Got backed into...

[HiSpec]

So this is what happened, around 5:30 pm today, I was heading westbound 14th Ave. NW (behind North Hill mall, and in front of Lions Park C-Train station). As I approach the intersection (BEFORE crossing the C-Train track) of 14th Ave. and 19th Street, the C-Train gate was coming down, and I noticed the old lady (Red/Burgandy Lumina, Chevy??) was in the white-crossed no-stop section. So I stopped and gave her enough space to back up so she would not be in the white-cross no-stop section.

So she saw that I left her some room for her to back up and saw the C-Train gate coming down she immediately put in Reverse and back up.... really fast... BAMM!! Right into my front bumper!!!

In graphics:
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8118/accident2un5.th.jpg (http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=accident2un5.jpg)http://img530.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

She claims that there was no damage and only scuff marks, which I do agree to a certain degree, but on my bumper there are major scratches and scuff marks, just no dents, not too sure about internal damage. But she refuse to give me any driver information other then her phone number. She was in a hurry to leave, because we were holding up traffic. However, I did get her license plate, and manage to get a name and a phone number of a by-stander (kind of iffy about the by-stander phone number as I didn't have pen and paper at the moment).

Now, will I be able to go to a police station and just report this accident using only her un-confirmed phone number, and her license plate?

And because this accident is under $1000 will the police even bother with me?

Thanks

[bignerd]

I would believe they should still provide you with her information as she refused to provide it to you. Who knows if the phone number she gave you is even correct? How else are you suppose to get her information?

You never know, even a paint job can run you over $500, you aren't going to pay that out of your pocket are you? Even scuffs and all, it still warrants having your bumper re-finished (within reason, I didn't look to see what you drive).

They will be able to pull the information on the car that the license plate is registered to, but that doesn't mean the driver that hit you owns the car. The police officer may have to call to confirm that information or to get her to fess up.

[97'Scort]

I'd call that a hit-and-run if she wouldn't give you info. Definitely go to the cops. She'll probably turn it around though, and say you hit her, so give your witness a call and make sure they're on your side.

[topher91]

Uh that would be hit and run imo.

Come by our shop and I'll give u a quote for repairs. Minor stuff like this is our specialty.

[5G_celica]

any witnesses? just to make sure she can't turn around and say you hit her.

but I agree with the post above report it as a hit and run. she is required to give you her info before she leaves

[HiSpec]

^^
I will run this by the police first and see if they will do anything about it.
Right now I am kind of pissed off at myself, because I can't even remember 7 simple number. So without the witness, I think I am kind of hopeless.

I know this request will be a shot in the dark, but the witness's name is Anthony, and he was driving a Green Pontiac Sunfire. Does any Beyonder know someone with that name and drives such vehicle, and was at the scene??
And the first three digits to his phone number is 383.

Hope I get lucky.

EDIT: While I was driving tonight, I noticed the right headlight shoots damn high up... like beaming right at the top of the trunk.

[Stealth22]

1) That was a hit and run. Plain and simple.

2) That lady's phone number is probably fake, but it may not be

3) Report this to the CPS now. As long as there is sufficient evidence, the police will pursue a hit and run case

4) Think hard, and remember the phone number for that witness.

5) Even if you don't have the number for your witness, CPS may be able to see by the damage on both vehicles that it was her car that hit you.

Think about it: she backed up fast, you were stationary. The back of her car will rise a bit when she backs up, causing any damage to be at a relatively high point on your front end. In addition, any damage to her car would be at a relatively low point on her bumper. If you had rear-ended her when she was stopped, you would have been slamming on your brakes. The damage would be around the same point, but if you had hit her, your car would have more damage than it does. If you have both vehicles together, you can usually tell which car was the culprit. Did you at least take photos??

One other thought I had: Did you happen to get the number for any of the three train cars?? Maybe the C-Train driver saw what happened, or could at least back up your story that she was on the white X. Worst case, I'd call CT and tell them what happened, and the train was headed in 'x' direction at 'y' time of the day, at Lion's Park station. They should be able to track down the driver of the train.

EDIT: Let this be a lesson. If this ever happens again..take lots of photos with your cellphone, and if the driver refuses to give info, say that if they leave the scene without giving their information, you will be calling 911 and reporting a hit and run.

EDIT 2: You might also want to check if either Calgary Transit or one of the businesses there had a surveillance camera pointed in that direction... :thumbsup:

[topmade]

Hopefully beyond CSI will chime in and will be able to help. Just remember, regardless who is right/wrong both parties must show provide their information. Also, there could be more damage behind the plastic that you can't see.

[aznboi22]

thats shitty, i've seen dumb people there that had the gate close on top of their car

[HiSpec]

Update: I went to the police station on 14th street and I was treated as if I was trying to scam the lady money. I went to give a statement and one of the officer told me he did not see any damage and told me to get a quote before seeing them, and not to come back if it is under one thousand.
As mentioned before the headlight is clearly pushed in and the bumper is pushed in that it doesn't align with the mounting point. So I went to Screaming immediately to get a quote and it came out to be slightly over 1k. The officer saw the quote and said I don't believe it because of the 800 dollars worth of labour, and asked me to get another one.
So I left and went to concour in crowfoot and he guy there just wrote on the backf of a business card (just using visual judgement, not computer generated) that it will be around 1000 to 1500.
Now should I just take that card and go back to the station or get another quote? Or should I go to another station?

Also the officer was able to locate the lady and called to ask Why she did not leave any information. She said because she did not see any damage.

[max_boost]

Yeah you better go back with an actual printout of the est. damages. Having the back of a business card signed with a price isn't really legit you know. lol

Don't know why the Officer didn't believe you after you showed him Screaming's quote. Or maybe he's just annoyed and doesn't want to deal with these little cases lol

[cloud7]

You should have called the police right away, but I don't think it is too late to call now. The same thing happened to me last winter. A guy driving a moving van ran the stop sign and I just clipped the back of moving van. In any event, the driver did not stop and so I pulled a U-turn and caught up to the guy at his work with was close to the scene of the accident. He claimed that I didn't hit him, but clearly my bumper was damaged. He refused to give me any information, so I called the police non-emergency line. Two cop cars arrived within 15 minutes (which is unheard of for a morning after a snow storm) and took statements from us and gave the driver shit for not giving me the insurance info.

Anyway, I hope this works out well for u.

[g-m]

Originally posted by aznboi22
thats shitty, i've seen dumb people there that had the gate close on top of their car LMFAO I've seen that too! It boggles my mind how people manage to do that its totally incomprehensible. But every time I make the drive to the NE I see it at marlborough mall


To the OP, I'd be fully pissed off by now if I were you. Run-around by a cop and hit-and-runned by someone when you actually MADE AN EFFORT to allow her room to back up. Different police station and bring 3 computer printouts of quotes from autobody places. I'd pursue it to the end just out of principle at this point and be sure to show that one dick cop the verdict in your favor once it comes down.

IIRC, if a collision occurs regardless if the damage is "visible" you are required to provide information if requested? And I believe that due to the fact that she admitted culpability to the police officer, the driver of the vehicle is no longer in question (you previously only had a license number).

[liquidboi69]

Well, they called her, and she obviously admitted to hitting you, and said she didnt see any damage.

So I think you should just try another police station as well

[rc2002]

It sucks because you were actually being courteous. When I see people blocking intersections because they were too scared to go on yellow, I drive right up on their rear bumper so that they can't back up.

Did you try calling the number yet? You could call the number and ask for the insurance information.

[syeve]

Originally posted by richardchan2002
When I see people blocking intersections because they were too scared to go on yellow, I drive right up on their rear bumper so that they can't back up.


Hahahaa...I do the exact same thing, I'm such a bastard.
/

Back on topic....

[Unknown303]

I would never leave the scene of an accident without insurance information and every other bit of info you can get your hands on.

[adidas]

Id go to another police station with your one quote! It should be more then enough!

The phone number you got works so when the second officer calls he will get the responce(i didnt see any damage) which puts her at the scene of the hit!

Let the cops do their work and u should be good to fix your car!

[HiSpec]

Originally posted by max_boost
Yeah you better go back with an actual printout of the est. damages. Having the back of a business card signed with a price isn't really legit you know. lol

Don't know why the Officer didn't believe you after you showed him Screaming's quote. Or maybe he's just annoyed and doesn't want to deal with these little cases lol

The person at Concour have a program with my insurance company, so he said the estimate is not important at all, and all I need is the sticker from the Police. However, without a legit estimate I can't get that sticker.

And I think the office doesn't like these small performance autobody shop, so after he saw the name he immediately thought it was a rip off. Or it could be like what you said, small cases LOL


Originally posted by cloud7
You should have called the police right away, but I don't think it is too late to call now. The same thing happened to me last winter. A guy driving a moving van ran the stop sign and I just clipped the back of moving van. In any event, the driver did not stop and so I pulled a U-turn and caught up to the guy at his work with was close to the scene of the accident. He claimed that I didn't hit him, but clearly my bumper was damaged. He refused to give me any information, so I called the police non-emergency line. Two cop cars arrived within 15 minutes (which is unheard of for a morning after a snow storm) and took statements from us and gave the driver shit for not giving me the insurance info.

Anyway, I hope this works out well for u.

Well at this point, the Police was able to contact the lady, and told them exactly what she told me, she did not see any damage.

So me, being a young guy, and she being an elderly lady. I assume the officer wants to help the lady get out of this accident.


Originally posted by g-m

To the OP, I'd be fully pissed off by now if I were you. Run-around by a cop and hit-and-runned by someone when you actually MADE AN EFFORT to allow her room to back up. Different police station and bring 3 computer printouts of quotes from autobody places. I'd pursue it to the end just out of principle at this point and be sure to show that one dick cop the verdict in your favor once it comes down.

IIRC, if a collision occurs regardless if the damage is "visible" you are required to provide information if requested? And I believe that due to the fact that she admitted culpability to the police officer, the driver of the vehicle is no longer in question (you previously only had a license number).


Originally posted by liquidboi69
Well, they called her, and she obviously admitted to hitting you, and said she didnt see any damage.

So I think you should just try another police station as well

Tomorrow, I will be trying another Police station, and see if they are more willing to help me instead. If Screaming's quote doesn't help me, then I will really need to get an official estimate from one or two other bodyshops.

The funny thing is that, when I told the officer that the damage is more visible once the hood is opened, he totally ignored me.


Originally posted by richardchan2002

Did you try calling the number yet? You could call the number and ask for the insurance information.

The Police was able to contact the lady, so the number is legit. I guess if the Police can't help me then I really have to call her myself. However, if the Police can't even help me (or not willing to help me) I don't know how am I going to get her to settle this.


Originally posted by Unknown303
I would never leave the scene of an accident without insurance information and every other bit of info you can get your hands on.

Yeah, this is the first time I've dropped the ball at the scene of an accident. :cry:


Originally posted by adidas
Id go to another police station with your one quote! It should be more then enough!

The phone number you got works so when the second officer calls he will get the responce(i didnt see any damage) which puts her at the scene of the hit!

Let the cops do their work and u should be good to fix your car!

I really hope going to another Police station and I can use Screaming's quote to settle this once and for all.

[mowglee]

i dont wanna offend anyone but the police here are useless. theyre too busy giving traffic tickets than to worry about anything else. try another police station tho. theres no reason u should be gettin treated like a dink.

[tlapec]

try getting the cop to write down a statement of what the lady said on the phone. then call ur insurance company and say u been backed into. The insurance company should put the lady 100% at fault.

i would also try my hardest to get the lady a hit/run ticket and demerits deductions.

[revelations]

What was the condition of your front bumper before the accident?

For eg. if you drive a rustoleum, walking into a CPS detachment with a 1000$ repair quote from a low speed front end collision..... well things get a little grey at that point.

[HiSpec]

The front bumper was in pretty good condition other then few rock chips, because it was repainted just last summer, and there were no other damage at all.

[Stealth22]

I'm going to assume that District 3 (14th St) station is the one closest to your house, and that you live in District 3.

While it might be better if you deal with the police in your own district, you can report an accident at any CPS station in the city. Just drive up 14th St up to Country Hills Blvd and go east for about 5 minutes - you'll hit the District 7 station. Its behind the movie theater, across the street from Superstore. Its easy to spot, its a combined Fire/EMS/Police station.

You should have called 911/266-1234 in the first place, when the lady wouldn't give you any info. I'd say get another quote written down, and take that printout (maybe even your first quote too) to the District 7 police station.

[cloud7]

Originally posted by Stealth22
I'm going to assume that District 3 (14th St) station is the one closest to your house, and that you live in District 3.

While it might be better if you deal with the police in your own district, you can report an accident at any CPS station in the city. Just drive up 14th St up to Country Hills Blvd and go east for about 5 minutes - you'll hit the District 7 station. Its behind the movie theater, across the street from Superstore. Its easy to spot, its a combined Fire/EMS/Police station.


Call before you go there, give them a call first to make sure they will have someone there... We went there a few months ago and the office is closed and doors locked because of staffing issue and the sign at the door said to go to the District 3 office. What a waste of a brand new police station.

[bignerd]

Ask to speak to a supervisor if they brush you off again.

[HiSpec]

UPDATE:

So I went to the station in Silver Spring, the officer there was really nice. He just collected all my information, did all the paper works and gave me my collision sticker. In and out in 20 minutes.

However, a girl came in the same time as me. Her car was broken into along with her house. Poor girl.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by HiSpec
So I went to the station in Silver Spring, the officer there was really nice. He just collected all my information, did all the paper works and gave me my collision sticker. In and out in 20 minutes.

Did you end up reporting it as a hit-and-run? Cause that's pretty much what that lady did...


Originally posted by HiSpec
However, a girl came in the same time as me. Her car was broken into along with her house. Poor girl.

And? :rofl:

[97'Scort]

Originally posted by Stealth22
And? :rofl:

[drtoohotty1]

Originally posted by HiSpec
UPDATE:

However, a girl came in the same time as me. Her car was broken into along with her house. Poor girl.

you took advantage of the situation and told her you had a safe place she could stay the night :thumbsup: and then BAM hit that!! :bigpimp: Right!?!?!

[HiSpec]

haha no but I told her about Beyond should she ever need a place to stay.