Please help, that lady want to sue me of a minor scratch of her rear bumper??

Question

I bumped a car yesterday, cause that lady break sudenly, yes i have a bit of the fault, but she's the one who break last second, I am suppose to follow her on the work site.
Now she's harassing me, and telling me that she will go to the police and take me to court. it is not bad, it's just a minor scratch on her rear bumper...please any support?? or what can i do about it?? anything i can do?? she has a business and have worker with no contract?? is it legal??oh so much to ask..please help me do the right thing. thank you for reading.

Answer 1

No matter who hit the brakes first, the one in the back is responsible. You should have been following far enough behind to have left stopping room. Anyways, first ask her to take her car and get an estimate at a reputable body shop. If it seems too much, then get a second opinion. I am not sure if you have a Colors on Parade where you live (they go around pulling dents, fixing scratches, etc.) or a similar enterprise, but you could see how much they would charge too. Sometimes they are a better deal, but then again, there is the whole warranty issue (if that is what you want). Even IF she did take you to court, there is really no way she could prove that it was you unless you admit that you did it, but if you do that, make sure to have evidence that you have tried to get her car fixed, including estimates, taped conversations, etc. If she keeps harrassing you (I am assuming that the police were not called to the scene), then let her take you to court and let the judge decide. Start with the bodyshop estimate and take it from there. If it is indeed minor, then probably just some buffing or spot painting will do, but I cant really say since I cant see the scratch. By the way, her harassing you can constitute harassment at work due to the fact that she is creating an uncomfortable environment for you. Check up on your company's harassment policy and see what their definition is and, if she keeps on your back at work, then sock it to her. She deserves it if she does. Other than that, it sounds like she wants a new paint job for free over a tiny scratch. Also, you might want to let your insurance handle this since there is a lot of legality in this situation.

Answer 2

Well if you hit in the rear u maybe liability, do u think u r liability for her damage if so ask her for three estimate for the damage r just give it to ur insurance and let them deal with it . To late to call the police no injures but you can go to the police station and fill out a report, for the accident and the harassing. She can take you to small claims court. You need to take pictures of her damages and the picture of your car to show the the damages are not that bad. The next question what type of business is she ope-rationing and do this business have the current license and permit to operation and she such have contract with her if not there are employee and she needs to be report to the labor board and check with better business bureau.

Answer 3

If it happened in the states, let the insurance company handle it. It is your fault though for following too close. If you don't want to go to the insurance, tell her to take it to a reputable car repair shop and get an estimate. Depending on the car, a brand new bumper will probably run about $500 to $700 dollars, but since it's only a scratch, you may be able to talk it down a little. Maybe a few hundred.

Answer 4

do not worry too much. When this incident happened it should have been reported to the insurance company. I suggest calling your insurance company. The most she could do outside of insurance is take you to small claims court. She is just trying to play you. I have dealt with old people that do that crap before, once I backed out of a parking spot and a lady went behind me. She got out and said I hit (which I came 5 feet away from her) I told her she was crazy and I just called the police. Three witnesses saw it and said she was being an idiot. She then tried to take her fathers car and claimed the dent on the side was caused by me, and that he was in the car with a heart problem and needed medical attention. Needless to say she got nowhere. People like that are annoyances in life... I suggest calling your insurance and reporting the incident, also try to get pictures of the damage on her car. Sounds like a retarded old lady to me, give her the cold shoulder!

Answer 5

1. You are at fault, you were following too close. Pretty much the law in all 50 states.
2. Check with the local police department about the process and need for reporting accidents. Every state has different rules about time frames and if you need to report based on estimated damage
3. Call you insurance company. Let them deal with it.

Answer 6

Don't worry too much--its her word against yours. If it is as small as you say, she probably found out her insurance and/or spend-down on it won't cover the ding. You don't want her going to the police cus that should have been done at the time of the accident.
Go to the police now and report it before she does and makes you the villain.

Answer 7

Tell her to blow it out her behind. Have her take the car to a reputable body shop and get an estimate. Then write her a check with "full settlement of damages" on the memo line.
PS-you hit her and you are fully responsible for the damage.

Answer 8

Did you turn it in to your Insurance company? At this point it's to late to get a police report. I think. She over reacting and after she calms down and no longer has an audience she may come to her senses

Answer 9

i don't know what your laws are ,but here in Ireland you are to be a safe distance from the car in front of you . so you can stop if needed , so I'm afraid the accident was your fault ,sorry.

Answer 10

That's why they have this new fangled thing called INSURANCE!

The first thing a judge will ask her is why she isn't letting her insurance company handle the issue.

Same for you. If neither of you have insurance (mandated by law), you're both going to face heavy fines.