My hit-and-run: A tale of personal tragedy

[Jennifer Doyle]

The place: Seattle. The time, I don't really remember, 5pm-9ish? This was in May sometime. I was parked on the corner of a residential street, one with a round-about in the intersection. I walked a block away to hang out with a friend.

4 hours pass. It is dark. I get into my car, back up, and start to turn around. I run over something that makes a metallic/plastic crunching noise. I go around the round-about (what else?) and pull over to investigate. I realize, in HORROR, that I just ran over my own headlight.

All the other discoveries come in quick succession.

There is a large whole on the front of my car where my left headlight used to be. The head light, thanks to my tires, is relatively smashed and broken glass and plastic is all over the ground where I was parked. There is a long dent in the side of my car and paint marks and scratches. I am in disbelief.

Then I see a piece of paper under my windshield wiper. I pick it up and read it, says something like this:

"We're your neighbors and we witnessed a hit-and-run on your vehicle. We think we got the make, model and here is the license plate #. We called the police and gave him a report" I see also a police officer's business card with his number and the incident #. That's it. Everything has already been taken care of! I was shocked at the bad stuff and delighted and thankful for the good! I just wish they'd given me THEIR contact info so I could thank them.

A few days later I call the police and he informs me that the driver was, they think, not insured. They did find him/her though. A few days after that, I got a "Request for accident information" from the Department of Licensing. I have the damage to my car appraised ($2,061.16 + $200 to rent a car for the 5 days of repair it would take) and fill out the form and mail it back.

That's the last I hear of it until I e-mail the DOL like 2 weeks ago and ask them what's up. I find out that the other driver WAS insured and has already claimed insurance so the DOL can't help me. They say I can go to civil court if I want. No, I think I'll call MY insurance.

So where I'm at NOW. I am waiting for both insurance companies to "determine fault" and see if I'll get any money from this criminal. Seriously?! There's an issue of WHO IS AT FAULT? The other driver hit a PARKED CAR. It's a crime to hit a vehicle/person and just leave, right?

GAAH! Ok. Done.

[SivartM]

It wasn't me, okay?

Terrible, though. I cannot fathom why the insurance companies are so weird.

[Pirate Oriana]

I hit a persons parked car once:anxious: and I left as quickly as I could. However, I was on a scooter so I don't think it's quite the same thing.

[American Eagle]

Ouch! That's a pretty complex situation, and the hit-and-run person did everything wrong. May you make the right decisions and everything work out!

[KODY 105]

The person who left the scene of the collision without reporting it to the police committed a state offense. That person belongs in jail or at least to be heavily fined and required to pay restitution. There is a difference between a fine and restitution.

[DanP740]

Yeah, it's against the law to hit-and-run, so it's fairly obvious, and the guy should pay for repairs...

[EK]

When I do hit and runs, I at least cover up my license plate.

[Jennifer Doyle]

When I see HER, I will commit a hit-and-run...only not with my car!!

[Sherlock]

Yeah, it's against the law to hit-and-run, so it's fairly obvious, and the guy should pay for repairs...

I used to think it was obvious. And then half the legal cases that started falling onto my desk were for similar "obvious" situations. Insurance Companies, contrary to what is apparently popular belief, upon receiving a claim, do their utmost to find at least some loophole which will alleviate them of the responsibility to cover the individual under the policy (or the third party). This results in a lot of otherwise good claims being rejected on a technicality. Which means they then get handed to a lawyer, get filed as a claim against the insurance company and then (hopefully) are eventually settled out of court before trial.

The irony is that insurance companies gamble. They play the odds that you won't take your case to court because, if you do, it costs them WAY more to hire a lawyer to represent them than it does to simply cover your claim.

[DanP740]

Maybe she should use you as a lawyer

[Jennifer Doyle]

Twisted world. Still no new news about it though. GAR! I wonder if the person hit it accidentally, but then, REALLY? Clipping another car enough to pop out a part would jar the other car somewhat right?