hit and run, car accident

What to do if someone hit my car and left a note?- hit and run accident

Question: What to do if someone hit my car and left a note?

You parked your car on a busy street and headed to the next grocery store only to come back and, alas! someone hit it! Fortunately left a note. What do you do? do you go to the police? Do you call yours or his insurance company? Do you need to call a car accident attorney?

Well, according to current data, at least more than 7 million car accidents occur yearly in the USA. Of those, more than 5-10% are hit and runs, implying that more than 90% of the drivers flee the accident scene without sharing their contact information.

In some states across the USA, hit-and-run accidents involving parked cars account for almost 20% of all car accidents reported to the police. But, what should you do if someone hit your parked car? Let us explore that and more.

Page Contents

What is hit and run?

A hit and run is a crime you will have committed if you fled the accident scene without sharing your contact information and or rendering help to the injured.

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Examples of hit and runs include:

1. Vehicle-vehicle hit and run. For example, if one driver rear-ends another vehicle but flees the accident scene.

2. Parked car hit and runs. An example here is a driver who accidentally hits a parked car but flees the scene. 

3. Vehicle-pedestrian hit and runs. These are by far the most commonest hit-and-run crash where a driver after knocking down a pedestrian drives away without stopping to offer help.

4. Vehicle-motorcyclist hit and runs. Every day, bicyclists and motorcyclists are knocked down by cars whose drivers flee the accident scene without rendering help.

What do you do if someone hit your car?

According to valuePenguin, approximately 14,386 car accidents occur daily in the USA. This averages a car crash after every 6 minutes. 

There are specific steps you should follow if someone hit your car and these include:

1. Ensure your safety and the safety of all people involved in the crash. Call 911 if there are any injuries.

2. Gather as much information as possible. What happens after someone hit your car depends on the information/pieces of evidence you have about the other driver. 

For instance, you need to know the names, contact numbers, addresses, car license plate information, and if possible car color, model, and make. Additionally, endeavor to know the other driver’s insurance company, policy number, and registration information. 

3. Gather pieces of evidence. To win any dispute including a car accident conflict, you must present clear and convincing evidence before your insurance company, before the police, and before the Jury if the case goes all the way to courts of law.

Some of the evidence you need if someone hits your car includes pictures of injuries/damages, car accident footage, debris, and pictures of the accident scene. 

4. Call the police. You need to invite police officers to complete a car accident report. Such accident crash reports compile opinions and facts about the accident and therefore helps in solving liability issues.

5. Inform the insurance company. If you are at fault for the accident, you will need to call and inform your insurance company. Victims of a car crash need to call both their insurance company and the company that covers the at-fault driver.

6. Consider hiring an attorney. If the other driver committed a hit and run, and there are significant damages, injuries, or deaths, definitely you need to seek the services of an experienced car accident attorney.

Hit and run parked car no witness

From my own research, more than 90% of cases of hit-and-run have no evidence. This means that such cases are not investigated and solved by police or other authorities.

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If you had a hit-and-run with your car parked but with no witnesses, you still need to follow the steps I already mentioned earlier. Additionally, search for nearby security cameras because there is a chance a nearby security camera captured the accident footage.

Make sure you invite the police to the accident scene to compile a crash report. Chances are you will likely be compensated by your own insurance company and so, a car accident police report will help you prove you actually got involved in the accident.

The police also know better how to investigate auto accidents and arrive at possible solutions. You also need to call and inform your insurance company right away after the accident involving your parked car. 

Examples of damages after someone hit your parked car

Possible damages to your parked car are numerous but the good thing is that you have where to start if the other driver left a note. 

Actually, the driver that hit your parked car but left behind a note committed no offense (hit and run) unless the information on the note is unsatisfactory. You only need to follow the steps I explained earlier and additionally, contact his/her insurance company right away. 

When to consult a lawyer after someone hit and run your parked car?

Most hit-and-runs are not solved and the few cases that are investigated and solved by police end up going all the way to courts of law. 

Another thing is that because you lack evidence, you only have your own insurance company to seek compensation. As you already know getting a fair compensation settlement without evidence is very hard. 

Here is a scenario/example. Sam had a hit-and-run in which the other driver fled the accident scene. Fortunately, police hunted him down, and was arrested. The problem with the other driver was that he had no enough assets/savings or insurance coverage. 

Sam’s only option to get compensated was by filing his claim settlement through his own insurance company. “To my surprise, my own insurance company hired a defense car accident attorney to go against me”, said Sam. 

“I later learned that they hired a lawyer on behalf of the other driver just to get a way of reducing the amount they owed me as settlement”, concluded Sam.

Having said that, do not trust your insurance company because just like other companies, they are only after making insane profits at the expense of accident victims. 

Definitely go hire a car accident attorney if you think the insurance company might harden negotiations, or if there is significant huge money involved as your compensation. For example, you won’t easily squeeze $100,000 from the insurance company unless you hired a personal injury lawyer.

Someone Hit My Parked Car and Left, What Do I Do?

A person that hits your parked car and leaves commits a hit-and-run offense. Depending on the jurisdiction and circumstances of the accident, that person could face felony or misdemeanor charges. 

The penalties for fleeing a car accident scene range from paying fines, to spending a number of years in jail or prison. Below is an example. 

personal injuries, car accident, hit and run

The penalty for hit and run in Georgia include paying fines, suspension of your driving license, and a jail time of 1-5 years.

In Tenessee, you will face a class A misdemeanor if a person sustained injuries due to your hit and run. The penalties for hit and run in Tennessee include up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $25,000, and suspension of your driver’s license.

Things To Do Immediately At the Scene

I already passed through the steps you should follow right after any car accident. The most important thing you should do at the accident scene is to gather pieces of evidence. 

You also do not want to accept liability even if it’s obvious you caused the accident. Remember whatever you say could be used against you later. If you intend to file a settlement claim, endeavor to seek medical attention right away. 

What to do if Someone Hit My Parked Car, But Left a Note?

Blessed you are if someone hit your parked car and left a note. Just as I explained in the steps you need to follow after a car accident, make sure you gather any piece of evidence, take photos and get statements from eyewitnesses. 

If the other driver left a note, the note should carry information like:

  • Names
  • contact information
  • Address
  • Insurance company
  • Insurance policy number
  • Car license plate number etc

Equipped with such information about the other driver, invite the police to compile a car accident report right away. The police will use that information to carry out additional investigations and should be able to contact the other driver in the shortest time possible.

You should also contact your insurance company and his/her insurance company right away. You will need to send the photos and any other pieces of evidence you collected to the insurance company to kick-start your compensation process.

Handling a Hit-and-Run Accident compensation claim?

Do you know what damages you are entitled to if someone hits your car? Do you understand car accident laws in your area of jurisdiction? Do you know all the tricks car insurance adjusters use to cheat clients?

Well, if some of your answers in the above paragraph are a ‘no’, then think about hiring a car accident attorney right away. 

From my own study, I found out that hiring a personal injury lawyer increases your likelihood of receiving a settlement amount that is at least 5x higher.

Car accident lawyers know the button they press and the insurance companies listen. They know various legal options at your disposal you could employ to get the compensation that you deserve.

For example, believe it or not, you on your own won’t win a settlement that is $50,000 or higher, unless you hired a personal injury lawyer. 

On the other hand, you do not need the services of a car accident attorney if you are likely to receive less than $10,000 as a settlement. Such small settlements are well handled by insurance companies or small claims offices.

Conclusion.

what to do if someone hit my car and left a note? Simple, gather as much information/evidence as possible. Call the police to compile a crash report and contact the insurance company to start your claim settlement process.