Police - what should i do?

Question

i came out of my therapists office with 30 minutes for a 25 minute drive home to get my kids at the bus stop........when i come out, there is a policeman standing by my car with an elderly man. the policeman reaches down and points to my bumper with his finger and says "he hit you right there".
i looked where he pointed and said, 'well, look i guess its ok, i only have 30 minutes to pick up my kids. the elderly man was shaking and scared and i felt really bad for him and it didn't look like much. the policeman took my name anyway, and i left.
when i get home, 5 minutes later the kids come walking up my drive with part of my molding! i go outside and really take a look to find that it wasn't just that spot on the bumper - he cracked the parking lot light too, broke the molding and now my parking light keeps falling out by its cords!!!
should a policeman bend over, point to a spot and say 'he did this' to begin with????
this happened 18 days ago, do i have any recourse?

if i have no recourse, fine - i'll just learn to stop being so kind.

cconsaul - kindness had everything to do with it, which is why i am in therapy to begin with - i'm a doormat, because i feel bad for others, ....he was old, shaking and i didn't say that he didn't fulfill his responsibility to me, what a soapbox you got on - geez.

oh, for God's sake, Jacob, i am asking a question....why did you even answer it?
this question was for POLICE, thanks.

juicy - i'm on it

Lt.Dan - thank you, you're a love, a straight forward factual answer - mmmwah. XXXOOO

Answer 1

You can still make a police report if it wasn't done at the time. The officer should have called in the information like driver's license etc. to check if the old guy was suspended or anything like that.
His insurance is still liable. I think you tried to do the nice thing and it bit you, but it doesn't mean he gets out of it.

Answer 2

Yes you still do have some recourse. Contact the Department and inform the Officer that took the complaint that you found additional damage to your car. It's not an unusual occurance, but there may be some difficulties(amending the accident report etc.) because of the 18 days that have lapsed.

Hope this helps as well.

Answer 3

Kindness has nothing to do with it. You are responsible for inspecting the damage done to your car, not the policeman. The elderly man should have furnished you with his insurance information and a place to contact him. If you took that information, contact his insurance company at once. They will ask you for a police report, which you may still be able to file, depending on where you live. You should also get the damage inspected by a shop ou trust and furnish them with the estimate. If you did not take the insurance information however, you have probably released the elderly man from all liability, since you will have a difficult to impossible time finding him. Again, this has nothing to do with luck. He satisfied his responsibility when he reported the accident. If a citation was issued, you may be able to find him, but at this late date, your hopes are diminishing by the hour. I would personally chalk it up as a lesson learned, and get the repair done as soon as possible.

Answer 4

I'd contact the police and get the man's name and phone number. Find out if he can afford to pay for the repairs. Sounds like the gentleman damaged your car in a parking lot and called the police because it was the right thing to do. 18 days is still soon enough.

Answer 5

There still should be a police report on the incident. And if the old man had insurance they should pay for the repairs.

Answer 6

A mountain or molehill? A mountain must be dealt with. A molehill ignored.

Answer 7

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