Car damaged in shared work car park

[McGraw]

On Friday I washed my car and realised it had damage. I remembered the vehicle that was parked next to me and I've found it elsewhere in the car park with matching damage.

Frustratingly we have discovered the area I park is in a CCTV blindspot but it does put us next to each other the day I spotted it.

They appear from the damage to have turned left too soon and caught my front driver side with their rear passenger side. It seems unlikely they could have done this without realising so I'm surprised they have continued to park here if they intend to try and pretend it never happened.

The business centre have traced where the driver works from video of them walking from the car this morning. I have videos of the matching damage. Honestly I'm not 100% nailed on it was them but it seems too coincidental for it not to have been them.

How can I approach this correctly? Leave a note? Email their employer? Try and uncover their insurance and claim direct?

Thanks.

[mmm-five]

Playing devil's advocate...without video, who's to say it wasn't you that hit the other car?

Edited by mmm-five on Wednesday 19th July 12:06

[McGraw]

mmm-five said:

Playing devil's advocate...without video, who's to say it wasn't you that hit the other car?

Edited by mmm-five on Wednesday 19th July 12:06

It's impossible that it's me, we were parked facing the same direction. My rear quarter would have hit her front quarter if it was me.

[andburg]

Question i guess is whether its damage you want repairing at any cost.

If the other driver has driven off they will almost certainly deny it ever happened.

Take detailed photos and copies of any CCTV especially if it shows both cars arriving undamaged and then leaving damaged

option 1: approach driver see if they will pay for a repair direct to avoid insurance and increased premiums, or accept fault and claim direct.

option 2: report it to your insurer. Ideally CCTV shows you arrived before the other driver and left after them. You will probably end up paying more in future as you've been involved in a declarable accident.

option 3: assuming option 1 was declined and its going to be cheaper than your own excess, get it repaired and move on.

[BertBert]

I'd start with a note and see if you are contacted. If not can you go to that person's work reception and ask them to find the driver for you to talk to?

[anonymous-user]

Tbh you're piddling in the wind.

[McGraw]

Thanks just going to leave a polite note and hope for some honesty.

[Glenn63]

Unfortunately people don’t give a st these days. If they drove off at the time then it’s highly likely they don’t care about your car. I expect any approach would be met with ‘do you have proof? Wasn’t me’.
I’d try the note approach and hope they make the right choice.

[Ham_and_Jam]

McGraw said:

Thanks just going to leave a polite note and hope for some honesty.

Just say you believe they have damaged your car, show matching paint / damaged areas, and say you are just waiting for the CCTV that covers the area.

See what they say, they may capitulate thinking the CCTV will catch them out.

They are going to deny anyway with your current proof, so I can only think this might get them to admit ahead of any CCTV evidence they think you may have. Nothing to lose.

[LightningBlue]

This has happened to me twice, and once the day after getting a car back from paint repairs. Unfortunately both times I was in a blind spot too and had to pay out of my own pocket. I had a good idea who the first was, had damage on every single panel of his car but it wasn’t clear evidence.

[Tommo87]

What you need is a witness to the event.

(If you are positive it’s them).

[fourstardan]

The only chance you got is to work out a way to make the other driver admit liability....note on the car "did you realise and it's clearly obvious that you have by this damage...." type approach?

[Tommo87]

Tommo87 said:

What you need is a witness to the event.

(If you are positive it’s them).

1. Get the pictures of both cars damage.And keep them%

2. Put a note through the door of each business on the estate asking if anyone witnessed the event on DDMM between x and y where vehicle ABC123A collided with another vehicle.

3. You will either get a witness and then it’s all good, or word will get around that you are on to him and he will assume you have one when you confront him and ask for his insurance details, whilst suggesting that you report him to the Police (bit of an empty threat, but nobody wants the Police knocking on their workplace door).

[McGraw]

They messaged me, we spoke she and didn't argue when I explained she must have hit me.

Hopefully we resolve fairly quickly but won't go into more detail now.

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Blimey that's a bit of a good result!

[KungFuPanda]

Tommo87 said:

Tommo87 said:

What you need is a witness to the event.

(If you are positive it’s them).

1. Get the pictures of both cars damage.And keep them%

2. Put a note through the door of each business on the estate asking if anyone witnessed the event on DDMM between x and y where vehicle ABC123A collided with another vehicle.

3. You will either get a witness and then it’s all good, or word will get around that you are on to him and he will assume you have one when you confront him and ask for his insurance details, whilst suggesting that you report him to the Police (bit of an empty threat, but nobody wants the Police knocking on their workplace door).

Alternatively the perpetrator who caused the damage will sit tight knowing that you don’t have a witness and therefore no prof.

[Tommo87]

KungFuPanda said:

Tommo87 said:

Tommo87 said:

What you need is a witness to the event.

(If you are positive it’s them).

1. Get the pictures of both cars damage.And keep them%

2. Put a note through the door of each business on the estate asking if anyone witnessed the event on DDMM between x and y where vehicle ABC123A collided with another vehicle.

3. You will either get a witness and then it’s all good, or word will get around that you are on to him and he will assume you have one when you confront him and ask for his insurance details, whilst suggesting that you report him to the Police (bit of an empty threat, but nobody wants the Police knocking on their workplace door).

Alternatively the perpetrator who caused the damage will sit tight knowing that you don’t have a witness and therefore no prof.

Is that ^^ what happened to you then?

That sucks..

McGraw said:

They messaged me, we spoke she and didn't argue when I explained she must have hit me.

Hopefully we resolve fairly quickly but won't go into more detail now.

Thanks.

[JackJarvis]

McGraw said:

They messaged me, we spoke she and didn't argue when I explained she must have hit me.

It's great that you've achieved success at the initial contact stage. Your next stumbling block is when they go home and discuss it with their partner/parents/friends. Quite often they suddenly remember it couldn't have been them.

[jeremyh1]

Just nick his dog until he pays to fix it
Hope this helps

[Sebring440]

jeremyh1 said:

Just nick his dog until he pays to fix it

But be very careful if he has his dogs tied to a bush.