My Vibe was hit by a drunk!

[viBert]

My wife was leaving a parking lot yesterday and a drunk in a 2 door honda turned and hit the back wheel and back bumper, the wheel cover is broken and the back bumper has some scratches. He kept on going and parked by an apartment. He tried ignoring my wife and went up to his apartment. My wife followed him into the building and up to his door and told him to give the insurance details or she was calling the cops (the little lady has guts). The drunk guys wife tried telling my wife that he didn't live there, and that he was visiting. The cops showed up but they never explained to my wife if they were charging him. Also the cop told her maybe she shouldn't claim since she will have to pay deductible. I will be calling the cop for an explanation today. If I find that the guy hasn't been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and DUI, I will be talking to their captain and my local poltician. There is no way I will be paying for repairs caused by a drunken A$$hole.

[drb22]

quote:There is no way I will be paying for repairs caused by a drunken A$$hole.No you shouldn't. You might run into a problem if he has no insurance. If he wasn't given a ticket for leaving the scene of an accident, then the cop messed up. Hope your Vibe is feeling better.

[kemahguy]

This is a no brainer, as soon as the other driver started to leave, your wife should have called 911 and said she was just hit by a car and the suspect is leaving the accident. They would have rolled code-3 and the guy would have been arrested, no questions asked. Leaving the scene of an accident is usually a misdemeanor and felony if any injuries occurred.

[Frosty]

I agree with the 911 call.In 20/20 hindsight.....The Mrs. could have been assaulted or worse by the idiot. She should have called 911, followed him discreetly and waited for the police.Good luck!

[Triton]

Man, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get the S.O.B. who did this.

[Stang2Vibe]

quote:I agree with the 911 call.In 20/20 hindsight.....The Mrs. could have been assaulted or worse by the idiot. She should have called 911, followed him discreetly and waited for the police.Good luck! I totally agree with Frosty here. As for the deductible, don't fall for that one. It seems the cop just doesn't want to do all the paperwork. When a kid drove his bicycle into the front of my Mustang last summer, he scratched the headlight lens and the front bumper and then ran home. My car was parked legally on the street in front of my girlfriend's house. Luckily there were several adults outside talking at the time 2 houses away who witnessed the incident. I went to question them to get the story on what happened to my car and finally got the story. I found out that the kid's mother is well known in the neighborhood as being rather psychotic, so I chose to call the police to let them handle her. The cop didn't want to have anything to do with it, but I persisted. He was telling me about the deductible, too. But since my car was legally parked and unoccupied at the time of the incident, there was no way I could have been at fault in any way for the damage. With the officer's reluctant help, and an adult witness, we went and confronted the kid's mom. After her pretending that she had no idea what happened (even though the kid was standing there in the living room with blood still running down his leg), she finally admitted that her son told her he hit my car. She called her husband at work and was flipping out over the phone, cursing about the neighbors who told on her kid, screaming and cursing about all kinds of things and using racial slurs in front of the officer for no appearant reason. The lady was nuts. In the end, I got her homeowner's insurance information and the officer made a report. A few days later, her insurance agent called me and I had a damage estimate from a Ford dealer fax him a copy of the estimate. About a week later, a check showed up in the mail for the full amount of the estimate plus the cost of 3 days of car rental. I have a $250 deductible, and the check they sent me was for about $768. Even if I had to claim it and pay my deductible, it would have been worth it. Parts and labor to repair cars can be very expensive, even with only minor damage. If the police didn't make a report and you requested one, I'd definately sue the drunk for the damages and the police department for everything that a good lawyer could think of. If your wife could ID the drunk man, he should have been arrested on the spot, no questions asked. This is horrible police work and part of the reason why so many people still drive drunk. If you get caught driving drunk, I think you should be put through a legal wringer. I hope you guys decide to go after the drunken jerk and win.Good luck!

[viBert]

Well I talked to the cop. He says the guy was not drunk just suffering from a migrane headache. It is obvious that he doesnt want to do the paperwork. He told me that he didn't see the wheel damage, just the bumper scatches, therefore he didnt write a reports because it was under $1000 he says he didn't witness the accident and that it is up to the insurance companies to settle it.

[Frosty]

quote:Well I talked to the cop. He says the guy was not drunk just suffering from a migrane headache. Holy Ball Dropping Batman.No charges!Look, if you suffer from a medical condition that makes operating a motor vehicle dangerous, you don't drive. Period.If you don't give it up, your doctor can make it so. Sheesh.Nothing from the cop about leaving the scene, hit and run? When I fail to do my job the bosses let me know about it. Ask to speak to the traffic supervisor. Stang2Vibe's Scenerio should work for you too. Good luck!

[DopeVibeGT]

Sorry to hear about that! Hope everything works out.I agree with the guys about not leaving, getting a plate #, and calling 911. They would have been charged with at least a hit and run fine. And I'm not sure whats up with the cops up there, but down here, things would have been different. Telling you not to claim it on insurance because of the deductable?? Maybe the cop should have been tested for DUI! Anyway, good luck to you and your wife.

[MYKIDSGT]

Migraine or no migraine, you dont hit somebodies car and leave after.Especially since there was somebody in the vehicle.I would of beat the **** out of em already, but yes, I do have a problem controlling my temper. I'll show you a migraine with my boots.Keep trying whats been suggested above and good luck.

[Cubanpete]

vibert...gut or no guts, if she saw the accident she should have called the cops 911.....Hit and Run.....as for following the guy up at the House, ...thats ludicruos could have been a bank robber or mental case that she followed and could have killed her in the Builing, not smart if you ask me!

[Sputnik]

quote:vibert...gut or no guts, if she saw the accident she should have called the cops 911.....Hit and Run.....as for following the guy up at the House, ...thats ludicruos could have been a bank robber she followed and could have killed her in the Builing, not smart if you ask me!Now I'm sure its been a trying ordeal, but there's no need to berate the poor woman (whom you've never met). The police were obviously called at some point, otherwise they never would have shown up.

[Cubanpete]

too clarify, what I meant was.......that its dangerous to follow one of these guys up to there homes, as you never know what to expect....The comment was one of safety, don't take it the wrong way!

[Sputnik]

quote:too clarify, what I meant was.......that its dangerous to follow one of these guys up to there homes, as you never know what to expect....The comment was one of safety, don't take it the wrong way!Sorry, I know it was a message of safety, but I thought it sounded kind of harsh. But yes, its better safe then sorry.

[Cubanpete]

Sputnik.....going after a Drunk Hit and Run Driver and following him up to his Home, Is like the 7-11 clerk chasing a guy that just pulled a Hold up, My comment was harsh but honest!. It not worth it....Push the Cops to do there Job, and make sure that the Insurance claim/report is done within the 24 hours, I know in QC they will waive the deductable and by default not liable so your premium does not inflate if you follow the 24 hr. criteria.

[viBert]

quote:vibert...gut or no guts, if she saw the accident she should have called the cops 911.....Hit and Run.....as for following the guy up at the House, ...thats ludicruos could have been a bank robber or mental case that she followed and could have killed her in the Builing, not smart if you ask me!I told her the same things. I told her she should have taken down the license plate, looked for witnesses then called the police, then me and waited in the car.She said has good instincts and she felt there was no threat from this couple. I talked to one of the cops who attended and he said the guy had a bad migraine and wasn't drunk. We have no expanation as to why he took off and why she had to get the cops to get his insurance information and why his lady friend/wife told my wife he was drunk. It seems that if your car is hit in a parking lot/private property in Ontario the cops don't want to get involved. If there is a dispute as to who is to blame the insurance companies will work it out as 50/50 and your rates will go up even if you are not to blame. I asked the cop why the guy wasn't being charged with leaving the scene and he said that technically he didn't because the building shares the parking lot with the bank. Something stinks but at this point I don't care as long as the repairs are paid by him and my insurance is not involved.If this accident would have happened on public property there would be no problems it would be a simple case of him being in the wrong.

[Stang2Vibe]

He probably couldn't have pulled a gun unless it was an elk rifle or something... No Handguns Permitted In Canada .I realized after my last post that this was one of our Canadian friends. Wow, it sounds like there is some kind of messed up system up there for these situations. Maybe the cops knew this guy and were getting him off the hook? A migrane, huh? Well, after a night of drinking like Ted Kennedy then smashing into cars I'd have a hell of a migrane too!!! If this happened to me here near my home and the cops were handing me these lines of crap, you could be sure that there would be lawyers involved. It's just a good thing that nobody was hurt. He could have hit a pedestrian or something.

[Stang2Vibe]

silverawd26--My God, getting dragged by an enraged driver? Let me try and count the possible charges here based just on what you wrote. 2 counts of assault, battery (one or two counts, depending on if he actually made physical contact with your mom), leaving the scene of an accident, attempted vehicular homicide, assault with a deadly weapon (the van), am I forgetting any here?? In PA, this guy would have been arrested ASAP, sent to jail, and probably automatically criminally prosecuted. You as a private party could then have sued him for several other charges in civil court to seek monetary compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, as well as any other damages he may have caused. The court could also award you punitive damages (more money) to punish him for his behavior. You could have possibly been set for life if all went well. Glad to see you weren't hurt even more seriously, possibly even killed by this psycho. Man, what is wrong with people out there. I know I sure get really intensely angry in traffic sometimes, but I would never drag someone who was stuck to my car or try to assault their mother in the car. What a real lowlife. I hope he learned a lesson or two from "Bubba" in the big house.

[microELVIS]

Yup thats messed, I think you may have just gotten a lazy cop, or one that just didnt care or whatever. Im sure most of the police are not like that or else there would be many many complaints already. The thing about following the person to their home and not calling 911. Well if she didnt have a cell phone handy she would have had to memorize the plate as he sped off and then not had any idea where he could've gone. Maybe another way would have been to follow the car and then after call the police. Hard to say I wasnt there, but without a plate you are almost screwed.Just my thoughts