I bumped into a car, no cops

by angel_of_music918 » Thu Mar 05, 2009 01:37 am

I bumped into the back of a car this morning and we both got out to assess the damage. there was absolutely nothing on the guys' car and he took my info. what is going to happen now? he didnt call the cops or anything and didnt seem that angry. i was really nervous and didnt know what to do, so now I'm scared of what will happen.

Total Comments: 14

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 01:41 am Post Subject:

Well if there was no damage I wonder why he got the information unless it was just to be precautious. Chances are you may hear nothing but if you do and you have car insurance you really should not have any worries that I could think of. I am not sure the cops have to be called for this type of accident. Many times people just take names and information then let it go if there is no damage.

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 04:30 am Post Subject:

I actually did this to a guy. I was parked in the parking lot and the person that was parked beside me had their door open resting against my car when I came out of the store. When he closed his door I saw a small white mark (my jeep was black – his car white). I told him I needed his insurance information as it was not my car. This guy was white as a ghost and told me that he could not have another claim. Told him I didn’t have a choice and explained that I was an adjuster and this was my company’s car. He gave me the info and looked like he was going to start crying.

The mark was no big deal and rubbed off with my finger. I never intended in calling his carrier. I was more agitated that the guy had no common courtesy not to rest his car door on the side of my car and thought I would give him a little hassle.

But you never know. If I were the OP, I would just wait it out and see if he files a claim. But that’s just me. Lori my have another thought. If he gave you his phone number, you could most likely get his address and photo the part of the car you bumped to show no damage. I wouldn’t let him know you are doing this, but it would at least cover you in case he gets in another accident a week from now.

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 06:53 am Post Subject:

Okay, now the possibilities are that

*He mightn’t call you and everything goes just fine.
*You may hear from him about a claim since he has found out scratches on the vehicle later on.
*The worst, he gets his car wrecked later that day and files the claim with your insurer reporting that you’re responsible for the damages.

Now, have you taken the picture of both the cars after the collision? Or, his information at least?

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:04 pm Post Subject:

I too think Loris idea was an excellent one. It would be great if we could all think that fast in these types of situations. I can not seee how a few scratches would not just buff out if they were light ones. What would a carrier do in a case like that? I would definatley work on getting those pictures just in case though. It would protect you from a claim later. Hopefully they jsut move on if there was no damage but you never know anymore what people are thinking.

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 04:26 pm Post Subject:

so now I'm scared of what will happen.

Angel, just chill honey, chances are nothing at all will come of this....don't suppose you thought to take photos (with your phone maybe) of his car? Most people don't think of this but it's very important and even more important if there is NO damage...but they seemed nice right? don't worry about it...if you have his phone number or can get it, you might call him in a day or two to make sure everything is ok, if he says it's fine, a nice gesture would be to mail him a gift cert. to a local resturant or something...any damage to your car?

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 01:06 am Post Subject:

Hey Lori, I really like that idea about sending the gift certificate. I dod this after my auto accident when a lady from a nearby house came and sat with my daughter and I until the police came. She made it a point to let them know what happened and how I was not at fault. A nice gesture can go a long way.

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:09 pm Post Subject:

i think so too , and too many of us don't take the time to reward good behavior or service, but make plenty of noise if it's bad behavior, service...etc...

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 05:54 pm Post Subject: Bumped into a car

So the other day I was breaking in the rain and it turned out that I hit the back of a car. Thanks to my stupid actions and a bit of hydroplaning I left 2 very small paint marks on his car from my car. The police came and took our names and so forth and said that since the damage is under 1500 that theirs no need to file a claim, but the exchange of information is required just in case his bumper or something weird happens. I said I was super sorry a 100 times, now I'm worried that insurance will go up for our whole family. I was using my moms car on her insurance so basically my parents are perfect drivers never been at fault for over 20 years and if these people file a claim I'm dead. Hypothetically speaking if they filed a claim for the minor paint damage what are the chances the insurance will go up? Or will they even have a claim?

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 06:05 pm Post Subject:

There is always a possibility but many carriers these days give people a pass on an at fault accident. The other person will certainly have a claim if there is damage to their vehicle.

Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 11:44 am Post Subject:

Hope they don’t have a claim, but it usually depends on the other person’s temperament. I’d go with what Lori says in this case too. Call the other party in a day or so and be polite and enquire after them. Apologize once again for the inconvenience caused and maybe send across a small token.

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