You and the other driver collided at an intersection and he drove off. There were minimal damages to both cars and no injuries to either of you. Would you have driven off. I understand if he pulled over, it’s best to also pull over and call police. However, I personally know plenty of people who saw the other driver leave the scene and they themselves did as well. Thoughts?

CUz like if he drives off, he is highly unlikely to call cops on you. He prolly just wanna escape. Wouldn't it be best to simply deal with your insurance? A couple of my friends were in that exact situation. So are plenty of people on forum sites. They all left bc the other driver didn't stay.

[WishfulThinker66]

I am not sure what laws you have regarding fault Vs no fault and insurance. Here it would actually be a bit assinine to drive off without stopping as you wouldn't be able to get your vehicle repaired without having done so.

Nope, you need stop no matter what but you do not need to call police if the vehicles are driveable. You exchange your information (license and registration) and then you can drive off. You simply report the incident to your insurance and have the damage assessed and approved for repair. If you have a witness all the better. It makes no sense someone would drive off unless they didn't care about repairing their vehicle.

Yes if they stop, you also stop and exchange insurance. But what if they drove off? How could you exchange insurance then? If you don’t need to call police, then you have no choice but to leave if they leave first.

[Deejay14]

In my state the accident would need to be reported to the police if you are going to use insurance. So you have to call for a hit and run. Insurance company wants the police report.

It's best to get the registration number of the other car and call cops.

What if the other driver leaves first? How would it be possible to exchange insurance in that case?

[Nammu]

Snap a picture of the person and the license plate and then call the cops to report a hit and run.

[divine1966]

Why are you asking? It’s not necessary for you to call the police if other person left, you can drive to the police station and make a report there. Or you can pull to the side and call them, ask what they think you should do. If a scratch is minor and you didn’t see other cars license, you can just call your insurance and ask what they suggest. They likely will suggest police report. Is there a reason you are asking this?

You know plenty of people who just drive off because others do? Who are these peioke and how did you find out that they drive off? I never even discussed it with anyone in my life.

Just wanted to know if in that case it’s best to just deal with insurance.

[WishfulThinker66]

If in doubt, do it. If you are unsure, call both the police (non emergency line please) and your insurance provider for direction on how to proceed. Better to be safe so to speak than sorry.

I talked to my job developer and I asked her the same question and she replied, "Hell yeah! If he drove off, what is there for me to do?" So yeah, she'd leave. The problem on my part is that when I was in an accident, the other driver only looked like he had left. He gave ZERO indication of pulling over bc it wasn't on the side of the road. He went to the parking lot. So my job developer also said to make absolute sure he HAD left before I make any decision.

My car is in the shop for the past month. It's $7000 worth of damages but insurance will pay for all but the $1000 deductible. However, the shop said at most, they'll just charge me $500 and depending on what they could save on, I might actually pay less, or even nothing. The only thing wrong is that they're severely understaffed and even had 2 ppl quit recently, which is why it's taking so long. At least I know it'll come back eventually. My request is, Can someone on here jinx it so I could get it back today?

[divine1966]

So you weren’t just asking in general but we’re asking for your own situation? I have never heard of car being in a shop for a month. Cars with $7000 damages would be likely totaled. I can’t imagine insurance willing to pay that much? What kind of car was it? How much did it cost before the accident? And what are the damages? With that many damages it was likely huge impact and all air bags went off, that typically causes totaling the car. I am confused on all this.

[unaluna]

Sometimes they cant paint the car if the weather is too hot or humid. So it delays it.

[divine1966]

Originally Posted by unaluna

Sometimes they cant paint the car if the weather is too hot or humid. So it delays it.

That could be. But ruby says it’s because they are understaffed. That shop likely won’t stay open for long as no one can wait a month for their car.

Originally Posted by divine1966

That could be. But ruby says it’s because they are understaffed. That shop likely won’t stay open for long as no one can wait a month for their car.

They're understaffed. They woulda finished by now if they could, especially when they get the check when repair is complete. Plus, it's one less thing on their plate.

Originally Posted by divine1966

So you weren’t just asking in general but we’re asking for your own situation? I have never heard of car being in a shop for a month. Cars with $7000 damages would be likely totaled. I can’t imagine insurance willing to pay that much? What kind of car was it? How much did it cost before the accident? And what are the damages? With that many damages it was likely huge impact and all air bags went off, that typically causes totaling the car. I am confused on all this.

It's not totaled. It's still driveable. In fact, it's been driven to the shop for repair, not towed. And insurance has already sent me the check for that much. I'm not saying this to be a smartass. I'm just saying this is what actually happened.

[JJ43]

Check the laws of your state -- laws may differ.

[Calla lily12]

I think it's illegal at least in Mass. to leave the scene of an accident under any circumstances. I know of a woman who hit a tree on our street and went into a house across the street to calm down. The officer had a fit that she left.

I live in Missouri. Regardless of the law, if the other driver left, who would you exchange insurance with? A phantom? At least that's how a friend put it lol.

The problem on my part is that the other driver DIDN'T leave. He pulled over. However, he ain't look anything like he was pulling over. He completely looked like he drove off bc he went to the nearby parking lot and not the side of the road. My lawyer is taking on my case and the date is set to Sept 20th (originally Aug 13).

And thx to whoever jinxed it on this forum site, I get my car back today!!

[divine1966]

If the accident was so bad that it costs 7k and takes a month to repair a car, you had to have police report done. Why is your lawyer getting involved? Taking on your case? What case? Is the guy suing you for driving away? Was he injured?

[Raindropvampire]

You always want to make a police report as asoon as humanly possible. The other person could drive away, call the police and tell them anything. Then it looks like your fault because you didn't report it. So always ALWAYS make a police report.

Ok so my lawyer went to court on my behalf (I wasn't present) and they were willing to put me on probation. If I don't have any violations for a year, it drops off my record. And my car's been back for a month now.

Originally Posted by divine1966

If the accident was so bad that it costs 7k and takes a month to repair a car, you had to have police report done. Why is your lawyer getting involved? Taking on your case? What case? Is the guy suing you for driving away? Was he injured?

Because I left. And it's illegal to leave. That guy who I thought drove off turned out to have pulled over. He gave zero indication of pulling over bc he went to the nearest parking lot a few feet away, not the side of the road. And at that time, other people acted like I shoulda been able to tell that he was pulling over.

Who hit who? Did you hit him? Because if you hit him and then drove off..then yes..I’m pretty sure that is illegal-regardless if he was driving off or not. Sorry I read this thread and I’m confused what caused the accident in the first place?