My car was vandalized the other day and lucky me the kids that did it were caught by police....

Question

Now the kids were charged of course they admit to nothing but someone seen them do it so but anyway....Under my insurance policy I am not covered and the damage is around $4,000.00....Now not to seem ignorant but I have no idea to what the first step to being compensated is...? I know I have to get the money from the parents but what if the refuse or cant pay what happens and what do I do to start going on things any advice is very much appreciated.......ty...

Answer 1

Aren't the police charging them with vandalism? In that case the judge may order them to pay restitution to you.  

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Contact the parents and give them three estimates for repair.  If they balk, threaten to sue, if they still balk, sue.

Also, get comprehensive coverage, it doesn't cost much and covers stuff like this if nobody is caught.

Answer 4

First thing to do is go to the parents of the kids that did the damage and ask them to compensate you for the damage to your vehicle.  Those children are their responsibility so by LAW, the parents are responsible for having your car fixed.  If they refuse, take them to small claims court and sue for damages to the vehicle plus court costs.  If you do have to take the parents to court, make sure you have the police report, pictures of the damage, estimate to repair the vehicle, and if the kids are convicted, make sure you have those documents as well.  

Answer 5

It's possible that restitution will be a part of the kids' sentences, in which case, you don't really have to do anything. Contact the DA's office and ask them about this. Whether or not this happens usually will depend entirely on where you are.

If the court doesn't order them to pay the money, and the parents refuse or are unable to pay, you would need to sue them (on behalf of their kids), probably in small claims court. The amount of damage may be over the limit for small claims in your state though. The small claims court nearest you should have a website with information on how to proceed and can refer you to places that can help. If it comes to that, contact the DA's office that is prosecuting them so you can get the evidence they have and use it in your proceeding.  

Answer 6

you hire an attorney for way less then 4K for a couple of hours to lay out what your options are. they are all listed in the local yellow pages.

then just add that cost onto what you seek to recover in the way s/he advises.