tree had fallen on it. I was the distributor of the product used on the exterior of this house. I was told the people were trying to sell the house and needed it repaired quickly. I went over and it was the lady that hit my suv and took off.

I told them that I was too busy and to call some one else. They did. Funny thing was the other contractor had to call me to figure out what material was used on this house. I could have ordered it and had it the next day but I was still not happy with the way this lady acted after she hit me so I never responded. Her husband called me to complain and I did tell him about how his wife had hit my suv. He remembered the broken mirror.

About four months later the contractor that was doing the repair called me. I did order the materials with a huge mark up. In a round a bout way they did pay for the dents, lol. Karma.

Bill

I live in a smallest town/city where everyone knows me through my wife and I struggle to remember everyone I meet. There are times I know the face but not sure if it is because I have heat with them or just know them.

Even dropping my kids off at school it is frustrating the amount of people who do not know how to drive.

A costco type store just opened an hour away and the two times I have been there people park their carts blocking the whole aisle, put their receipts away after paying but before leaving the store delaying everyone else. I suggested on the facebook page they should offer seminars on shopping at the store for all new sign ups.

I would be happy to be in that situation.
 
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