Hit 'n Run Monday... Large Photos

[Travis2k7]

Got off work at 4:30 today and when I walked outside I saw this... (notice the paint flakes on the ground)



Now, I'm no crime scene investigator but I did take some additional photos.




Notice the disturbed gravel indicating the car was pushed backwards... meaning someone backed into me.



Obvious tire scrape along the fender and they stopped when they hit the door... the door is bent outwards which also indicates someone backing into me.



This is the spot the guy that I believe hit me was parked. Notice the burnt spot in the grass... slammed on brakes maybe?



A side view which reinforces the fact he backed into me... no damage beyond the door.



The guy I believe hit me was parked next to the Jeep Cherokee... I have a small silver streak on my fender... his truck is silver. He also had a huge couch in the bed of his truck today, obstructing his rear view.

Unfortunately he left work at 3:30 (while I left at 4:30) so he was gone when I discovered the damage and called the police. They took the report and I reported it to my insurance.

He called me about 6pm saying that someone called him asking him if he hit my car... I talked with him and he agreed to meet me at work which we did, about 6:30 pm.

He does have right rear damage on his truck... but none of my paint was on his truck. Then again though, my paint flaked right off my car... Look at the first photo and you can see paint pieces on the ground.

Maybe the paint wouldn't stick to his truck? I don't know. I strongly believe he is the one who hit my car and the evidence suggests he did (being he was the one parked in that spot with a COUCH in the back of his truck) but if he denies it what am I to do? Him and his wife said they would talk about it with me at work in the morning... and she said "if the evidence says he did it we'll take care of it..."

I'm more shocked than anything.. can't believe this happened to me. My parked PT getting hit at work. I did drive it home, but you can't open the driver door more than about 4 inches so I'm having to climb in the passenger seat.

It drove fine with no noticeable problems... hopefully there is no structural damage.

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by Travis2k7

He does have right rear damage on his truck...

Him and his wife said they would talk about it with me at work in the morning... and she said "if the evidence says he did it we'll take care of it..."

The damage to the right rear isn't a clue?
WTF!
Any security cameras on the lot?

Measure the height of his rear and match it to your dent...A normal car would've hit you lower.

[Travis2k7]

Originally Posted by quicksilverdon

The damage to the right rear isn't a clue?
WTF!
Any security cameras on the lot?

Measure the height of his rear and match it to your dent...A normal car would've hit you lower.

That's what I said about the right rear damage... I was trying to avoid a confrontation to the best of my abilities but I pretty much told him that I thought he hit my car whether or not he realized it... he claimed that he should have my paint on his car, but as I said, my paint flaked right off so maybe it wouldn't stick?

I had him pull his truck up next to mine and the tire height was within an inch or so of the dent, which IMHO would be accurate because yes, a normal car would have hit lower.

No security cameras on our lot, but there is cameras next door at UPS. I'm checking with them in the morning.

I do believe he did it, and I think he was about to confess because he made the comment "Allright man, I'll tell you what I'll do...." then his wife pulled up and he quit talking. She went on and on about how would it be possible for him to hit me and not know it..... how should I know? I wasn't driving the truck backing up with a couch in the back.

Then she said we'll discuss it in the morning as I said.

I don't know what I should do.. I have to have the car in Savannah at noon tomorrow for the adjuster to look at it... I hope something is settled in the morning. Should I call the cops back in the morning when his truck is at work (assuming he drives it tomorrow and not some other vehicle..)?

[CREWZIN]

Our department has traffic crash investigators and they know what to look for (some of the things you and Don already pointed out. If he's going to be at work tomorrow get onto your Police/Sheriff's department and ask for a traffic investigator to come to your work to see if he can confirm that the truck is the one that hit you.

[Candyman]

Hey their Travis2k7,

Sorry to hear about your incident their. Now keep in mind that I am not an accident investigator, but rather just a body and paint guy, but for what its worth, here are my objective thoughts on your damage.

From the pic's the damage looks to be consistent with a pick up, van, or suv due to the height at the point of impact. A car would have most likely left marks much lower, most likely leaving damage on the front left side of the bumper filler, and lower valance area's as well a the wheel itself. By the damage being higher up indicates a vehicle consistent with the one you have in question.

The Paint flaking is due to the type of crease in the fender. Think of your paint as a kind of M&M so to speak. The outer shell is reasonably hard unless you bite in to it at which point it cracks and flakes apart. Paint is bonded to the surface of a part kinda like a thin shell. If the part is changed suddenly to a hard crease, the paint with crack like this and cause it to flake off.

From what I can tell, it looks like he hit it right close to the front of the fender and continued moving along until just a little short of the door where he stopped, and then gave it a little more gas causing the creases in the rear of the fender, and stress damage into the door. I drew on your pic to show you where I think the point of impact is and where it looks like he may have stopped and given a little gas causing further damage..



If their is any trace of paint transfer, I would guess it to be from his rear bumper, and should be somewhere around here.



If I were going to fix it, I would be looking at replacing the fender, door, door hinges and hardware, and then re-spray blending half way into both the hood, and left rear door. I would be betting on a rough estimate of somewhere between $1900.00 - $2300.00+ for the fix. Its hard to say if their might be a little internal damage behind the front fender but I kinda doubt it. I think it is just cosmetics. You are lucky it didn't damage the hood, headlight, or bumper filler as well adding to the parts list, as well as, you also have an easy color to work with which will make life much easier for the repair shop as well.

When you see see your Adjuster, as well as wherever you take it for the repair work, make extra sure you mention that you want to use "OEM" Replacement Parts, and not Aftermarket Parts which are a cheaper knock off version of replacement parts which are made using thinner material which do not hold up to factory spec's, are very cheaply produced, and are well known for causing major issues with fitment, and quality! If you do not specify, you may get a cheaper job which you do not want, so be very careful!

And lastly, just for what its worth, it kinda sounds like the guy knew he did it, and feels bad about it. If he wants to try to talk it out, and work something out with you, I might see how it plays out. If he gives you any problems, or argues it, then I would just call the authorities out, file a formal report, and let them investigate it. You can call the authorities out before hand while he is at work, but an accident is bad enough, a Hit & Run, is a whole other issue all together.

That is my two cents for what it is worth. I wish you the very best of luck on this one, if you have any questions on the repair, or what to look for to find a decent body shop, as well as what to look for after the repair, please let me know and I would be happy to help guide you through a couple of things you should look for.

Go easy, and I will catch you later.

Candyman

[lmmegt]

Boy a couch can do some damage.........

Who was this person that called him to ask if he hit your car and why did he know that???

In the fog leaving work in a paved parking lot once in the '80's in my 3/4 ton '78 truck I thought I bumped over a curb. But a co-worker in her '65 Mustang honked at me to pull over. I just had to take her word I hit her - no witnesses - no damage to my truck.

So yes, you can hit someone and not know it. Especially on a bumpy grass lot.

I paid cash to keep it off my insurance, seems like it was $500 back then for bumper/fender work. probably would be $2,500 today who knows.

[Sharkstooth]

That sucks that people do not pay attension when they back up and do damage like that. It is good to hear that they will take care of it for you.Good luck.

[Chromenut]

I'd bet good money it was him. This pisses me off just looking at the photos....

[Travis2k7]

Thanks a lot to everyone for the replies! It's been a crappy last couple days!

Here's the update on the situation...

The person I believe hit my car did not drive his truck to work yesterday (big surprise) but he did drive it today... and it looked like he had cleaned it up a bit.

Here's the photos...



See the crease in the bumper with what appears to be my paint in it?



Here's another view. Again, looks like my paint.



I measured his tire height and it's within an inch of the damage on my fender. My theory is his tire went down my fender and when my door bent outwards his bumper hit it putting the crease in his bumper.

Does that make sense to anyone?

Anyway, my insurance deductible is being paid by my employer, who also happens to be the uncle of the young man I believe hit my car. It's a complicated mess actually and I'm not explaining the entire situation here because as said, the man is my employer. In short, the car is getting repaired and it's not costing me anything.

The car went into the shop this afternoon. I'm getting it done at Rincon Collision Center in Rincon, GA. The man that runs that shop did some prior bumper work on my Camaro and he does outstanding work. Told me when my car comes back it will have a lifetime guarantee on the work.. and yes, they are using OEM parts. I'm getting a new fender and a used door off another '06 Cruiser. I asked him about the paint and he said it will look great when he's done... the whole paint, blend, clearcoat, etc... etc... I trust the guy because I've seen his work before so I am confident my PT will be beautiful when I get her back next week. The adjuster's quote was $1906 for repairs... that may go up some when the body shop does their estimate. The hood hasn't been opened yet so it's unknown regarding any possibly left side under hood damage.

In closing, I could have had a worse rental car.



Not too shabby... I can drive this car for a week.

[Travis2k7]

I faxed the police report to my insurance company this morning and they called me saying my claim will be accepted under hit and run uninsured motorist.

They are picking up my rental car cost and my employer is paying my $500 deductible.

The whole thing has been an aggravating mess because even though I suspect the truck is the vehicle that hit me, if I go against my employer I could very well lose my job and if for some unknown reason its determined this truck didn't hit me, I'm stuck with the $500 deductible as well.

I'm stuck in a bad spot with no way to win even though none of this is my fault. Therefore I'm letting him pay my deductible and once I get my car back next week that will be the end of it I guess.

Seems as if the person that hit me is getting off easy.