A rock shot out from someone's lawnmower and hit my 2007 Civic. What course of action will I need to take?

Question

I asked this question yesterday, but after receiving some of your responses, I'm going to add a little bit more information. To recap: Someone in the neighborhood I work in saw a little boy mowing his lawn alongside his parents' future business. The witness saw a rock fly and hit my car, denting it and causing some paint chipping. The owners of the future business were gone for the day, so I have to wait through the holiday weekend to take action (I don't know their names or have any phone numbers). Several in the last post told me to cover it with comprehensive insurance, but I've got a $500 deductible which is probably more than the cost of the repair. I'm hoping that the owners of the future business cover the costs. Many on here and in person have mentioned that their homeowners insurance can cover this, but this is at their business. Would that change matters? If the future business owners aren't willing to comply, I'm planning on contacting the police. Would that be logical?

Answer 1

I think you have to look at this in a different way.  If you were driving down the freeway and your car threw a rock up that damaged another's vehicle or cracked a windshield, would you consider yourself liable? Of course not, you had no idea the rock was there.  Was this person mowing the lawn negligent in any way?  Did they know the rock was there?  I may approach them and see what they say, as for contacting the police, I think they would consider it an act of nature..........

Answer 2

I used to work at the police department in dispatch so I know exactly what they are going to ask you when you call!  First they will want to know what you saw; you will let them know that you did not see anything and you simply heard about this from another person.  Well right there you have a problem, this story is third person which makes it immediatly lose credibility.  The person who saw the crime taking place needs to be the one to call the police.  If you saw a murder and told me about it and I called the police, dont you think they are simply going to need to talk to you not me?  It also seems a little bit extreme to be going to these lengths for a simple paint chip.  Is this a classic car? Maybe a very expensive sports car or luxury vehicle?  Unless the cost of repair is high, it is pointless to be going through all of this.  Take the vehicle in and get an estimate.  Im guessing that it would not be more than a few hundred dollars at the most.  I do not want to change the subject however, it seems like there is some underlying past animosity on your part.  Has something happened in the past to make you quickly think about possibly calling the police?  Try and speak the the person who did this, they may be willing to pay for it themselves.  Good Luck   -Alan

Answer 3

We have insurance to cover accidents.  He did not hit your car with the stone on purpose, it was an accident.

I would talk to the owners in an informative way telling them what you know, and don't mention the witness.  ONLY if they were to say  "Tough $hit" would I take them to small claims.

Answer 4

You have asked and had several answers for this same question yesterday.  ??

Answer 5

Try asking if the future business owners will pay for it. But they may not be, because after all, it's not like the kid meant to hit your car. He didn't throw the rock. It was an accident, and it's not like it was because he was being careless. These things happen.

If they won't pay for it, it hardly seems logical to call the police over a ding in a two-year-old car. I know you're angry and upset, but unless it impairs your ability to drive the car, is it really worth it to you to get involved in a legal dispute? Weigh the time and aggravation of the cost of the repair vs. a legal and/or social battle PLUS the time and aggravation of the repair.

Answer 6

My insurance covers 100 feet from my structure.  If this happened at my business, my insurance would cover it.  It shouldn't be you putting it on your insurance.  You should certainly follow up with the owner.... and yes, you can file a police report and have the witness give their name to the officer.

Answer 7

I would contact the police and get the witness to write down their account of what happened while it is still fresh in their memory.Get a record of this incident otherwise there is no proof.

I would suggest you ask the business owners to pay your $500 deductible.If they refuse then you can probley take them to small claims court.

Answer 8

yes but i would change the story to say 'I saw the little boy' not someone else... i know it's fabricating but if not then it's just heresay