Someone hit my car and ran, what to do?

lexeeebear

lexeeebear

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 17, 2005
Messages
19
Location
los angeles
Hi, this just happened an hour ago. I was sitting in my car parked on the street talking on the phone, and another car came speeding down the street, which is curvy. Anyway all of a sudden i heard a crash and my car shook, and i was like, fuck, someone hit my car! It took my mirror clear off. Anyway, maybe the driver didn't see that i was in the car (it was starting to get dark) because he or she slowed down for a moment then took off.

i'm pretty sure i got the license number, and i know it was a blue honda accord, but my question is: what do i do from here? do i call the police or the insurance company first? Then i want to know: what happens after that? How do they track the car down, do they call them? Go to their house? How long does it take? Do they get arrested, do I have to confront them (i hate confrontation)?

One more question: let's say the license number is wrong, is it worth the trouble of calling insurance, or should i just pay for the damage on my own (the only thing that was damaged was the mirrror coming off)

thanks everyone, i know this is a pain in the ass post but i'v never had to call insurance for anything so i'm nervous and i wanted some advice.


thank you!!!

lex
 
if u have the whole plate # ur fine, call insurance and cops ( who's first doesnt matter) there will not be any " confrontation" so u should be fine, the fact that u know the type of car makes it a whole lot easier. so id say just call ur insurance first, u should be fine , good luck :D
 
Call the police. They will most likely ask you if you are positive that you have the correct license plate number -- because running a plate and/or confronting the wrong person can lead to problems. However, since you have the model and color of the car, then hopefully this can be used for verification purposes -- depending on how technologically advanced your locality is. Call your insurance company after you have called law enforcement. Leaving the scene of an accident is pretty serious. Let us know how this turns out. There is no reason you should have to pay a deductible for this.
 
Thanks guys! I didn't know it was so serious because I see cars all the time around here that have their mirrors knocked off, so i figured cars did it all the time! I dunno, I don't want the other person to get in serious trouble, I just want them to pay for their mistake! I appreciate the help, i think it will work out, i'm feeling better about it!
 
Try to call the guy, if its possible. Get him to pay you the money, and in return, do not call the cops or insurance. You can surely get much more money this way, as people are willing to pay extra to make sure insurance and cops aren't involved.

Who knows, maybe the guy had a suspended license, or probation, no license at all, extremely high insurance, et cetera. There's millions of reasons why he would pay you an extra thousand to keep it between just the two of you.
 
^
it was a hit and run. it doesn't sound like the guy left his phone number. there's no reason to complicate this and turn it into a blackmail situation, when lex is clearly not at fault.
 
No, what I explained is what you should do before calling the cops or insurance in any car accident situation. What if lex himself had probation, or a suspended license, et cetera?

I said try to call the guy, IF POSSIBLE. Maybe he knows someone who'll get him the phone number if he knows the license plate, I dont know. Maybe the guy DID leave his phone number. I'm just saying if it's possible, that would be a better option. If not, cops and insurance it is, as they can find out his phone number.
 
Assuming the guy's phone number did drop out of his car window as he swiped Lex, legally, the best advice when the victim of a hit and run still is to call the police.

When someone has committed a crime and there is an obvious legal remedy to a situation, then there is no reason to suggest an extra-legal course of action. Suppose Lex is able to discover the driver's identity and demand payment. What if the driver refuses? Now with the cover of the anonymous assailant lifted, the case becomes more difficult to prove. The driver could now more easily claim that he did stop and identify himself as evident in Lex's confronting him. Or what if when Lex confronts him, the driver assaults him? It's not worth it when there is a perfectly reasonable solution.
 
I was in a hit and run accident. While the license number was not completely correct, the car brand (not model), color, and a few numbers got the right vehicle. Call the cops first, them insurance IMO.
 
Yea well legally, the best advice after you have consumed drugs is to turn yourself in, and bust your dealer.

Realistically, the best advice in this situation is try to confront the guy about this, and just make him fork over some cash. Saves time, saves you from appearing in court, saves you from cops, saves you from dealing with insurance. I'm sure the other guy has the same mind. This way, you win AND it's more convenient.

If not and the cops route must be used, you just get some money. And the whole deal probably will piss you off because your'll just have wasted a bunch of time and did a bunch of bullshit just to get your thing replaced.
 
Yea well legally, the best advice after you have consumed drugs is to turn yourself in, and bust your dealer.
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Not analogous to the present case at all.

Realistically, the best advice in this situation is try to confront the guy about this, and just make him fork over some cash. Saves time, saves you from appearing in court, saves you from cops, saves you from dealing with insurance. I'm sure the other guy has the same mind.
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Yeah, that's why he fled the scene of the accident.

Last time I checked this forum was for legal advice, not sure why these kinds of suggestions are being given.
 
Failure to report an accident is against the law in most cases. It's far easier (as well as legally binding) to let the police handle the investigation, rather than try and take care of it yourself.
 
Additionally, some insurance companies require that you call the police and notify the insur. co. of the incident within a reasonable period of time or your claim may be barred.

CreativeRandom , the advice you are offering (IMHO) borders on extortion.
 
Well I mean, if the other guy pulled over after the accident, I'm sure he'd rather fork over some cash than get insurance and cops involved.

It somewhat borders extortion, it's more like negotiation.

If YOU are in an accident with someone, it's probably better to negociate with the person and say, fork over some cash or whatever, so we don't get the insurance and cops involved. Both parties would agree, and who knows how bad a driving record, how high the insurance is, or if the person is even legally driving, on either party.

If the person is not willing to settle it man to man, cops and insurance can be called. No loss.
 
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