Car collision help?

[onthetown]

Well, the inevitable has happened: I've finally managed to collide with another car. I've been driving for two years and only just got my full license this month (we have a weird graduated system but, basically, I've been able to drive on my own now for two years with some restrictions; since I hit the two-year mark this month, the restrictions have been lifted and I've "graduated" from the system). I consider myself lucky (or just careful) that I haven't gotten into anything before this.

And "this" isn't much of a situation. Basically, I was backing out of a parking spot and didn't see the guy who had parked closely behind me, just in my blind spot. Our bumpers touched with a bit of impact, just enough to feel, so we got out of our cars to see the damage.

There was none. A bit of the silver from my car had rubbed off onto his bumper (he had a darker car, so it was easy to see) and he was easily able to wipe it off. There was no denting. No other marks. My car actually looks like it got worse off from his (though just because the paint looks like more of a contrast on mine).

Still, he was understandably pissed and he did the customary rant at me about how kids shouldn't be allowed to drive (I'm 20) and didn't I see him and whatnot. I was really sorry and apologized to him, but he didn't want to hear it. He said he had been hit by 3 other cars in the same day (so who's the common denominator, here?). He took down my license plate number. I went back to sit in my car for a few minutes while he ranted to another driver who had come to see what the commotion was about, since he didn't want to speak to me. After he was finished with that guy, he screamed at me to stop sitting around and get out of the way. I pulled away and he stormed into his car and drove off.

This is the first time anything has happened to me while driving. I honestly didn't see him in my blind spot. I have a clean record on my side, but the guy claimed he was going to make me pay $2500 for a new bumper and that will destroy my insurance because I'm still a new driver.

If he does decide to press charges... can he? I got out of the car and he wouldn't let me speak and didn't want my insurance information. There was no damage to his car except for a scratch that he was able to rub off, not even a dent as far as I could see.

Maybe he was just pissed about being in the wrong place four times in a row, so I'm hoping he'll cool down... I just don't know what to expect. Part of me is waiting for the police to call to subpoena me into some grand court-and-jury affair, another part of me is telling me that he'll simply file a report and I'll get a few points on my license, and another part of me can really see him trying to get $2500 out of me for a new bumper.

Yeah. As I said, I have no idea what to expect.

[Keld Denar]

No police report? No problem.

If you get into an accident, ALWAYS insist on having the police inspect it. That way there is an impartial 3rd party to document things. Otherwise it just comes down to a spitting match of he says/she says, which usually get thrown out if to comes to something like small claims court. Most insurance companies anymore won't pay out claims if there is no police report because without it, you can just blame everything, your fault or otherwise, on some random person who hit me in a parking lot and ran off.

One thing I'd encourage everyone to do is call up an insurance company and ask some general questions about the state you live in. Different states have different rules about who pays what. Michigan, for example, is a no-fault state, which means that regardless of who hits you, your own insurance pays the bill. Because of that, premiums tend to be much higher than similar areas in other states. You can never know TOO much.

EDIT: Also, most people are lazy. They might talk a big show, but its highly unlikely this guy will ever get off his butt to actually do what he would need to do to sucessfully take you to small claims court, unless he hired a lawyer, at which point he'd never recoup the amount of money he'd spend on that lawyer going after you for $1000 in small claims court.

tl;dr - relax, its exceedingly unlikely that you'll ever hear from this again.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

@OTT, I'd contact your insurance company ASAP, explain what happened, and see what you can work out with them. By chance did you take down the guy you hit's plate number or take pictures of the damage. Those are always rather helpful. I think it's kind of funny this guy is ranting at you like only kids can do something like this. I had an elderly woman back into in a parking lot around this time last year, even with me laying on the horn. It caused $700 with of damage with a little dent in my front panel (although I couldn't open the front passenger door because of it). I would say that this will likely be entirely handled by your insurance company. Even if this guy does sue for damages, the closest you'll likely get to an actual court room is some Lawyer's office (appointed to you by your insurance company) taking your deposition of what happened.

@Keld Denar, if the accident happened in a parking lot (which sounds like it is the case here with the backing out), then there's nothing the police can/will do. The majority of the places I've been, the police will not get involved in an accident occurring on private property. So if there's no police involved to this point, there likely won't be from here on out.

[Tirian]

I'm sorry this happened, but don't sweat it. Everyone bumps fenders every once in a while. That's why they're there. You didn't commit a crime. You may or may not have to deal with an insurance claim if he decides to submit one, but that's just paperwork. If your insurance company decides that they have to pay a claim, then your rates will go up, but you're not going to be lumped in with the worst of the worst over one parking lot incident no matter how young you are.

Frankly, I don't know what to make of his claim that he's going to make you pay $2500 for no visible damage. Especially given his testimony that he was already hit three times today, how does he intend to prove that you're the one that's liable for whatever damage his car incurred over the course of the day?

What I hope you did is to get his license and insurance information as well, and if you're really on the ball the information for the witness who can corroborate your claim that you didn't do more than bump. I agree that getting a police report is always the safest thing from the point of view of your security, but folks are usually just as happy to get on with their day.

So take a deep breath.

[onthetown]

Thanks, guys. The logical side of me is starting to realize that I'm probably not going to get dragged to provincial court about this. If he had been hit by three other cars in the same day, then either he's going to file all or none of them.

I called my insurance company and they said to just wait it out and see what happens, but there's minimal chance of anything happening from this.

I'm still a bit nervous, but I somehow doubt he's going to just report one of four cars that hit him.

Edit: I didn't even think of a police report or information at the time. I don't have anything on him, but I think he has my license number. Not sure what will come of that. Still... you'd have to be pretty spiteful to only file against one car out of four...

[CrimsonAngel]

I can't wait to deal with people like that. :smallsigh:

[IonDragon]

You've been driving for two years with no accidents. I've been driving for half that with two accidents. Insurance is still affordable.

Also, a whole new bumper? Yeah right. His insurance will at most pay for his bumper to be repainted. $500 or so. If he decides to drag insurance companies into it, insist that it was his fault no matter what. You won't have to speak to him again, the insurance companies will decide who was at fault.

EDIT: He probably put on that whole show because he knows it was his fault and he wanted to intimidate you into not taking his information and putting another mark on his insurance.

[HellfireLover]

Certainly here in the UK, if you don't exchange insurance details and don't call the police to the scene, there's not a chance of being claimed upon or having charges pressed. It sounds to me like he was just having a bad day and you got in the firing line.

Bumpers get bumped. In a low speed collision, that's what they're there for - to prevent paintwork damage etc. A woman ploughed into my bumper at a roundabout a few years back and, although she was mortified at not stopping in time - her daughter was in the car with her and gave her what-for - there was no real harm done and it wasn't worth claiming on her insurance as the damage was so minimal. A bit of T-cut sorted the scratching out.

Just chill; I doubt the incident will come back to bite since he has no proof you were the one who pranged his car.

[onthetown]

You've been driving for two years with no accidents. I've been driving for half that with two accidents. Insurance is still affordable.

I barely have enough money to keep the car and make the payments as it is, but I work all the way out in the middle of nowhere so I need it to make it to work every day.

As for everything else, thanks guys... Feeling much better about this... Even if something does come from it, it couldn't be enough to screw me over too much.*

*Now something is going to come from it that will screw me over way too much.

[Doctor Acula]

If you ever get in an accident always get a police report. ALWAYS. I'm 18 and I had someone hit my car while it was parked. They dented the car but didn't leave a note. Then I went to the police, the police checked the surveillance of the mcdonalds I was at, we got his liscence plate number and he loses while I win.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

If you ever get in an accident always get a police report. ALWAYS. I'm 18 and I had someone hit my car while it was parked. They dented the car but didn't leave a note. Then I went to the police, the police checked the surveillance of the mcdonalds I was at, we got his liscence plate number and he loses while I win.

It may not be possible to get a police report, and largely depends on where you are. Many police departments will not have anything to do with an accident on private property (like a parking lot). I"m assuming since your case was a hit and run it was different. But if you have a fender bender somewhere that's not on a road, and both parties are present, all I can say is good luck getting to police to give you the time of day.

[Keld Denar]

You keep saying this, but I'm not quite sure I believe you.

If someone goes up to your house and smashes your window with a baseball bat, you call the police and they come and investigate, write a report, and then you send that report to your homeowners insurance to get money to repair it.

If someone goes onto your (private) property and smashes your car with a baseball bat, you call the police and they come and investigate, write a report, and then you send that report to your auto insurance and get money to repair it.

If someone goes onto someone elses property (say, a parking lot) and smashes your car with a baseball bat, you call the police and they come and investigate, write a report, and then you send that report to your auto insurance and get money to repair it.

Now, if someone goes onto someone elses property (say, a parking lot) and smashes your car with their car, suddenly you are not allowed to call the police to come and investigate, write a report, so you can send that report to your auto insurance and get money to repair it?

Where along that line of reasoning have I gone wrong?

[onthetown]

You keep saying this, but I'm not quite sure I believe you.

...

You don't believe that it happened or you don't believe that the other person wouldn't file a report? :smallconfused:

Anyway, around here people rarely file reports about small things like this situation. It's usually just handled by the insurance company. Pretty much anytime there's a small accident on a private property around here, it's just handled by insurance company.

Keep in mind most of us live in different countries, so there's different ways of doing things...

Also, update: my dad (who was with me at the time) just told me that he saw the other guy backing up at the same time, so we actually hit each other. Not just me hitting him. This is mildly comforting.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

Keld Denar, As I tried to state in my previous post, it's traffic accidents/collisions to which police will not respond to on private property. I've lived in 4 states and it's been more or less the same with this everywhere I've been. Now, if someone breaks into your car with a baseball bat or house, or something similar, that's would be a felony and a whole different story than an accident (Unless of course you live in Oakland CA, as due to budget cuts they've stopped responding to burglary calls

@ onthetown, Keld is referring to my post when he's saying he doesn't believe, not you.

[Seffbasilisk]

This is why I carry a camera on my belt.

Take a picture.

Without a police report, he can't really do much, if he does try to press, it's just his word verse yours (though getting some of the witnesses data might have been good, another 20/20 hindsight hindrance).

He told you he was hit by three other cars that day, so if he does try to blame it all on you, make sure to recount what he said, verbatum. STRONGLY. Don't waver on his words if you know them exact. Write them down, to keep memory fresh.

I don't think he has much of a case if he does press, and I don't think it's likely that he will, but some people are driven to make others as miserable as they are.

[arguskos]

Keld Denar, As I tried to state in my previous post, it's traffic accidents/collisions to which police will not respond to on private property. I've lived in 4 states and it's been more or less the same with this everywhere I've been. Now, if someone breaks into your car with a baseball bat or house, or something similar, that's would be a felony and a whole different story than an accident (Unless of course you live in Oakland CA, as due to budget cuts they've stopped responding to burglary calls
If we're dragging personal experience into this, I've been on the exact reverse side of this. :smalltongue:

I was in a fender bender (ie. nothing major) in a Target parking lot, and did the only smart thing: called the local cops to come and give us a police report for good measure, just in case the other guy decided to be a jerk later (he didn't, but hey, better to be safe than sorry, yeah?). They trundled out there, gave us a report, and went about their business. This was in one state. I later had a similar incident (people like hitting me :-/) in another state, and the same result. So... yeah. Just saying that this may be more location specific than previously indicated.

Can't speak to other countries, of course, and since I *think* onthetown is in Canadia, I don't know how such works there.

[Innis Cabal]

(Unless of course you live in Oakland CA, as due to budget cuts they've stopped responding to burglary calls.

It's the same way in Flagstaff, AZ. You have to file a report out at the police station if you've been robbed.

[onthetown]

Can't speak to other countries, of course, and since I *think* onthetown is in Canadia, I don't know how such works there.

We apologize profusely and go out for a cup of Tim Horton's coffee to bond over a violent hockey game played by beavers and moose. :smalltongue:

The world would be a much better place if that could happen for every situation, except maybe without the hockey.

[thubby]

always, always take pictures. without a report theres next to nothing stopping him from busting up his car more and/or pretending to be injured.

[Philistine]

As I understand it, the police in most US jurisdictions aren't empowered to write traffic tickets for incidents that take place on private property. This may be part of the reason why, in some areas, they don't respond to minor parking lot collisions.

My own experience has been more similar to PGCoD's - bendyer fender on the street, the police respond and write up a report and maybe even issue one or more tickets; bendyer fender in a parking lot, the police say "not our problem." A guy I worked with ended up out of pocket to the tune of two or three thousand dollars to repair his vehicle after a parking lot accident - the police wouldn't touch it because of the location, and his insurance wouldn't touch it without a police report.

To the OP: As others have said, without at least an incident report - a call to the police dispatcher or something of the sort - the guy has essentially no chance of sticking you for anything. In fact, he's likely to have some difficulty getting anything from your insurance company either, even moreso if he didn't bother taking down your insurance information! If all he has is your license plate number and a tale of woe about being in four fender benders in one day... yeah, it's more likely that you'll never hear anything from this clown again.

Also, $2500 to replace a bumper? What on earth was he driving?

[Brother Oni]

Certainly here in the UK, if you don't exchange insurance details and don't call the police to the scene, there's not a chance of being claimed upon or having charges pressed. It sounds to me like he was just having a bad day and you got in the firing line.

With regard to UK practices, this is incorrect.

Not exchanging details after an accident is an offence of Failing to Stop/Give Particulars. They can still claim off you if they noted down your license plate, regardless of whether you exchanged details or not (all reg numbers are centrally stored with the DVLA, so any insurance company can get to the registered keeper of the vehicle).

The police won't become involved in a simple Road Traffic Collision if there is no personal injury or damage to public property.


I agree that it sounds like the other driver is just blowng off steam and the OP was unlucky enough to get caught (the alternative is that the other driver is a complete [expletive], which is also possible). Since he's done everything he should have done except maybe get photos of the damage (I assume he did get the other driver's details), all he can do is sit and wait and see what happens.

[onthetown]

Also, $2500 to replace a bumper? What on earth was he driving?

Certainly not anything big enough to need $2500 worth of work and parts for a bumper. Cute little shiny thing. Maybe it was in disguise or something. :smalltongue:

No news is good news. Looks like this thread was just paranoia again.

[Keld Denar]

Looks like this thread was just paranoia again.

You do not have clearance to discuss Paranoia, Citizen. Please report to the nearest termination booth.

And yea, thats pretty much what I expected. Not worth his effort to chase you.

And to whoever skoffs at the idea of $2500 to repair a bumper, I leave you with this mantra: Talk is cheap until you hire a mechanic!

[TSGames]

No news is good news. Looks like this thread was just paranoia again.

That is great news! Having been in far too many accidents, myself, this guy sounds like he was being a real jerk.

Since you are new to the whole "getting into car accidents" business, I will give you a couple pieces of advice in case something like this ever happens again(hopefully it won't!).

1)Take pictures of all vehicles involved
2)Take pictures of all people involved
3)Get all contact/vehicle/insurance information that you can
4)Get a police report

Keep in mind that you don't always need a police report or even to exchange information, and in this case it sounds like you were very much benefited by a lack of a police report. However, always, always, always take pictures of both the people and the cars involved in the wreck. If you have photographic evidence, it makes it really hard for them claim extra damages that you didn't inflict. Try to take pictures of people standing up, crouching down, bending over, etc... that way if you hit someone and do no damage to their car, they will have a hard time trying to slap ridiculous medical expenses on you for back, neck, arm, or leg injuries. Camera phones are nothing but your friend after a car accident.

Anyway, I'm glad it turned out OK. I remember my first car accident at 16, and I was shakes and jitters for days! It's good to hear you've taken it so well, and I wish you great fortune in your future driving ventures.