Am I a jerk for calling ins co and getting a police report on small crash?

[68charger440]

Am I a jerk for calling insurance company and getting a police report for someone who hit my parked Jeep GC?  The guy backed into my Jeep which was parked in front of my house.  He didn't want me to call the cops and said he would pay for the damage in cash, but didn't  have it on him. It is a small dent in the rear quarter, but you know that even a small dent can get pretty expensive to have repaired properly. 
I have been down that road before and the last time I got a small down payment and then never another dime.  So this time I called the cops and insisted on a police report.  The other guy was fuming as if I was a jerk for not taking his word that he would pay for it.  I never met the guy before but he did move in with one of my neighbors down the block who I also don't know.  He was so mad I thought it could have easily come to blows if I had responded to his rude comments in kind. So what do you all think, trust that he will pay or do what I did?

[JB400]

Not at all.  You obeyed the law.  Don't worry about it and let the other guy come to his senses.

[Daytona R/T SE]

You did the right thing.

I would have asked him "What do you have to hide from the cops?"

Dope? Drunk? No insurance? Not your car?

[F8-4life]

Yea who cares about him, it's not like he got a dui or anything..
What is he so pissed about? $100 or so in the cops citing him for unable to control a vehicle?

[hemi-hampton]

You can't trust anybody nowadays. I doubt he'd pay & whats he hiding?

[oldcarnut]

Did the right thing.  I had a coworker and who was a teammate on the ball team skid into the rear of my truck one night on the way to work.  Promised to pay for the bumper replacement and long story short I had to write a small claims court notice 6 months later to get him to pay up.  I saved him a ticket and a claim but he still tried to screw me and he wasn't even a stranger.  Your guy can still pay cash and avoid the insurance claim paying for it if he chooses to save a rate hike but it sounds like he had alternative reasons.

[G-man]

You're a prick of the highest order.  

On a serious note though...

Couldn't you have gotten his details/license etc which would guarantee you it gets fixed? Like if he didn't pay, you could always use that information with insurance after. At least it gives him a chance (Just thinking if it was me, you would get paid... and I wouldn't like all that other crap involved as it would end up costing me way more for absolutely no reason)

[LaOtto70Charger]

 G-man I think you would have to have the police claim to get insurance to pay. 

I had the reverse. Co-worker opened a truck. door and put a small dent in trucks door. He kept after to go get it fixed and he would pay. I didn't car about the dent.  Finally go over to a body shop and get it fixed.  Than he was shocked at price but still paid.

[68charger440]

You're a prick of the highest order.  

On a serious note though...

Couldn't you have gotten his details/license etc which would guarantee you it gets fixed? Like if he didn't pay, you could always use that information with insurance after. At least it gives him a chance (Just thinking if it was me, you would get paid... and I wouldn't like all that other crap involved as it would end up costing me way more for absolutely no reason)

I did get his details, and will get an estimate from a bodyshop.  Then I will give him the opportunity to pay cash and I won't go through with filing the claim if he pays cash.  I just wanted the police report because people have a funny way of revising or outright denying the truth sometimes, especially after they have time to come up with a good story.  With the police report and him getting cited then my case is much more solid. The cop said he had an outstanding issue in Georgia, and one of his trucks had no insurance. I'm not sure which truck he hit it with because he had parked it before I talked to him. That doesn't sound like someone I should just blindly trust.

[DAY CLONA]

Couldn't you have gotten his details/license etc which would guarantee you it gets fixed? Like if he didn't pay, you could always use that information with insurance after. At least it gives him a chance (Just thinking if it was me, you would get paid... and I wouldn't like all that other crap involved as it would end up costing me way more for absolutely no reason)

Try and be the nice guy, and see what it gets you nowadays, gets you shit on a stick... DAMHIK

[68charger440]

Couldn't you have gotten his details/license etc which would guarantee you it gets fixed? Like if he didn't pay, you could always use that information with insurance after. At least it gives him a chance (Just thinking if it was me, you would get paid... and I wouldn't like all that other crap involved as it would end up costing me way more for absolutely no reason)

I


Try and be the nice guy, and see what it gets you nowadays, gets you shit on a stick... DAMHIK

I'm afraid you are right.  It seems to be the way of the world these days for people to repeat a lie until it becomes the truth in their eyes. That is why I got the police report... kind of the "Trust but verify approach".

[JB400]

Just because one person, or type of person, treats you like crap, doesn't mean everyone will.

[68charger440]

Just because one person, or type of person, treats you like crap, doesn't mean everyone will.

True, but how much money are you willing to put on the line just to find out?

[RallyeMike]

The last guy that ran into my spouse's car seemed nice at first, gave her $200 cash, and said he'd pay for it so my wife did not call the cops (I was not there). He got real scarce after that, but I was able to track him down and found his address and phone number. I realized that I was getting pretty worked up and that it was not worth the time and aggravation to personally recover the $1300. I used by best Saturday night circle track pit man skills and fixed the car myself for $120 

This is the benefit of an insurance company: They deal with this asshats! . You sit back and have a beer.

[JB400]

Just because one person, or type of person, treats you like crap, doesn't mean everyone will.

True, but how much money are you willing to put on the line just to find out?

Just enough to give someone the benefit of the doubt.  If you lose, you lose.  But, if you win, then there's hope that there are people out there willing to do the right thing, and they'll be willing to do it again in the future.

[68CoronetRT]

Wife got rear ended on the freeway once, in traffic so it was a really slow impact. Lady said to call her and she and her husband would take care of the damage. Long story short, they never took care of it.

In the glorious state of CA, we cannot call in a police report anymore for an accident UNLESS there is a need for a medical team to come and take someone off the scene.

You did the right thing! People now a days are always looking to get out of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I'd be the first person in line to admit guilt in an accident, you just dont see that these days.

[Troy]

Wife got rear ended on the freeway once, in traffic so it was a really slow impact. Lady said to call her and she and her husband would take care of the damage. Long story short, they never took care of it.

In the glorious state of CA, we cannot call in a police report anymore for an accident UNLESS there is a need for a medical team to come and take someone off the scene.

You did the right thing! People now a days are always looking to get out of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I'd be the first person in line to admit guilt in an accident, you just dont see that these days.

And this, is what kind of sucks about insurance and government. Here in Ohio you must have a minimum amount of liability insurance by law (I'm sure that applies in most other states as well). You can have your license suspended immediately for not having it (the enforcement of which is a story worthy of a thread by itself). Insurance companies love it as their product has guaranteed customers. It is in the best interest of the insurance to do everything it can to get out of paying though so you're best bet is to have a police report. However... we're told not to call the police for minor accidents and the police won't assign blame on private property (ie. you get sandwiched in a mall parking lot). If someone damages your stuff, you end up going through a lot of hassle and still end up paying out of pocket. So why have insurance? I'm convinced this is why there are so many banged up cars on the roads. The best course of action is to have comprehensive on all your cars which will pay for damages then try to recover them from whoever is at fault (basically paying insurance for the hassle of dealing with people). Of course, then your rates go up! This isn't clear to a lot of people until they've been screwed. Many other countries don't require liability insurance. It's up to individuals to settle whether in or out of court. Of course, people can purchase their own insurance for protection - which is what insurance was meant to be all along. Forcing people to have insurance but not forcing the insurance to cover damages only ends up harming the people the law was supposed to protect.

In four instances of my cars being damaged by someone else, I have only once filed a police report (they were found guilty in court) and I have never I received any compensation. So yeah, don't do what I do. People suck. Which seems so odd to me as a vehicle is typically the second most valuable asset people own behind their home. Why wouldn't you take care of it - and take care when driving it?

Troy

[68charger440]

Just because one person, or type of person, treats you like crap, doesn't mean everyone will.

True, but how much money are you willing to put on the line just to find out?

Just enough to give someone the benefit of the doubt.  If you lose, you lose.  But, if you win, then there's hope that there are people out there willing to do the right thing, and they'll be willing to do it again in the future.

I would like to share your faith in people, and applaud you for your faith in humanity, but as you can see by the other examples people posted in this thread, the odds are that you will loose your money.  If it were a hundred or two dollars I might be willing to try, but not for a couple of thousand.  I am not as trusting as you which I know can be a double edged sword.

[68charger440]

Wife got rear ended on the freeway once, in traffic so it was a really slow impact. Lady said to call her and she and her husband would take care of the damage. Long story short, they never took care of it.

In the glorious state of CA, we cannot call in a police report anymore for an accident UNLESS there is a need for a medical team to come and take someone off the scene.

You did the right thing! People now a days are always looking to get out of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I'd be the first person in line to admit guilt in an accident, you just dont see that these days.

And this, is what kind of sucks about insurance and government. Here in Ohio you must have a minimum amount of liability insurance by law (I'm sure that applies in most other states as well). You can have your license suspended immediately for not having it (the enforcement of which is a story worthy of a thread by itself). Insurance companies love it as their product has guaranteed customers. It is in the best interest of the insurance to do everything it can to get out of paying though so you're best bet is to have a police report. However... we're told not to call the police for minor accidents and the police won't assign blame on private property (ie. you get sandwiched in a mall parking lot). If someone damages your stuff, you end up going through a lot of hassle and still end up paying out of pocket. So why have insurance? I'm convinced this is why there are so many banged up cars on the roads. The best course of action is to have comprehensive on all your cars which will pay for damages then try to recover them from whoever is at fault (basically paying insurance for the hassle of dealing with people). Of course, then your rates go up! This isn't clear to a lot of people until they've been screwed. Many other countries don't require liability insurance. It's up to individuals to settle whether in or out of court. Of course, people can purchase their own insurance for protection - which is what insurance was meant to be all along. Forcing people to have insurance but not forcing the insurance to cover damages only ends up harming the people the law was supposed to protect.

In four instances of my cars being damaged by someone else, I have only once filed a police report (they were found guilty in court) and I have never I received any compensation. So yeah, don't do what I do. People suck. Which seems so odd to me as a vehicle is typically the second most valuable asset people own behind their home. Why wouldn't you take care of it - and take care when driving it?

Troy

I have had similar experiences and could not agree more with you!

[alfaitalia]

A bare minimum of third party cover is required to take any vehicle on the road in the UK...so that's basically if you hit someone and it's your fault then your insurance company will fix the car you hit and sort any other claims they might have against you...like if you injured them in the crash. You just give them your insurance details and walk away...the insurance companies (yours and theirs) argue out the details and pretty much the first you will know is when you get a letter from them saying how much they paid out and how much "no claims discount" you will lose....meaning your policy will cost more when you renew. However if you only have third party cover the insurance company won't cover any damage to your own car. So most people (75% plus at a guess) have fully comprehensive so both damage to there and your car with be repaired. More expensive but rather more reassuring should the worst occur. Only people with cheap old cars tend to just have third party cover. If you have an accident and it was not your fault then the other guys insurance will foot the bill and your "no claims" will not be affected. It's a very serious offence to drive without insurance here and most people hate anyone who does. Imagine if you accidentally hit a pedestrian or a cyclist and caused them serious injury...they could sue you for hundreds of thousands...the problem there being that if you can't afford insurance then you probably won't be able to afford the massive compensation payout and legal costs that will go with it....and will go to prison. Leaving the injured person a long wait for the minimal government and insurance company funded payout from monies put aside specifically to cover claims resulting from uninsured drivers....basically pushing up the cost of insurance for the rest of us. Uninsured drivers will hopefully rot in hell! More BOT.... the police will usually not get involved in any road traffic accident unless a serious injury has occurred...in which case you are legally bound to call them and they MUST attend. The vast majority of accidents it's pretty obvious who caused it and a few photos and witness names and addresses forwarded to the insurance company will usually do the job. You always get the odd wise guy who causes an accident but denies responsibility....this is about the only time the courts get involved...but again the insurance companies sort it all out. Insurance is generally considered fairly expensive and if you are under twenty or have a few points on your license...very expensive. To the point where although you can pass your driving test at 17 here, most can't afford insurance until at least 18....one of the main reasons the government here is considering a raise of the minimum age to 18! If you get caught drink driving lots of insurance companies won't offer insurance for ten years so even after your average 24 month ban you may still find it very difficult (and certainly very expensive) to get back on the road. Good I say...lost a biker mate to a drunk driver....that drivers ban paled in to insignificance compared to the serious beating that befell him one dark night by attackers unknown....something of course I know nothing about!

Nowadays you wont get far in the UK without insurance...Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems are in plate everywhere here now. So if you take a car on the street without insurance, road tax or an up to date annual inspection (MOT) the first thing you will know about its is when the summons falls through your letter box and hits your door mat!! No cops involved....unless you don't pay the fixed fine or, if you want to argue your case, and don't show up to court! You will have them knocking on your door pretty fast then!!

A little off topic I know but I thought some of you might find it a little informative!

[68charger440]

Well here in Colorado, USA there are 16% of drivers who have no insurance.  More in some of the rural areas, and the numbers are rising.
One dirty trick that seems likely to be happening in my opinion is that if the person who caused the accident does not answer calls from their insurance company then the claim is denied, and your recourse is to sue for damages.  If you only have liability coverage then your insurance company doesn't seem to want to chase down the other person either.  So most people find that legal fees cost more than the cost to repair the car so they end up paying for it themselves. 
The whole industry seems to be a government mandated cash cow for the insurers with loopholes galore for them to avoid paying for your losses. 
Troy did a good job of giving his take on this issue a few posts back. 
The politicians don't even do a good job of pretending they care any more as long as the insurance companies, legal system, PACs and other corrupt business donations keep rolling in.  That is why so many ordinary people would just as soon elect a used piece of toilet paper than a career politician.
End of rant!

[hemi-hampton]

16% is pretty good. I think it's like 75% of Detroit Drivers do not have insurance. LEON.

[68charger440]

16% is pretty good. I think it's like 75% of Detroit Drivers do not have insurance. LEON.

Ha!
My son moved out there last year, and when I went out to see him it was a bit of a culture shock between Denver and Detroit.

[Baldwinvette77]

nah, its what insurance is for anyway, you pay for it, might as well use it.

[68charger440]

nah, its what insurance is for anyway, you pay for it, might as well use it.

The trouble is that they want you to pay for it but they don't want to pay out anything and seem slimy In how they work the system.

[Bobs69]

I read the first few post and I don't see the problem with what you did.  You still haven't called the insurance company.  So what is his concern?

[68charger440]

Probably because he doesn't have insurance on one of his trucks and now has a ticket to deal with in court.

[JB400]

Just because one person, or type of person, treats you like crap, doesn't mean everyone will.

True, but how much money are you willing to put on the line just to find out?

Just enough to give someone the benefit of the doubt.  If you lose, you lose.  But, if you win, then there's hope that there are people out there willing to do the right thing, and they'll be willing to do it again in the future.

I would like to share your faith in people, and applaud you for your faith in humanity, but as you can see by the other examples people posted in this thread, the odds are that you will loose your money.  If it were a hundred or two dollars I might be willing to try, but not for a couple of thousand.  I am not as trusting as you which I know can be a double edged sword.

In that case, you should have asked for some sort of reimbursement right up front, and then give him the benefit of the doubt. You could have offered to take him to the bank to settle up. Even if he didn't fulfill his obligation, at least you would have gotten something from him, plus the lesson not to deal with him again in the future, unless he forks over a little more.  With your current actions, you obeyed the law, but have now proven to him, and everyone else, that you cannot be negotiated with in a problematic situation, just because of past events in which he had no involvement.  

Given the situation now, would you rather be the judge, or the defendant?

[68charger440]

The accident was after bank hours and he did not have the cash. Besides how much should I ask for without an estimate.

If I saw you on a street corner with your Charger and I said let me take the car and I'll come back and pay for it later, would you do let me take it? I would bet dollars to doughnuts that you would find it hard to get any legal advice anywhere to say you should give me your car.  I am just trying to protect my interests.  I would be foolish not to.  As the old saying goes "A fool and his money are soon parted".  I am many things, but I am not a fool.  Sometimes giving someone the benefit of the doubt equates to being a fool in hindsight.
Even now I have not filed a claim so I am still showing that I can be negotiated with.  I told him that I will get repair estimates and if he pays in cash then all is well and we go our separate ways.

As for the judge part, I would much rather be in the judge or jury position now since there is now a police report showing that this accident happened exactly as I stated with the police writing that the other guy admitted to the same story instead of having no witnesses or police report and having it be his word again mine and me giving him all the time in the world to make up a plausible lie that may be accepted by the judge or jury.
...and I will always prefer to be the judge!

[JB400]

So far, you've done the right thing.  But, not everything has to be done in cash.  Going off of your example; if you pulled up driving a new dually pickup, and you said what you stated earlier, I'd let you drive my Charger if you'd let me drive your pickup, on the condition in which I stated my car is for sale, which it's not.

[tan top]

 you done the right thing calling the cops ,

[bakerhillpins]

Just because one person, or type of person, treats you like crap, doesn't mean everyone will.

True, but how much money are you willing to put on the line just to find out?

Just enough to give someone the benefit of the doubt.  If you lose, you lose.  But, if you win, then there's hope that there are people out there willing to do the right thing, and they'll be willing to do it again in the future.

I would like to share your faith in people, and applaud you for your faith in humanity, but as you can see by the other examples people posted in this thread, the odds are that you will loose your money.  If it were a hundred or two dollars I might be willing to try, but not for a couple of thousand.  I am not as trusting as you which I know can be a double edged sword.

Short answer, call the police and have a report filed.

For what it's worth I have had more good/acceptable experiences with this than bad:

On the way to work I was rear ended by someone who gave their business card and they did pay but we had to be the one to keep contacting to keep it moving. (I.e. they would have just as soon ignored us but did call back)
I was hit by someone who cut a corner in our office parking lot. Small business so we were aware of each other. He asked to not go through normal channels for reasons that I'll not get into. We talked with our Insurance company and local PD about NH law and kept paper work on the situation but didn't officially "report it". Paid for the repairs but got upset at "how much it cost". I said point blank "one way or another I am not paying, you pay me or you deal with my insurance company and the PD.".  I got paid in installments over a few months.
When my sons were born someone backed into our car in the hospital lot. They left a note and paid no hassle at all.
Woman ran a stop sign and tagged the front of my car. Made all sorts of nose about not needing the cops and she would pay... on and on. I called regardless. She gave false info to the police, had expired insurance, etc. The police report was worth it's weight in gold.
Last year guy pulled out in front of me from his stop sign (didn't see me coming). Police called and he accepted all responsibility at the scene, no arguments, nothing. Even with the local PD. The officer actually came over to me afterward and said that he had completely accepted fault and followed up describing with "was surprised" and "rarely seen these days".

There are lots of decent folks out there, It's just harder to find them among all the twerps. When you do, remember who they are and make them your friends!!