Hit and Run Driver Totaled my Car

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DigiTan
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Hit and Run Driver Totaled my Car

Post by DigiTan »

Weeks ago, I woke up to this scene after a driver at my apartment smashed into the back of my 1996 Dodge Neon. The pictures pretty much say it all. Front & rear bumper damage, broken mirrors, busted door locks--and that's just the driver's side. The force was so violent, it shoved my car 12 feet over two concrete bumpers and halfway through a wooden fence. On top of that, it pushed my car against a third vehicle (coincidentally another Plymoth/Dodge Neon) parked adjacent to mine.

Basically my car was totaled. And I'm betting the 3rd car lost at least 1/5th its resale value. Worse still, the coward drove off without so much as a note or 911 call. It's lucky no one got killed.

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Incidentally, the red sign in the second picture says cars incorrectly parked can be towed. :P
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Now, my car was pushing 12 years old. I'd always assumed some idiot would manage to wreck it eventually. It's just appalling some spineless hit-and-run driver had to do it. The timing was no more convenient. This happened just one day before what I've always called "the fall stretch." The four weeks of late mid-terms and final exams just before the semester ends. So much for focus.

After the wreck, I did some legal research and ran across some hit-and-run statistics. The figures are staggering. Rates in California rose 19% just between 1999 and 2001. And a certain article from the Los Angeles daily news suggested only half those cases even get solved. Yeah, it's LA but I at least tried to act surprised.

Closer to home, I recall this case in Fort Worth, TX where a woman ran down a homeless man as he crossed the street. Despite having him embedded in the windshield and bleeding to death, she drove to her home to have sex with her boyfriend only a half hour after the strike. She's serving time for felony manslaughter. And who could forget the Dallas Cowboy's former Dwayne Goodrich? Who-- four years ago-- ran down two men who were helping a man from a car wreck on a Dallas Interstate. Before the arraignment, he whipped up some half-baked yarn about thinking he'd run over tires. And if not a for a quick-witted onlooker, it would just be another unsolved death. Goodrich won't be breathing fresh air anytime this decade.

Intentional? No. But intent is fairly immaterial considering the financial and human toll. Maybe it's a sign of the times. So many looking out of number #1. Everybody says they would stop. Nobody HERE would deny it for sure. But when it hits the fan, who would really stay behind? Only 2...maybe 3 out of five? Honestly, I'd like to believe the situation isn't really that dire. But it seems accountability is something you find a lot less of these days.

Anyway, the point of all this isn't so much a rant as a public service announcement. First off, make sure your insurance offers hit-and-run/uninsured motorist coverage. Better yet, look into full coverage if you situation allows. Second, keep cameras in your car. Third, (this is everybody) pay attention to license plates and vehicle makes/models when you're out, because you never know who's about to be involved in what.

Since this situation is still on-going, I can't give out any details that might jeprodize my case, but I'll eventually post the details.
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Post by qarnos »

Ouch!

Even if you have full insurance coverage, it's unfair that your premiums will go up as a result when it isn't your fault. Either way, you end up paying for it.

But not all people are bad - I recently got involved in an accident when a guy pulled out in front of me on a busy street in peak hour. He was very apologetic and admitted full responsibility - not that he could have convincingly denied it, but it would've made my life a pain if he had.

Within a few hours he had emailed me the insurance claim number and all the other details and my car was as good as new within seven days and it didn't cost me a cent. So there is hope for humanity!
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Post by tr1p1ea »

Wow sorry to hear about the incident :S. Ive been involved in a few, never my fault however. The culprits have been apologetic which is good. However this exact same thing happened to my friend whos car got wrecked at the front of his house at night by a wayward driver. They also did a runner and left him to pay for the damages.
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Post by JoostinOnline »

Nothing a little duct tape can't fix :wink:
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Post by DigiTan »

Ah, if only it were that easy. But you'd have to tell that to the Desoto scrap yards because the insurance company towed it away a couple weeks ago.

Appearantly the impact propped the back of my car onto their hood. That must have clipped my muffler, because the exaust pipe was bent 45 degrees off its supports and now drags on the ground. I'm really suprised there wasn't an airbag deployment after all that. Unfortunantly, that made the car undrivable; I even had to walk to an exam the next day.
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Post by DigiTan »

Almost forget to update everyone on the story...

1st Day
After the police left and I moved the car away, I found paint and grill fragments from the hit-and-run car. That site gets cleaned on a daily basis, so I was certain all the fragments were recent. I talked to about 20 people and two of them saw the wreck from across the fence. While I was looking at skidmarks and the rest of the paint/grill mess, I third guy approached me and told me the color, make & model of the car. I didn't have a license plate at that point, but it was enough details to start printing posters. By the end of the day, I'd talked to at least 80 or 90 people all over the block.

2nd Day
I called the manufacturer's local parts distributor in case the driver was trying to replace an airbag module. While that was happening, a fourth witness called my landline (from the posters) with a highly-detailed description of the driver. It turns out it was a woman who lives 2 buildings down from me. He also called the leasing office so they could ID her from her lease paperwork.

Around midnight, I went out (with camera, flashlight, and taser) and found the car parked 1/4 mile from the crash site. I pretty much took pictures of the entire car. Then I contacted an internet data broker to get her insurance info. After sharpening & zooming the pictures, I also noticed an insurance card in the passenger seat. It turns out she was trying to sign a policy with them after the wreck. She also had papers that gave away some of her associates, a state license plate replacement form, and a bottle of upholstery cleaner. The rest of the interior was pristine.

1st & 2nd Week
I reported the car in as a suspicious vehicle. The officer came out and talked to my 3rd witness while looking at this car. After this point, the police really started pursuing this driver and wound up contacting her sister somehow. The sister confessed the whole story and so did the driver. Like most hit-and-run crooks she was simply laying low, hoping everyone would lose interest.

So...What started all this?
From what I gather, she was leaving for work with coffee in hand. Appearantly she backed into a metal bollard, and--for whatever reason--shifted...gunned the engine...hit our cars...and spilled coffee all over her interior. When she hit, she tried to run immediately, but was pinned under the back of my car for at least 5 minutes. Before breaking loose, she spoke to witness #4 but pretended to only speak Portuguese so she could escape. Whether she rammed the cars out of panic or rage, I'd rather not speculate on.

Where is she now?
Basically, she's facing Reckless Damage and Failure to Maintain Insurance. Criminal charges. My insurance company will probably go after her for the value of my car, and I suspect the other victim's company will too. And of course, I could also sue her in county court. When all's said and done, she's probably liable for $4000 or $5000. Maybe more.

And me?
I used my insurance claim money to pay the TT&L on a new 2008 Chevy Cobalt LT! 8) Complete with 2.2L ECOTEC engine, remote entry & anti-theft, Satellite XM, and so far I'm averaging 34 Highway/28 City. I think it kind of shows that a little optimism and diligence can really pay off in one form or another.

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...But I keep a security camera on it now, just to be safe. :lol:
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Post by tr1p1ea »

Hey nice replacement ride! Glad you got it sorted and lets hope that woman gets whats coming to her ... you just dont act like that.
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Post by kv83 »

Nice car, mate! I'm waiting to get my new ride soon too. :)

Peugeot 207 which looks like this (same color outside, but different inside):
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Should arrive in the next couple of weeks. Love the fact that if you work you get a "free" NEW car. :yes:
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Post by Timendus »

Nice to see things worked out well :)

Yesterday I really thought I was going to crash into the car just in front of me when it very suddenly braked. My brakes just didn't do much because of the bad weather... But luckily they got grip just in time when I pushed the pedal down all the way, and I stopped probably like two inches from him :P Scared the hell out of me!
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Post by kalan_vod »

That sounds like some wonderful investigation work their DT, I am happy there are people like the witnesses to come forward and speak freely. And you pursuing compensation for this wreck was something to make us all proud. Glad to see things worked out for you, but I am sorry you have that new car! (Jking looks really nice, what did you pay for it?)
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Post by Art_of_camelot »

Man u really lucked out on that one. My cousins car was parked on the side of the street and it got driver side rear-ended. Bent the back driverside wheel in (so it was hit at a very odd angle). Unfortuantley for us, no one saw it and we still dont know who did it. It seems pretty strange to me that some one could rear-end a car that is parked on the side of the street. You would have to be REALLY distracted or a complete airhead to do something like that.
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Post by DigiTan »

Yeah, this woman was probably thinking she was pretty slick until the police started asking questions. Luckily I had comprehensive collision insurance so I think they would have covered my car either way. But it was nice to actually to catch the person.
kalan_vod wrote:Glad to see things worked out for you, but I am sorry you have that new car! (Jking looks really nice, what did you pay for it?)
Heh heh. Oh man, we got a really good deal on it. It normally goes for about $17.4k, but we did a lot of comparisons and rebates and got it down to $12.9k. Then before they could transfer one in out of Houston, it got sold to someone else. So they give me this one with all the extra options for the same $12.9k. If we'd paid cash for it, I'd probably be selling it right now for a $4500 profit! 8)
kv83 wrote:Nice car, mate! I'm waiting to get my new ride soon too. Smile

Peugeot 207 which looks like this (same color outside, but different inside):
Ah, that's cool! What engine are you getting?
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Post by kv83 »

Hmmm... nothing special when it comes to american standards I guess :P an 1.6 HDiF Diesel with 90hp.
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Post by DigiTan »

Ah, that's not bad. One of the other cars I was looking at was the Kia Rio (something like 96hp / 1.6 Liters). I might get a diesel sedan in a few years because of the biodiesel thing.
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Post by crzyrbl »

I can't fathom how people who hit & run must live with themselves. I'm glad things turned out nice for you.
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