someone has damaged my car
Discussion
just been told by a witness that someone parked next to my car in the car park has damaged my rear bumper and then drove of,they have given me the reg plate of the car involved hitting mine, how do i go about finding this cars contact number?or do i have to ring the police? id rather try and sort something out with the owner of this car first if i can,any help would be great
You could try the DVLA - they will give-up ownership details of a car 'for the right reasons' (you almost certainly don't have one here tho) - you have to write to them and grovel tho.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_10...
The Police won't be greatly interested if this happened in a car park (although, in fairness, they won't be interested anyway!) - but you can report it and you'll need to give the details of the witness too (and they'll have to be willing to make a statement) - don't expect rapid action tho.
The big problem is that it's your witnesses word against the other driver's - so you should be looking around to see if there's any CCTV (even if it didn't see the accident, proving the other car was in the carpark at around the right time might help - esp if they deny being there!!)
As for insurers - I'm not sure they'll do much without the Police investigating first. Insurance companies just deal with the facts as-stated by drivers and the other party is likely to deny everything which leaves you making a claim against yourself...
End of the day I suspect you're screwed here. It's entirely your/your witnesses word against his so unless they just admit it (unlikely) you're paying for that repair yourself...
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_10...
The Police won't be greatly interested if this happened in a car park (although, in fairness, they won't be interested anyway!) - but you can report it and you'll need to give the details of the witness too (and they'll have to be willing to make a statement) - don't expect rapid action tho.
The big problem is that it's your witnesses word against the other driver's - so you should be looking around to see if there's any CCTV (even if it didn't see the accident, proving the other car was in the carpark at around the right time might help - esp if they deny being there!!)
As for insurers - I'm not sure they'll do much without the Police investigating first. Insurance companies just deal with the facts as-stated by drivers and the other party is likely to deny everything which leaves you making a claim against yourself...
End of the day I suspect you're screwed here. It's entirely your/your witnesses word against his so unless they just admit it (unlikely) you're paying for that repair yourself...
Edited by johnpeat on Sunday 8th January 16:26
Just got of the phone to the police and they have said to ring my insurers for them to sort things out, police did say they can take up the case for them driving away from the accident, but tbh it's not looking good for me getting this resolved without a lot of hassle on my part, I guess I'll have to pay for the repair myself,and being a metallic silver car it'll be a nightmare to get the paint to match! whys it always the innocent guys that get screwed when things like this happen?
Contact the police and give them your evidence though don't hold out that much hope that they will take action as they usually don't. However, sometimes they will pursue this sort of thing so you might be lucky and get some justice.
As regards the damage, you'd be best to figure out if the cost merits getting insurance involved. If you contact your insurers they can certainly trace the other car and go after their insurance though quite likely there will be some sort of repercussion for your premium when all the dust settles, irrespective of how it goes. Personally, whenever I've picked up dings in car parks as the result of amoral d
heads I just put it down to life and get them touched up at a bodyshop. It would have to be major damage to make it worth taking to insurance.
Forget about trying to come to sort of arrangement privately even if you can personally find the driver details - the driver of the other car is obviously a shameless scumbag having damaged your car and driven away. Do you honestly think he's going to apologise and offer to pay the damage if you pop up out of the blue and try to reason with him?
As regards the damage, you'd be best to figure out if the cost merits getting insurance involved. If you contact your insurers they can certainly trace the other car and go after their insurance though quite likely there will be some sort of repercussion for your premium when all the dust settles, irrespective of how it goes. Personally, whenever I've picked up dings in car parks as the result of amoral d
heads I just put it down to life and get them touched up at a bodyshop. It would have to be major damage to make it worth taking to insurance.Forget about trying to come to sort of arrangement privately even if you can personally find the driver details - the driver of the other car is obviously a shameless scumbag having damaged your car and driven away. Do you honestly think he's going to apologise and offer to pay the damage if you pop up out of the blue and try to reason with him?
That is so true..
Going back some years now..While parked up our car was hit at a super market car park..
We had a note left on windscreen by a person who witnessed the event..
They left their phone number incase any help needed and the reg no of the vehicle which
struck our car..
Damage was a smashed front offside indicator lense and scuffed bumper.Not mega but still
inconvenient..
We contacted the witness and were horrified to hear she had been verbally assaulted for interfering at
the time by taking their number....The driver of a large van had stopped after the incident got out and shouted
"Who the fk are you and what's it to you"....then arrogantly said "it's only a Ford Sierra who gives a fk"[
Needless to say after contacting the police too it was a case of them and us and let the insurance sort it..
Hard as it is your left to pick up the pieces because there are these tossers about unfortunately..quote=Lucas Ayde]Contact the police and give them your evidence though don't hold out that much hope that they will take action as they usually don't. However, sometimes they will pursue this sort of thing so you might be lucky and get some justice.
As regards the damage, you'd be best to figure out if the cost merits getting insurance involved. If you contact your insurers they can certainly trace the other car and go after their insurance though quite likely there will be some sort of repercussion for your premium when all the dust settles, irrespective of how it goes. Personally, whenever I've picked up dings in car parks as the result of amoral dheads I just put it down to life and get them touched up at a bodyshop. It would have to be major damage to make it worth taking to insurance.
Forget about trying to come to sort of arrangement privately even if you can personally find the driver details - the driver of the other car is obviously a shameless scumbag having damaged your car and driven away. Do you honestly think he's going to apologise and offer to pay the damage if you pop up out of the blue and try to reason with him?
[/quote]
Going back some years now..While parked up our car was hit at a super market car park..
We had a note left on windscreen by a person who witnessed the event..
They left their phone number incase any help needed and the reg no of the vehicle which
struck our car..
Damage was a smashed front offside indicator lense and scuffed bumper.Not mega but still
inconvenient..
We contacted the witness and were horrified to hear she had been verbally assaulted for interfering at
the time by taking their number....The driver of a large van had stopped after the incident got out and shouted
"Who the f
k are you and what's it to you"....then arrogantly said "it's only a Ford Sierra who gives a fk"[Needless to say after contacting the police too it was a case of them and us and let the insurance sort it..
Hard as it is your left to pick up the pieces because there are these tossers about unfortunately..quote=Lucas Ayde]Contact the police and give them your evidence though don't hold out that much hope that they will take action as they usually don't. However, sometimes they will pursue this sort of thing so you might be lucky and get some justice.
As regards the damage, you'd be best to figure out if the cost merits getting insurance involved. If you contact your insurers they can certainly trace the other car and go after their insurance though quite likely there will be some sort of repercussion for your premium when all the dust settles, irrespective of how it goes. Personally, whenever I've picked up dings in car parks as the result of amoral d
heads I just put it down to life and get them touched up at a bodyshop. It would have to be major damage to make it worth taking to insurance.Forget about trying to come to sort of arrangement privately even if you can personally find the driver details - the driver of the other car is obviously a shameless scumbag having damaged your car and driven away. Do you honestly think he's going to apologise and offer to pay the damage if you pop up out of the blue and try to reason with him?
[/quote]
My friend parked up at Tesco's a few years back. He said it was a perfectly legitimate spot and went inside. Queuing at the cashiers desk 10 minutes later he spied someone standing in front of his car, then putting something under his windscreen wiper. He continued to queue, paid and walked outside but the person he had seen had gone. When he got to his car he could see white scuff marks along the bumper and a folded piece of paper under his windscreen. The paper was blank. At this point another driver came over and said that he had seen a Tesco's delivery driver reverse into his car, the Tesco chap then got out and inspected the damage before "writing" his details on a piece of paper and leaving it on the windscreen. Luckily this witness had taken down the registration plate.
It was all sorted out and the Tesco insurers paid up but it really helped that my friend had this witness.
It was all sorted out and the Tesco insurers paid up but it really helped that my friend had this witness.
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