My car got hit... by someone without insurance!?

Question

okay this is a long story but i need someones help.

i was at my best friends house today when her coke-head loser 26 year old sister hit my parked car! it has a huge dent with all these huge red scratches and the paint is all chipped and scratched.

she hit my car got out looked at it with her cell phone and proceeded to drive to work. she had no intentions of telling me until my best friends other sister got home and their next door neighbors told her what happened.

she got sent home from work because she was too distraught, and confronted my privately tired to give me 300 dollars for the damages, and the told me that she DOESN'T HAVE INSURANCE!!

she was like oh ill just call on monday and get insurance and make the claim.

i am not stupid i told her i wasn't going to take her money and i would go to the car place in the morning to see what is wrong with my car, total in damages etc.

i trust her parents with my life, and i know they will pay the damages if need be.

was this the right thing to do? should i have called the cops? can i get in trouble?

Answer 1

that was actually a hit and run. she hit your car and then took off to work. ok if u believe her and her parents make sure she makes the call for insurance with you right by her.  

Answer 2

As much as i know,this is a question with different answers,it is really depend on yourself judgement,some great resource her for reference though.http://carinsurance.expertsupport.info/a...

Answer 3

You don't have to file a report with the police immediately and you won't get in trouble if you never do.  You're playing by the rules and that will keep you out of trouble.  If she tries that insurance company scam, I'd blow the whistle on her for sure.  If you know, take the money and don't tell, then they can get YOU for fraud.  You have a witness though and it's up to you whether to report her for hit and run so you do have her by the...well, whatever.  So you get to call the shots.

First, make her show you proof that she got a years' paid-up insurance.  Demand to see a policy and a receipt.  Don't give her more than a week to do this.  This is for the protection of other people out there.  Don't let her off on cheap insurance, either...with her behavior, she should be insured $100,000/person $300,000/accident at least and if she can't afford that, she shouldn't be driving.

Next, take your car to a good shop and make sure it gets fixed right.  She owes you the full bill, and you still have the hit/run hanging over her head.

Finally, you tell her not to do this to anyone else.  If you hear about it, you'll go straight to the authorities and tell them that she has a history of hit and run, and driving without insurance.  Which she now does.

Edit: I just now thought that she might not be able to get the insurance limits I recommend.  She probably has a record already.  If nobody will give her (or she can't afford) the limits I recommend, report her for hit and run.  Medical costs are staggering.  The only recourse you have to get her to pay for the accident is a claim in small court anyway, and you'll easily win a judgement.  She owes a penalty for the hit and run though, so if she doesn't or can't pay it in the insurance you force her to get, then she should pay it in a fine and license revocation.

Answer 4

Ok. Here's the thing. She made a mistake and was sorry about it. You shouldn't be upset because she is trying to make things right.

First off, calling the cops is the wrong thing to do. That will only make her parents, your friend and the older sister mad and then you won't get any money out of her because she'll have fine and have to go to jail. If you tell your insurance company about it, your rates might go up or it might cost more to pay the insurance company the deductible then it costs to fix the vehicle.

Her big mistake was not stopping and apologizing immediately, because that is what you are super upset about. Everyone makes mistakes and hits cars - they can get fixed easily. But from her actions it appear that because she just drove off without telling you, she doesn't care.

Obviously, she dos care if she was so upset at work about it that she had to be sent home. She was probably late for work in the first place which is why she just drove off. By the time she was halfway to work she realized her mistake and got really upset about it.

Now, she's already offered you money. I think you did the right thing by refusing the cash upfront, but not because you want her to PAY through the nose for the injustice she's done to your vehicle, or anything like that.

The reason you should hold off on getting any money from her immediately is because, as you correctly said, you want to get an actual estimate on what it will cost to fix it. It might be only $200, it might be $400. Whatever it is, she needs to pay you the full amount it will cost to fix it.

I think you are getting a little bent out of shape about the lack of insurance here. This probably isn't a big enough job to even warrant the need of insurance. Often times, the cost you have to pay the insurance company (the deductible, which is usually $500) is more than the cost to fix your actual car. Secondly, many people would rather pay out of pocket because they don't want their insurance rates to go up because technically, even though your car was parked, that is considered an "accident."

Now, as for the older sister, while she may be careless and a loser, keep in mind that she is trying to do the right thing here. Next time you see her, hand her the bill for your car's fix-up and tell her that you don't care how she gets the money together (whether it be from her parents, her job, her boyfriend ... whatever!) you just need the money to fix the car.

Give her a reasonable deadline - like, for example, tell her you'll need the money by the end of September so that you can pay your credit card bill, and then give her a specific date. Inform her parents of this decision too so that everyone knows that she owes you the money. That will help make her accountable.

And keep in mind, while not having insurance is bad if you are in an accident on a road, with cops involved, many people try to avoid using it in fender benders purely because of the ridiculous overhead involved.

Tell her that while you don't think insurance is necessary here since you know each other and this was a minor bang-up, warn her that next time she may not be so lucky. Politely encourage her to get at least Safe Auto so she doesn't get in trouble with the police in the future.

Good luck!

Answer 5

It is usually best to be very firm. Insurance issues can get ugly. People you thought you knew suddenly change. I speak from experience. You did the right thing in not accepting the $300. I can guarantee that it'll likely be at least double to triple that amount (or more).

It may not be a bad idea to contact the police to do an accident report. Sometimes there's not a lot they can do if it's on private property (homes, parking lots, etc.) but sometimes insurance companies like to see that a report was done. Do be aware, however, that if you describe it as a "hit and run" to the police that the offender may be faced with a fine. It is also illegal to not have insurance. She could get in serious trouble (fines, license revoked). You might be able to use that as leverage if she becomes uncooperative. But at the same time, you don't want to offend the family if you have a relationship with the family.

I would suggest contacting your insurance company for advice. Handle things firmly (even if you're non-confrontational) but not out of anger or revenge. This is a stressful time, but it'll be resolved.

  

Answer 6

Something like this happened to me. I was having dinner with friends, and I came out of the restaurants to see police and ambulances near where I'd parked. I went down to check it out, and the cops were there, and the guy who had hit me was unconscious, but I got his info. It turned out that he was uninsured--he didn't even offer to pay. MY insurance covered it.

It's not a guarantee that you're covered, but either way you'll need an accident report from the police.

Answer 7

   yes that  was the right thing to do .. she was trying to cummit froud and take you with her ..dont do that . go have your car checked ..get three estaments ..make copy's and show them to her and let her pick one of the three . goodluck,,,,,,,,,

Answer 8

She's a dumbass b*tch but if you call the cops you'll never get money out of her.

You gotta call the car place and find out how much it costs to fix your car.Then you gotta tell her what she owes.

If it's like, thousands of dollars then you should call your insurance but if its only like, a few hundred it ain't worth the hassle.