Imagine you’re walking up to your parked car after a long day at work. You approach your driver’s side like you always do, but something’s not right. It takes a moment to register, but once it does, reality hits. Somebody ran into your car. You search for a note to no avail, and then find yourself surveying the damage in a fit of anger.
You’ve been the victim of a hit and run. Your vehicle – standing by innocently – was assaulted in a parking lot, and the assailants have disappeared without repercussion. What can you do?
Order of operations
- Ask anyone who is around if they saw the person who hit your car. License plate number, make, model, color – anything that might get you the information you need. This also includes security footage if you were parked in sight of any surveillance cameras.
- Call the police and file a report. This is especially important if the damage to your car exceeds $1000, which in most cases it does.
- Relay all the information you gathered to the police officer.
- Call your insurance agent and alert them of the accident.
The trouble with Hit and Runs
Unfortunately, getting retribution for a hit and run isn’t always so simple. Police officers are unlikely to pursue any speculative evidence (“I think the car was gold. No, red!”), or if the damage to your car is minor. If you want officers to take the case seriously, you’ll need to produce some reliable evidence – license plate number, video footage, or name of the driver. Without it, they won’t have much to go off.
Insurance claims for a hit and run
The other problem with a hit and run is making an insurance claim. We cannot say definitively whether your insurance rates will go up, as all insurance companies handle this situation differently, but we can say that in many cases they do not. Insurance companies have what is called “Uninsured motorist coverage,” which protects you in the event you are hit by an uninsured driver.
This protection will usually cover any hit and run accidents that you are in, but you insurance rates can still go up depending on your carrier. Some companies raise insurance for every claim you make; others are more forgiving.
Getting things fixed
Where you take your car in for service after an accident is vitally important. If the work is not done correctly, it can just cause you more problems down the road. We hope you’ll choose Autopark Chrysler Jeep’s talented service technicians and state of the art facilities for all your repair needs.
Do you have a hit and run story? Share it with us on Facebook or Twitter! Any advice you can share might prove invaluable for someone going through a similar event.
Comments are closed.