renaissancewoman101 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Not sure where to put this but need some advice. I was on my way home to my parents' house tonight. Got off the freeway by accident, into a congested and not-so-safe part of town. Was trying to get back on the freeway and got rear-ended in the turn lane. There was no where to pull over safely. Intersection was extremely congested and the area is a bad area, so people drive recklessly there. Thought the car who rear-ended me was following me to find a place to park. When I finally found a place to pull over, the car who had rear-ended me was gone. I waited there for 15 min, no one showed up. i ended up driving to my parents. Got out to check my car. There was very little damage. Like maybe a scratch or two. Not sure what I should do??? I'm worried that the guy who rear ended me might say I did a hit-run. I dunno. I did note where the accident happened and did take pics of my car. should I report to insurance??? Should I wait to see if anything happens??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oitnb Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I'd report it to your insurance just in case the other driver tries anything shady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xb0x Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Report it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhowe Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The other driver is at fault. Report to insurance company, but I wouldn't bother filing a claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SydneyGirl Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Was the other car able to leave the scene? Some smaller cars, depending on the type and the angle of the accident, might have front end damage that has impacted their tyres. I was once in an accident where the front bumper was crushed into the front right tyre and the car couldn't be driven at all. Did you see who it was and notice them behind you at any point after leaving the intersection? Did you go back to check if they were still there? In all honesty, it's pretty likely they are uninsured and took off. Maybe they're unlicensed or have a bad driving record.. who knows? If there is very little damage to your car, I wouldn't worry. The other driver is at fault, so unless they have alot of damage and intend to put in an insurance claim, which will cost them money and probably their driving rating, so their premiums will end up going up, you're unlikely to hear from them. I'm not sure where you are, but where I live if you have front end damage to your car, it's pretty likely you've rear-ended someone or hit something and are at fault and you would usually need witnesses to prove otherwise. Rear end damage is a little easier to understand, for situations like yours. On top of that, the police only need to be notified of an accident where somebody is hurt, or there is likely to be over $1,000 in damages. Like I said, if the damage on your car is minimal, and you're sure the other car left the scene, I wouldn't worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capricorn3 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Report it to the insurance company. The other driver is at fault. He rear-ended you (clearly at fault) so he can't say that you did a hit-and-run. HE was the one who did the hit-and-run. Also, if there is very little damage, it may not be worth the trouble. Depends how far you want to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petite Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Report to insurance and police. You don't have to make a claim just as long as they have it on the record. The other person might not even bother coming forward or they might - so best to just cover yourself and be at ease since you did nothing wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browneyedgirl36 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 You were rear-ended, and in California (which is where you are, right?) if you are rear-ended, it is always the fault of the other driver. So...you didn't do anything wrong -- he or she did. Granted, you should have pulled over right away, but in Southern Cal, there are indeed some dicey places I would never want to pull over, so I can see why you didn't right away. Report it to your insurance; tell them what happened. You may still end up having to pay a deductible if you choose to get the car repaired, because it doesn't sound like you got the license plate number or anything else relevant that you could report to the police or DMV. Regardless, it's good for your insurance to know, just in CASE the other guy tries to say you hit him or her and drove away. I doubt that will happen, though. Most likely, the person who hit you freaked out and was glad you didn't pull over because he/she didn't want to get in trouble, get a point on his/her driving record, or didn't have insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissancewoman101 Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Browneyedgirl, yes I live in the SoCal area. The area I got lost in was pretty dicey and traffic was very rushed. In order to alleviate any issues, I reported it to my insurance. I did mention that I wasn't filing a claim or anything of that nature, so it should be ok. Thanks everybody for the advice and help. Even though it was a simple rear-ender, I was freaked out because of all the traffic and because it was in a dicey area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.