I had a car accident 3 weeks ago. I was in the right lane about to turn right, when a fire truck (who was in the left only lane) needed to go straight. They stuck their hand out at me to stop and I did. The person behind me ran into me. The damage was to my rear bumper.
Since it was very minor we agreed not to call the police or insurance. The guy asked for me to get a quote and call him and he would prefer to settle without insurance involved. I have been calling him for 2 weeks now leaving messages, but he never calls me back.
I have his insurance information (company & policy no.), but do not have his license plate no or DL no. Can I call the insurance company directly? What can I do to have my bumper replaced - the estimate was $550.
2006-06-17 03:52:49 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
if you have his number, do a reverse lookup on the computer, you can get his address that way (try yellowpages.com, or search for reverse lookup). get his address, drive to his house and get his plate number. go home, and call him one last time with his info, and tell him "since you havent bothered to call me back, i'm calling the cops and saying it was a hit and run. and since theres evidence of a collision, (check to see if his paint is on your bumper, or vice versa) i think i'll let the police handle this. OR you can come pay me the money to fix this. i'll give you 12 hours to call me. have a good night."
2006-06-17 04:00:32 · answer #1 · answered by hellion210 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
First of all, you are a trusting soul. Not always a good trait in society today. You must call your insurance company with whatever information you do have, and still file a claim. Be as detailed as possible with the information, and follow their instructions. Since it happened three weeks ago, and the other driver didn't respond, it's a pretty safe bet he never will. Regard this incident as a lesson learned; no accident is minor, most "at fault" drivers will try to wiggle out of their responsibilities, and honest people will get cheated.
My advice all in all, ALWAYS, ALWAYS follow the required steps after a car accident, no matter what the other driver tries to say or do to convince you otherwise. It's for your protection, so you won't get scammed. Be prepared to pay the $550 for your "minor" damage.
2006-06-17 11:12:35 · answer #2 · answered by bklyngirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can try going through your insurance now and see if they will handle it but without a police report they may say "sorry" - you want to use caution with going to court or contacting the police because at this point you are both guilty of leaving the scene of an accident and depending on the laws of your state - there could be citations all around - it may be that you are learning an expensive lesson here - never leave the scene of an accident if you are expecting to recieve compensation for damages - you will always need a police report - Good Luck -
2006-06-17 15:07:52 · answer #3 · answered by Rosie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call the guy one last time and give him a deadline to call you. If he refuses, you can file a claim against him with his insurance company.
You have his name and policy number, that should be enough. DO NOT CALL YOU INSURANCE COMPANY!! You are better off paying the bumper yourself.
2006-06-17 10:57:46 · answer #4 · answered by hardcoco 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK! stop call your insurance company and report the accident to them, that is why you have insurance let the company handle the claim for you
2006-06-17 13:52:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make a claim with his insurance company, and let your insurance company know the details of the accident.
2006-06-17 17:20:51 · answer #6 · answered by oklatom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This might be a very expensive lesson learned - always call the police, even for a minor accident unless you are not planning on collecting any kind of damages.
2006-06-17 11:07:08 · answer #7 · answered by neona807 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you in a no fault state? If you are, you cannot deal with this outside of the insurance company. You would have to call the insurance company and let them deal with it. If you are not in a no-fault state, take him to court.
2006-06-17 13:27:10 · answer #8 · answered by Angela B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes call his insurance company and turn in the claim. If you have problems there I recommend small claims court.
2006-06-19 18:18:05 · answer #9 · answered by jodi M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without a police report, there's not much you can do. It's your word against his, and he's obviously intending to stiff you.
Unfortunately, this is going to be a $550 lesson for you in not trusting strangers.
2006-06-17 10:57:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋