If someone hits the back of your car at 5MPH or less, and there seems to be no damage or injury, should you...

Question

still exchange information in case there is hidden damage or injuries that show up later?

Your experiences?

Answer 1

I would most definitely exchange driver information. I am a claims adjustor for a major insurance company, and you would not believe how many claims I get where an injury or hidden property damage was discovered a day or two later in a low impact accident. After an accident most people have an adrenaline rush and are not able to feel any soreness or stiffness that can lead to a minor soft tissue injury a few hours later. To protect yourself and others you would need to exchange your name, number and insurance information (including policy number). Hope this helps.

Answer 2

If there is no damage at all, at 5mph, probably not. That said, in ANY accident, if you do not call the cops right then and there, you may well be paying for all the damages later if you wait, even if you DID exchange information. So if your back hurts in two days or your bumper suddenly falls off three hours later, you're likely out of luck getting the insurance to pay for it.

In the case you describe, none of this is very likely.

Answer 3

More often than not, what seems to be no damage, actually is damage underneath the surface. Especially if you have a newer car, you should exchange info. The damage may not be found unless a body shop takes it apart. Why is it important? Because the potentially concealed damage may have compromised the intended safety of your vehicle in case you get in a serious accident in the future.

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Answer 4

That's happened to me several times over the years, and I get their license plate number as a minimum in case there's hidden damage. I also mention that I'm having the car checked over for hidden damage and might need to contact them. The original 5 MPH bumpers were really great and they prevented a lot of fender bender damages. Now the law might only require 2 1/2 MPH bumpers, I'm not sure, but they still help. Sometimes the bumpers are designed to collapse on impact and need to be replaced. So make sure your bumper collision integrity has not been compromised.

Answer 5

Definitely. My car got hit from behind, but we didn't see any damage when we got out. The woman didn't speak english and didn't have insurance, so I decided to let it go. Lo and behold, a few days later I noticed that my trunk was no longer aligned and the gas tank wouldn't close. After all, it can't hurt to get that info.

Answer 6

Insisting they give me their information is my way of obtaining a little justice and hopefully scaring the bad driver straight. Also, if you don't do it, they could come back claiming injuries, leaving a scene of an accident, etc. You don't know people from looking at them, or what their relatives and friends might convince them to do later. Protect yourself, go by the law.

Answer 7

if you got hit-tell the guy to give you $50 and you'll forget about it. If he says he doesn't have it, say $25. At this point you've pretty much got him by the balls. That's what we do here in The Banana Republic of Louisiana.

I don't think the above would be true at UNDER 5mph

Answer 8

My wife was nudged from behind and after looking and deciding there was no damage, she and the other driver went their own ways, no info exchanged. Cost me $400 to replace the exhaust system that was jammed in and bent all the way to the motor. Better safe than sorry.

Answer 9

absolutely,always exchange information,they can later on say you bowed up in front of them and they may cry out ,,whip lash,,.so always exchange info,and really i would have called the law,because then you would have had witness on the whole thing,but never just say well there's no damage we can forget about it they could later on sue you ,people are doing strange things these days for money,good luck,i hope this help,s.

Answer 10

You always want to get there info no matter what. There is no need to have the police involved, but you never know what they will do. I had a guy hit me then like 2 weeks later i recieved a police reort for it. Ju st be careful.