OK, exaggeration, but she was reversed into today in a car park, while she was in the car and in front of a witness whose details she has, by a driver who then just drove off. Damage is minor but will still cost maybe a couple of hundred to fix (and it’s a newish car so she isn’t going to put up with it).

She’s contacted the police who want her to formalise her statement and the witness’s details. What will happen next? Does she expect to be given his details by the police and told to sort it out or what? Of course we don’t want to be out of pocket, but also ***** like this need to be made accountable.

By all accounts, seems highly unlikely the other driver didn’t know, was quite a bump and the wife was leant on the horn as he was reversing back.

You’ve told the insurance company, yes? If not, do that. They’ll then pursue the other driver.

I doubt very much that the police will release the details to you directly, in case you go round to seek recompense with a baseball bat.

Was he in a BMW/Audi/VW/Merc?

do what the police tell you, give the crime refernce to your insurers together with witness and other vehicle details.

Let insurers deal with it for the damage side fo things.

As far as the Police are concerend they’re likely to talk with the other driver but depends if they r the CPS believe there is enough evidence/chance of prosecution for leaving scene of an accident. Even if they do the friver might plead guilty so your wife wouldn’t need to appear in court or anything.

Work hard to get the witness to give a statement, without it you’re closer to scuppered!

Was it IDS ?

From personal experience car park bumps are an insurance nightmare but at least you have a witness. Do you have the drivers plate or anything? If so I would formalise with the police and contact your insurance company (to register the accident), supply all the details and see what they say.

*places bet for uninsured driver*

If u have reg then do a MIDIS search and contact his insurance company direct. If you dont have his reg then you are stuffed (unless witness or CCTV have it)

If the damage is less than your excess then dont bother contacting your insurers?

Was he

SEXIST!!!!!!

Yes and no – told insurance co but also that she’ll have to do a statement at the police station, and they want the case number before starting any claim.

Not sure what car it was – Ford of some sort but wife isn’t an expert. An old one though, black estate, in Dorking.

Lol, parking in Dorking is a chuffing nightmare. We parked up on the roads behind sainsburys for two weeks, one week had the side mirror smashed off and the next the windscreen wipers stolen.

its been parked 10 mins walk away ever since!

Was he

SEXIST!!!!!!

yeah, sexist. The driver was far more likely to be a woman.

Why’s it sexist? I already said in the op ‘does she expect to be given HIS details’

It was a bloke.

Wife was parked in a large carpark, waiting our daughter to finish work there. Woman in a 4×4 reversed into the car and then drove off. Hell of a bang. Wife ran after her through the carpark and banged on her window. She gave her details and said she wanted to pay cash. I went straight through insurance and we didnt pay a jot, never put our premium up. The woman called up and shouted at us to pay cash and her ‘mate’ would fix it. I said, that since she didnt have the decency to stop after hitting us, she would probably pull a fast one on repairing it too. A guy I trust fixed it and spent a day panel beating it, as the damaged was quite substantial below the ‘bounce back’ plastic panels.Insurance was really good, even involving an incident in a public carpark and a no fault claim meant no paperwork or excess.

Thrustyjust – Member

I went straight through insurance and we didnt pay a jot, never put our premium up

Then you were lucky, as a non-fault claim will normally put your premium up.
The simple fact that you have been involved in an accident means statistically you are a greater risk.

Car was only repaired a couple of months back after someone else hit her in a car park. Difference was that time she left her details, and cooperated fully (after a bit of wiggling about whether to just pay or go through insurance) – for which someone on here gave us very good advice how to handle.

There are honest people out there who make mistakes and hold their hands up. And then there are others, and I hope they (no,he) gets dicked for it.

Maybe, but she was stationary and parked in a bay, so not actually driving. I guess the insurance company looked into this issue, as immediately they said we didnt have to pay anything and a hire car is available when we want to drop it into the garage for repair ( my garage, not their recommended garage as well) We are at an age that insurance isnt particulary expensive me me and the current wife, just the daughter in her car is the expensive bit !!

I was on holiday and a tool that lived nearby hit my van whilst it was outside my house. He was trying to bump his corsa and hit the van turning the corner. I recon he would left without leaving any details but my neighbour and a few others witnessed it. He knocked when I got home and asked if he could pay cash, I’d been to the dealer and it was £300 to replace the panel he’d hit. Gave him the estimate and said he’d drop the money off in 2 weeks when he got paid. Never seen him again. Contacted my insurance and they gave me the details of his. Contacted them direct and got paid about 6 weeks later. They had wrote to him etc and he never replied.

Happened to me in a Tescos car park. Boy racer in a clapped out old fiat reversed into me at speed then drove off. I was in my car so gave chase but he’d busted my turbo and he got away, but long story short it was a small town (st neots) and I tracked him down later that night. Turned out he was insured but just panicked. Put it all through insurance and got £500 compo too.

Another time a land rover reversed into my car on new years eve as I was stood at a cashpoint. That time I agreed to let them fix it through the guy’s own garage but they bodged it.

Another time I watched helplessly as an old fella drove into my parked car in a petrol station. His son ran a panel beaters and fixed one new knock and another existing knock for free and it looked like new.

The moral of the story? No ain’t got one sorry.

Similar happened to me. I wasn’t even in the car at the time when I watched someone reverse into it before driving off (after a quick pause to assess the damage!)

Police wanted to charge her with leaving the scene of an accident. I felt a bit sorry for her, thinking maybe she was embarrassed. And when they did go round she completely denied it!

As I had an independent witness the insurance company didn’t even question it. I went directly through hers – the police gave me the details.

Maybe, but she was stationary and parked in a bay, so not actually driving

That may be the case, but the chances are if you’ve been hit once when stationary then you’re more likely to be hit again (statistics – being hit once suggests you park in car parks where people hit other cars more often than somebody who hasn’t been hit). Next time you might not catch the person who hit you, hence you’ll make a claim on your insurance, hence you’re a higher risk.

I witnessed a guy bump someone else’s car in a garden centre car park. He got out, looked at the damage and then drove off. I took his number and car details and left a note for the driver. He rang me later and I gave him the details. He contacted the police who went to visit the chap and lo and behold insurance details were forthcoming.

Guy rang me up to thank me afterwards once it had been sorted. Had it happen when some idiot has scratched my car. Have a nice shopping trolley mark on 1 wing still. Twunts with no respect for other people’s property really rile me

Thrustyjust – Member

Maybe, but she was stationary and parked in a bay, so not actually driving.

I was also hit whilst stationary and most insurers hiked the premium as a result. 🙁
It was my first car which I’d only owned for a couple of weeks. 😥

Was it IDS ?

Did he have IBS?

My current car, which i have had a fair few years, is an idiot magnet.

Two new front wings and been rear ended (lightly) 4 times (towbars are great for spoiling their day/grill/number plate).

And on every single occasion, i have been stationary or parked !

I think the only reason i have had no moving accidents is because i drive like i’m on the bike. Assume that all other road users are numpties and you won’t go far wrong.

I parked my car on a car park at the back of some shops whilst I nipped for a sandwich, got back, literally less than 5 mins and someone had hit the rear of it and cracked the bumper.

It was icy so I’m guessing they slid into it.

Nobody around so just left it at that stuck some tape on it and left it till it was ready to go back hoping that someone would hit it in the meantime who was insured 😉

That didn’t happen so about a week before I returned the car I got it fixed.