Help me catch a %@*#&$%
July 2, 2007 12:34 PM Subscribe
Hit-and-run Filter: I need the hive mind to come up with some truly genius method to force a confession out of the @#&^!*#?%* who hit my brand new car...
On Saturday, I parked my car on the street (legally), and went inside to a cafe to have breakfast. When I came back out, my front bumper was sitting on the ground, my left fender, left door, left mirror and left front wheel were scratched, banged and dented. Clearly, I was hit by someone driving a white vehicle, as there is white paint embedded in the scratches, dents and bangs. I managed to find one witness, however his recollection is not 100%. He was working in his front yard when he heard a "loud noise". He looked up to see what the noise was all about, and he saw, as he says "a light colored pickup (extended cab) hauling a white boat." He said when the truck/boat passed by, he could see something hanging off the back. Once it passed him, he then saw the damage to my car, but it was too late for him to get a tag. My girlfriend drove around the neighborhood later that night and found a white pickup w/extended cab, and a boat hitched to it. The pickup had black paint (the color of my car) on its right side (the side that would have hit me). She forgot to check the boat.
Of course, one of the problems here is that I don't know if the truck hit me or the boat hit me. When we went back to look again, only the truck was there.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to approach the owner of the vehicle in a manner that might possibly get him to admit fault? And, can anyone think of a way for me to better establish that this is the vehicle that hit me and ran? Does anyone have Gil Grissom on speed dial?
On Saturday, I parked my car on the street (legally), and went inside to a cafe to have breakfast. When I came back out, my front bumper was sitting on the ground, my left fender, left door, left mirror and left front wheel were scratched, banged and dented. Clearly, I was hit by someone driving a white vehicle, as there is white paint embedded in the scratches, dents and bangs. I managed to find one witness, however his recollection is not 100%. He was working in his front yard when he heard a "loud noise". He looked up to see what the noise was all about, and he saw, as he says "a light colored pickup (extended cab) hauling a white boat." He said when the truck/boat passed by, he could see something hanging off the back. Once it passed him, he then saw the damage to my car, but it was too late for him to get a tag. My girlfriend drove around the neighborhood later that night and found a white pickup w/extended cab, and a boat hitched to it. The pickup had black paint (the color of my car) on its right side (the side that would have hit me). She forgot to check the boat.
Of course, one of the problems here is that I don't know if the truck hit me or the boat hit me. When we went back to look again, only the truck was there.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to approach the owner of the vehicle in a manner that might possibly get him to admit fault? And, can anyone think of a way for me to better establish that this is the vehicle that hit me and ran? Does anyone have Gil Grissom on speed dial?
You have a witness who identified the other vehicle in excruciating detail, just sans tag. You found a vehicle matching this very specific detail with your black paint on it.
Gather the following: Name, contact info and short statement of witness where he said he didn't get a tag number but had a very good detail of the other vehicle. Take numerous detailed photos of the other vehicle without trespassing on other driver's property (your digital camera's zoom lens should handle this). Make sure to get the tag on the car and boat. Take photos of your own car, showing damage.
Call the police, say your car was hit on Saturday as you detailed here (legally parked, how long you were in the shop, time of day, conditions). State that you have a witness with a statement describing the vehicle that hit you in great detail (extended cab, boat attached on trailer, etc). That the other vehicle is a local car with damage of the same color as your car in corresponding areas and you found it at such-and-such address. The other left the scene of an accident, there was a crime.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:49 PM on July 2, 2007
Gather the following: Name, contact info and short statement of witness where he said he didn't get a tag number but had a very good detail of the other vehicle. Take numerous detailed photos of the other vehicle without trespassing on other driver's property (your digital camera's zoom lens should handle this). Make sure to get the tag on the car and boat. Take photos of your own car, showing damage.
Call the police, say your car was hit on Saturday as you detailed here (legally parked, how long you were in the shop, time of day, conditions). State that you have a witness with a statement describing the vehicle that hit you in great detail (extended cab, boat attached on trailer, etc). That the other vehicle is a local car with damage of the same color as your car in corresponding areas and you found it at such-and-such address. The other left the scene of an accident, there was a crime.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:49 PM on July 2, 2007
Approach him? No. You need to write down everything you've said above, with as much detail as possible. Take pictures of the vehicles surreptitiously, if you can. Then get the police involved. Tell them you've got a witness to a hit-and-run, you found the car, etc.
It's easy enough to verify - is the black paint on the truck identical to paint from your vehicle? Is white paint on your vehicle identical to the paint on the truck? Microscope, chemistry lab, easy enough.
No approaching. You want the police to view the paint streaks on the truck, which may disappear if you approach the guy first.
posted by jellicle at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2007
It's easy enough to verify - is the black paint on the truck identical to paint from your vehicle? Is white paint on your vehicle identical to the paint on the truck? Microscope, chemistry lab, easy enough.
No approaching. You want the police to view the paint streaks on the truck, which may disappear if you approach the guy first.
posted by jellicle at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2007
Take photos/documentation. Go to your local police station and file an accident report (or whatever the cops tell you to do) indicating the other guys car and license plate. Tell them you are unable to contact the other person because it was a hit and run. After you get the accident report you give all this information to your insurance company. You dont have to "confront" anyone.
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by damn dirty ape at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Do you have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle? If so, I think your insurance company would have an interest in getting the other guy's insurance to pay for the damages.
If not, can you get the witness to go with you to ID the truck? You don't have to confront the driver yet, but at least see if the witness thinks they can positively ID the truck.
Bummer man.
Same thing happened to my friend in college. We walked around, found matching paint, and then founda piece of my friend's bumper in the bed of the truck which hit him. When confronted by the cops, his defense was "Honestly, I was so drunk that night, I can't say for sure that it was me driving.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2007
If not, can you get the witness to go with you to ID the truck? You don't have to confront the driver yet, but at least see if the witness thinks they can positively ID the truck.
Bummer man.
Same thing happened to my friend in college. We walked around, found matching paint, and then found
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:51 PM on July 2, 2007
Also:
Take a picture of your car with a tape measure showing the height of the damage/scrapes above ground level.
If you can get close enough, do the same with the truck/boat.
If they're both at the same height then that's some good evidence.
posted by de void at 12:54 PM on July 2, 2007
Take a picture of your car with a tape measure showing the height of the damage/scrapes above ground level.
If you can get close enough, do the same with the truck/boat.
If they're both at the same height then that's some good evidence.
posted by de void at 12:54 PM on July 2, 2007
I've had this kind of thing happen and if it's possible it's a good idea to get measurements from the ground of the damage and match them up.
posted by Leeman at 12:54 PM on July 2, 2007
posted by Leeman at 12:54 PM on July 2, 2007
Thermite on his engine block! (NO, THAT WAS A JOKE SON!)
I think the suggestion to take pictures and report this to both your insurer and to the police is sound. Take a small scraping of the black paint if you want to get all CSI on his ass.
posted by caddis at 2:46 PM on July 2, 2007
I think the suggestion to take pictures and report this to both your insurer and to the police is sound. Take a small scraping of the black paint if you want to get all CSI on his ass.
posted by caddis at 2:46 PM on July 2, 2007
Funny...not one hour ago I filed a police report on a similar incident that occurred last night to my parked car. Moreover, I don't just have paint scrapings, I have entire pieces of the offending car (side mirror, the entire front passenger turn indicator assembly, etc.)
The Philly cop was most assuredly NOT about to "get all CSI" on anyone's ass. He basically informed me that my case could very well be the lowest priority of the entire police department. (200 murders before the Fourth of July might have something to do with that.)
He suggested I try to find the car that hit mine, and sue them in small claims court. And then, the judge would probably laugh it out of court. It would all be a big waste of my time.
May you have better luck than I, Allykat75. I'm pissed to say the least.
posted by edverb at 3:00 PM on July 2, 2007
The Philly cop was most assuredly NOT about to "get all CSI" on anyone's ass. He basically informed me that my case could very well be the lowest priority of the entire police department. (200 murders before the Fourth of July might have something to do with that.)
He suggested I try to find the car that hit mine, and sue them in small claims court. And then, the judge would probably laugh it out of court. It would all be a big waste of my time.
May you have better luck than I, Allykat75. I'm pissed to say the least.
posted by edverb at 3:00 PM on July 2, 2007
As others have said, getting this guy to confess is likely dangerous at best -- and if your success in obtaining payment hinges on him admitting he did it, you've got nothing.
So, document everything as suggested, and make sure someone's around to keep you safe if he catches you taking measurements. Forward everything (including witness info) to the insurance company, and make it clear you've done everything you can and will do more if necessary.
Then let go the idea of any kind of satisfaction from catching the person (as well as any thoughts of revenge), take a deep breath, pay the deductible, and start focusing your energy on making sure your car is fixed properly and to your satisfaction. It is, after all, only a car (no matter how you might feel about it right now); if this were a hit 'n run involving physical injury to a loved one, my advice would be far different.
posted by davejay at 3:13 PM on July 2, 2007
So, document everything as suggested, and make sure someone's around to keep you safe if he catches you taking measurements. Forward everything (including witness info) to the insurance company, and make it clear you've done everything you can and will do more if necessary.
Then let go the idea of any kind of satisfaction from catching the person (as well as any thoughts of revenge), take a deep breath, pay the deductible, and start focusing your energy on making sure your car is fixed properly and to your satisfaction. It is, after all, only a car (no matter how you might feel about it right now); if this were a hit 'n run involving physical injury to a loved one, my advice would be far different.
posted by davejay at 3:13 PM on July 2, 2007
Edverb, give the info to your insurance. They get a kick out of going after other people so they don't have to pay.
posted by notsnot at 3:28 PM on July 2, 2007
posted by notsnot at 3:28 PM on July 2, 2007
What edverb said -- I had a similar case, and in my case I actually witnessed the hit and run myself, and the other driver turned out to live on the same block. He went away from the scene at high speed, and eventually came back and parked -- with pieces of my car's trim and paint still stuck on his car, and his paint on mine.
I had the cops come check out his car and they said they would do nothing.
Another situation: Car parked on Eastlake Ave E in front of a busy restaurant. Another vehicle comes along and whacks into the driver's side front wheel, smashing in the fender, the wheel, the side of the hood, etc. Many witnesses. Guy in mechanic's uniform from Union 76 gets out and leaves a note on the car: note turns out to be fake. Witnesses gave me and the cops the full description, and a plate number.
The cops told me that "we called the guy and couldn't reach him, so we're dropping the case." My car, incidentally, was totalled. They just don't put any priority on this stuff. Now, the common denominator in both of these? Both cars were older and had only liability insurance.
Yours is new and has comprehensive, and so the answer is to do what damn dirty ape said -- let the insurance company deal with it. They have a financial interest in getting the money out of the guy. Whether they can do it either, I don't know -- but the police won't care (unless you live in a place remarkably different from Seattle), though you should at least report it to them and follow the procedure.
posted by litlnemo at 3:31 PM on July 2, 2007
I had the cops come check out his car and they said they would do nothing.
Another situation: Car parked on Eastlake Ave E in front of a busy restaurant. Another vehicle comes along and whacks into the driver's side front wheel, smashing in the fender, the wheel, the side of the hood, etc. Many witnesses. Guy in mechanic's uniform from Union 76 gets out and leaves a note on the car: note turns out to be fake. Witnesses gave me and the cops the full description, and a plate number.
The cops told me that "we called the guy and couldn't reach him, so we're dropping the case." My car, incidentally, was totalled. They just don't put any priority on this stuff. Now, the common denominator in both of these? Both cars were older and had only liability insurance.
Yours is new and has comprehensive, and so the answer is to do what damn dirty ape said -- let the insurance company deal with it. They have a financial interest in getting the money out of the guy. Whether they can do it either, I don't know -- but the police won't care (unless you live in a place remarkably different from Seattle), though you should at least report it to them and follow the procedure.
posted by litlnemo at 3:31 PM on July 2, 2007
Veronica Mars would do something elaborately sneaky to make him pay, but I suggest you follow the sage advice of craven_morhead, jerseygirl, jellicle and others above.
posted by Lucie at 5:59 PM on July 2, 2007
posted by Lucie at 5:59 PM on July 2, 2007
Response by poster: Thanks everyone...awesome advice. I am on the case.
posted by AlliKat75 at 6:08 PM on July 2, 2007
posted by AlliKat75 at 6:08 PM on July 2, 2007
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I know, I know, it's a boring answer. But approaching pickup-owner before lawyering up could only hurt you, unless he/she happens to be the nicest person in the world, apologizes, and writes you a big fat check. Since they drove off in the first place, I don't think that's very likely.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:48 PM on July 2, 2007 [1 favorite]