What should I do with the infomation I got from the person who hit my car and ran

December 23, 2004 6:32 PM

A hit-and-run accident. I was in one today, after being rear-ended by the idiot. After the guy takes off onto a nearby freeway onramp, I follow him and he exits at the next offramp. He then runs a red light, sideswiping two cars in the process, and I lose him. [more inside]

I was able to write down his plate and the make/model of his car, and know where he works. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the two drivers he sideswiped. What I'm wondering is if I can't identify any other witnesses to the hit and run, what will keep the guy from just saying I made the whole thing up, and the police from having to drop any charges?

posted by shoos to Law & Government (27 answers total)

if you get a lawyer, they'll find the other 2 cars, especially if damage was done. Also, the police/traffic people may have had cameras running too, no?
posted by amberglow at 6:44 PM on December 23, 2004

Damage to his car and paint matching will be fairly obvious, unless it was just a nudge to your car which left no marks.

Call the police, give them the information. I have seen a court case (in Australia) where a driver who took off from an accident scene - in which he knocked the mirror from another car - was charged quite heavily, and was told by the judge that this was as serious a matter as theft. So, the police will probably take it quite seriously.
posted by tomble at 6:47 PM on December 23, 2004

Wouldn't the two people who were sideswiped be contacting the police? Did you get some sort of description on the two sideswiped cars?

His car may have paint on it from yours, and theirs.

That would link the incidents together.
posted by jerseygirl at 6:47 PM on December 23, 2004

shoos, your home page link from your user page completely resizes Safari to a small box and renders a completely black page.

/ot
posted by anathema at 6:52 PM on December 23, 2004

Wow, that is totally what steve McQueen would have done. You rock shoos. Call the police, get a lawyer, etc. - leaving the scene is pretty serious. It especially sounds like said driver was running from something. Your information could help police to solve another crime.
posted by jmgorman at 7:03 PM on December 23, 2004

shoos, as far as you know, the guy may have multiple warrants out for his arrest, he may have a hit and run history, and he may have been charged with DUI five minutes after you lost him. You may find a judge overjoyed at having you as a witness. Call the police.
posted by bingo at 7:10 PM on December 23, 2004

Response by poster: Although he hit me hard, my bumper only had a very small amount of paint come off of it. It's one of those hi-tech plastic ones meant to leave no trace of collisions. I imagine the guy will probably also scratch off or mask any of my paint on his car if he sees it.

All I know about the other two cars is that they were sedans, although I did pick up pieces of broken lens plastic from them (or the other guy's car) afterwards. Yeah, I am hoping that they do file police reports or that there were cameras, but am worried that they won't and there weren't.
posted by shoos at 7:11 PM on December 23, 2004

Something like this happened to a friend of mine in Kansas City. He had his car rear-ended on the interstate, the guy took off, my friend chased him down, took down his licence plate and color/make of truck. My friend finally backed off since the other guy was driving pretty crazy.

The police said they wouldn't track the guy down if it was only for insurance purposes. No one was hurt in the incident but his car was totalled. He seemed to take it pretty well.

If you can hand the guy to the cops on a silver platter, they might do something, but otherwise I wouldn't hold my breath.
posted by Jeff Howard at 7:13 PM on December 23, 2004

If you can hand the guy to the cops on a silver platter, they might do something, but otherwise I wouldn't hold my breath.

That seems wierd to me. Wouldn't the cops, you know...want to catch criminal reckless drivers? It's their job.

I was hit & run once, got the tag/make/model of the car (didn't chase him down, though), called the cops, and they were all over it. The cop on my case was glad for the information I gave. it turned out the driver that hit me was on the state-run insurance program for people who have such bad driving records that private insurers won't touch them. The only scenario I can invision in which the police would have no interest in the case is if the evidence is sketchy / non-existent, which basically makes a lot of pointless work for them. But shoos has evidence out the wazoo, so I'd say go for it and turn the guy in.
posted by contessa at 7:37 PM on December 23, 2004

Response by poster: The way I know where he works, by the way, is because he had his employee ID badge (from a hospital of all places) hanging around his neck. He originally feigned cooperation, but then said he couldn't stay to exchange insurance information because his wife was in labor at the moment.
posted by shoos at 7:49 PM on December 23, 2004

I would report it to the police. If they drop it, whatever, but if this guy hit other cars and they are trying to identify it (cuz the drivers of the other cars he hit weren't crazy enough to follow), then you'll be the hero could took a dangerous driver off the road.

Also, I think if you're going to do this, you should do it within 24 hours; I think that's how long you have to report an accident.
posted by Doohickie at 8:05 PM on December 23, 2004

Note that, depending on where you are, you could also be cited for leaving the scene of an accident. I know, I know, it's crazy, it's stupid, and it's rediculous, but I've seen it happen many times before. That's not a good reason to not call the cops, though, just be aware of that. I'd talk to a lawyer ahead of time.
posted by SpecialK at 8:23 PM on December 23, 2004

Don't let the worst case scenario dictate what you do. It will almost always work out better than that.
posted by smackfu at 8:23 PM on December 23, 2004

A note of caution.

If it comes out that you were "chasing" him, and that he hit the other two cars while trying to get away from you, I would not be surprised to find that their insurance companies come after you and to suddenly discover that you were threatening and incoherent after the accident so *naturally* he left in fear for his safety and that you were in part liable for the damage to the other cars.

Chasing or following wasn't smart if you have his license number, though I'd be not-unlikely to do so once the red mist settled in front of my eyes. Smart would have been to have called the cops immediately after he left, without moving, or to have just put your hazards on and waited for a cop car to appear if you didn't have a mobile phone.

So I'd talk to a lawyer first, and then call the cops, remembering to be very clear that you were merely following at a safe distance and in a safe, controlled, unthreatening manner.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:00 PM on December 23, 2004

A word to the wise: When in a traffic accident, pull over safely to the side of the road, record any information you need (i.e. license plate number of the other guy), and call the police immediately. You've already engaged in vigilantism and waited hours to report a crime. Redeem yourself now. Please.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 9:19 PM on December 23, 2004

Response by poster: waited hours to report a crime

I called 911 4 minutes afterwards. Thanks.
posted by shoos at 10:34 PM on December 23, 2004

Response by poster: So you're a law student? Lovely. Howabout $3.00 for some more great advice?
posted by shoos at 11:28 PM on December 23, 2004

Response by poster: I can do paypal.
posted by shoos at 11:30 PM on December 23, 2004

If you can hand the guy to the cops on a silver platter, they might do something, but otherwise I wouldn't hold my breath.

It also depends on where you live and the county's laws. Here in Athens-Clarke county, hitting anything with your car can be charged as a hit and run felony if you don't report it to the police. How do I know? Because I kinda' sorta' would have had a warrant out for my arrest if not for my parents getting a hold of me in time. And that was for something minor and a really really dumb mistake on my part. So, be cautious and call the police, especially since part of what happens is up to what the reporting cop decides to write.
posted by jmd82 at 1:09 AM on December 24, 2004

Umm, shoos? Instead of insults, try providing all the information necessary for a reasoned answer in your original post. See, "I called 911 4 minutes afterwards" is incompatible with "After the guy takes off onto a nearby freeway onramp, I follow him" and "Yeah, I am hoping that they do file police reports or that there were cameras." Appearently Doohickie and ROU_X had similar assumptions.

You're not new here, so maybe you've just forgotten that people who answer your AskMe questions aren't getting paid or doing it out of obligation, we're just being nice. Also, "Ask MetaFilter is as useful as you make it. Please limit comments to answers or help in finding an answer."

Thanks.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 6:01 AM on December 24, 2004

Oh yeah Saucy Intruder, you didn't have that coming. (right)
posted by puke & cry at 8:44 AM on December 24, 2004

Here's a link to an article about a hit and run victim now in big trouble after chasing the guy who hit him. Not a good idea, folks.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:37 AM on December 24, 2004 [1 favorite]

A similar incident happened to me several months ago. Drive to the local police dept. - NOW - in county in which the incident occured and fill out a police report. Despite what you think Perry Mason might say, the police won't likely treat this as a felony, which I always thought a hit & run qualified for - apparently not unless there's injuries, however. They'll trac down the clown & determine if he has insurance & have his insurance Co. contact you. Making a police report is key.
posted by Pressed Rat at 9:39 AM on December 24, 2004

Response by poster: Just so no one's imagination makes this thing out to be something it wasn't (although a Steve McQueen scenario would have been nice too)...

- the "chase" lasted about 5 minutes
- I didn't record my speed, but it was always under or near the speed limit, because both the surface streets and freeway were full of cars (it was LA after all, around 4:30 PM, 2 days before Christmas).
- I called 911 as soon as I could check my location and find a place to pull over.
- I then drove to the Glendale PD where I was told to come back on the 27th, since they wouldn't even take my name until their traffic division reopens (they closed at 5 PM, a couple of minutes before I arrived)
- I made a report over the phone with the LAPD when I arrived home, since the other 2 cars that were hit were hit in LA territory, and they sent out someone to my place to take a signed statement of the guy's license #. (I was told by Glendale PD, by the way, to not even report it to LA, since I wasn't involved in the other two collisions. They would do it themselves later)

So when you see a new member on this site named asskickintrafficvigilante, you'll know who it is. Word.
posted by shoos at 12:43 PM on December 24, 2004

Sounds like you did all the right things. But until your last post, you hadn't mentioned any of that (well, except the calling 911 part, and even that wasn't until a ways into the thread). Now, what's to say he won't have his own story that will conflict with yours? He probably will try to minimize his culpability. But you were the one who called 911; you were the one who gave the license number; you were the one who linked him to hitting two other cars. The other guy's lawyer may try to twist your story around, but I bet your story will be far more consistent and believable than his.

It just sucks when someone tries to do the right thing and ends up with all this kind of anxiety.
posted by Doohickie at 2:21 PM on December 24, 2004

I've been hit and runned twice. The first time I saw the person do it (my car was parked), got their license and was able to get insurance money out it. The second (oddly more severe time) my car was parked over night and was hit, I made a report but nothing came of it. Your mileage may vary.
posted by drezdn at 5:25 PM on December 24, 2004

I was involved in two hit and runs in which my car was damaged while I was not in it (it was parked). Both times there were witnesses (I saw it from my window one time) and we were able to identify the car being driven (once because witnesses got the plate#, and the other because, um, the driver was a neighbor and he got my car's paint and parts of its trim on his bumper). Both times the police basically said "We're not going to follow through on this because we don't think there was enough damage." One of these times the car was totaled. Needless to say this doesn't make me feel good about the system. I did get some insurance money but I feel like the culprits got away scot free.

(The third time I was in a hit and run, I was stopped at a red light and hit by someone who came up driving fast behind me and couldn't stop. (The car appeared to be full of people either drunk or high.) I followed them for a while but they were driving scarily fast and I could not safely keep up. I finally pulled into a mini mart and called the police, and while I was waiting, the car full of freaks came back looking for me and started doing donuts in the parking lot, the freaks laughing maniacally while I hid behind the counter in the mini mart, really scared. So I second the comment that following a hit and run driver is a bad idea. Though you already did it this time, so it's sort of a moot point.)
posted by litlnemo at 12:33 AM on December 25, 2004