[woywitka]

my day has now been destroyed. some guy outfront my work backed up into the front of my Saab. he took off, all i have is a number for a guy that someone said got out and looked at the back of his car. i work at an auto parts store and thats why we have the number becuase he came in and bought a part, someone at the front desk then saw him get out and look at the back of his car then leave. i went outside to go get in my saab and notice my front turnlight had been ripped off and my healight is shoved in and down, my bumper top has been ripped from that little railing thing that runs under the lights and grille. any tips for how i should call this guy to try to get him to confess, nobody saw him hit me only get otu and look at the back of his car. but come on, likely it was him.


the technical part is? for some reason i can't open the bonnet, from this? anywho i know how to get it with a coat hanger. is it liekely what the headlight bolts to has been bent or can it be realigned? i would hate fro this to cost me money, so much for thoes new tires i really need.
all this after i gto a speeding ticket off a freeway offramp dooing 20km/h over the limit about to slow down.-motorcycle cop-no chance!

 

[dljpdx]

Ouch! Oh man, that really sucks - condolences.

If it were me, I'd see if I could find his residence and take a look at his car - see if there's any way to match up damage / paint rubbings between either car.

If not, I'd try to get him to confess - something like the store parking lot surveillance camera caught the whole thing on tape. He's not likely to confess unless he thinks he's been caught to begin with - - otherwise he would've come inside or left a note.

I'm guessing you don't have full coverage insurance? But if you do, you can bet your own insurance company wouldn't want to pay for it, when you've got a lead on a likely suspect - they would love to investigate on their own behalf...

Good luck with all this - it's why I park in the far reaches of the lot where I work - try to keep the bozos at bay, as we've had 3 hit-n-run's in my work parking lot in the last 6 months or so. But if you've got a small lot, you've got no choice... Grr.:evil:

 

[JonV]

One way would be to call the Local Police, file a Report, tell them you believe this is the guy that damaged your car and ask if they will investigate. Dont outright accuse him, just tell the Police that he was witnessed examining the Damage on his and your cars and you can produce the witnesses. Or tell that to your Insurance Company...as stated they would probably love to go after a Hit and Run....

J

 

[REDTURBO84]

I'd agree with JonV. Hand over what info you got to the police. You might get lucky. Mean while start rounding up some used parts .Lifes way to short to deal with all the a##holes. Pat

 

[MSOEMiller]

You can do a reverse lookup of phone numbers to find his address. I know www.smartpages.com has a reverse lookup feature for the United States.

 

[Matt88S]

I'd file a police report and then turn all the info over to your insurance. They aren't going to pay for anything that they don't have to, and they have lots of people who are used to going after people like that. I imagine they will check with his insurance to see if he's file a claim himself, and if so where, when and how it happened, they love it when people do that because you know he's not going to say "i ran into this parts guy's Saab in a parking lot". Its going to be more like, "somebody hit me while I was shopping at the mall". Then they threaten them for filling a false insurance claim, fraud, whatever they can.

Its better than going after them yourself. You aren't likely to get anywhere and that will only give them an advanced warning to think up some story or alibi.
Besides, insurance agents are really good at putting the fear into a person.

The down side to all this is, if he ran off he may not have insurance. Thats when you have to get the baseball bat out and say, now see here sonny......:nono;

 

[MSOEMiller]

Thats when you have to get the baseball bat out and say, now see here sonny......:nono;

That's why finding out where someone lives or works is an excellent motivator. My friend was hit while riding a bike and the guy said he would pay for the bike and medical costs. After a couple of days without getting a check, my friend showed up on his doorstep. The guy said "tomorrow", but that didn't happen. So, my friend showed up at his work. Payment came immediately.

 

[Saabina83]

Ouch!

Woy, of course you could always try Judge Judy! :cheesy:
I'll keep an eye out for you on the show - say hi to Officer Bird for me!

On a serious note, yes, you must report to your local police and your insurance co, if the car's insured for this sort of incident. I would be careful about taking the law into your own hands, though guys. It won't go down well if the matter eventually gets to court - and Woy may end up being the defendant in a separate and altogether more costly court case! (yes, I used to be in the cops - but that was a long time ago in a land far, far away)

Rosie & Ruby
Saabina83

 

[ProfZ]

If this incident happened in a parking lot owned by a business, it counts as private property--depending on your state laws, the police may not have jurisdiction and may be unable to treat the incident as a criminal offense. This means they may not be able to charge the hit-and-run driver with anything.

We had a car damaged by a hit-and-run in the parking lot of a Home Depot (a large home-improvement store). Several employees witnessed it and took down the offender's plate number, but the police officer whom we called to the scene could do nothing--for the reason I stated above:evil:

Bottom line: You may not be able to count on The Law to help you get redress.

I feel your anger and frustration, WW...

 

[JonV]

Well,
I dont know about Connecticut, but in NY/NJ leaving the scene of an accident on or off private property is reason to lose your license.

In any case a report should be filed for starters.

jv

 

[woywitka]

unfortunately i live in canada, our laws suck. they won't do squat. i was also parked on the street, my parts store doesn't have a parking lot. i have a huge issue now tho :i can't open the bonnet, my cable was attached but it wouldn't release, did the betly jig and it seems jammed, i think the mechanism got damaged when it was hit, anybody know a way in!?!??!?!? i'm really sad about this, everything was going so well on the car, really proud of it, getting her all fixed up!

 

[Tomarse]

To open the bonnet when your cable is stuck or broken -

First Remove the grille.
It should have 3 cross-head screws along the top edge. You may have to pull the front lip of the bonnet up with your hand to fit the screwdriver in - but it does fit!

When these are out, pull the grill upwards and outwards. The bottom edge is held in by 3 clips. They are quite long so you may have to tug it a bit to get it past the bonnet lip!
Ive done this on a few of my saabs so far and not broken a grill yet! - they take a lot of bending without breaking so don't be too worried!

Once the grille is off you can see what is going on. The bonnet stay is in the centre of the front panel. Follow the cable along to it, and you should see that it tugs on a little arm, which when moved releases the bonnet.
Get a nice solid screwdriver and use it to move the lever across in the direction that the cable should pull it. Be careful not to slip off and stab yourself or the radiator. It can be stiff and slippery.


If the front of your car has been hit you may find that the pin that goes through the catch to hold the bonnet down has been bent at a funny angle (or the front panel has moved slightly?). You may have to move the arm and push the end of the pin up at the same time, or hit it a bit to straightn it out first.

 

[SAABotaged900S]

Well,
I dont know about Connecticut, but in NY/NJ leaving the scene of an accident on or off private property is reason to lose your license.

In any case a report should be filed for starters.

jv

You can also lose your license and registration for unpaid parking tickets too :lol:
I agree, get the cops involved, maybe if you get them out from behind the desk and explain the severity that your car was damaged enough you can't gain access to the engine bay should be enough to file a report with the PD and insurance company. Here in NYS a report doesn't necessarily have to be filed unless damage to any one vehicle is in excess of $1,000, but if it is a hit-and-run (technically this would be because it happened on a public street) there should be a report filed with everyone you possibly can.

I was in a wreck with a rental Chevy Lumina that took on an 89 Bronco, and the driver of the Ford had a suspended license, he spent 5 hours in lock-up, got out, and paid all of a $125 fine issued by a judge after pleading guilty. I lost my job, insurance, totaled the rental car, and messed up my back and neck. He bent his bumper and tore out the radiator. Cops, lawyers and DMV wanted nothing to do with it, so I considered some vigilante justice. My idea was since he wanted to drive a truck with a modified suspension to keep it off the ground higher, it just made access to the oil drain plug easier :lol::lol::lol:. (Like Uncle Jesse said, "We Dukes don't get revenge on people, we get revenge on property")
However legally it doesnt justify doing damage. Nothing does. Unfortunately, you win some, and you lose some, especially when it comes ot the insurance, police and courts.