What to Do if Someone Says You Hit Their Car and You Didnt

Getting into any kind of car accident is always a scary experience, but when another driver hits your car, whether yous were there at the time or non, information technology can be extra frustrating. If some other driver hits you in traffic, dents your bumper while your car is parked, or sideswipes you and speeds away, you'll demand to know what to exercise to make sure you're safe and how you can get whatsoever compensation you deserve from their insurance.

In general, most of the steps you should have afterward a motorcar blow are the same no affair who was at mistake: Make sure you're safety, telephone call the police, don't leave the scene and certificate everything and then yous can file a claim with your car insurance company. Merely when another vehicle hits yours, and the other driver was at fault, the specific actions y'all need to have tin vary depending on the state of affairs.

Key Takeaways

• If someone hits your machine, you lot should stay on the scene and collect the other political party's insurance information and then yous tin can file a tertiary-party claim to receive bounty for the damage

• With collision coverage, your auto is covered when it is hitting by another vehicle or object, regardless of who was at error

• If your car is hit by a driver that speeds off on the scene, then yous can employ your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to pay for your medical expenses and vehicle repairs

What to practice if someone hits your car while it's parked

Say yous come up outside to find that someone has hit your parked motorcar, leaving information technology damaged. Just similar later on some other type of accident, at that place's a sure set of steps you should follow.

• One of the first things you should do is call 911, even if no ane is injured. The responding officer, or officers, will write up a police written report documenting the blow, which may exist necessary to brand an insurance claim on the harm

• You should also try to collect as much data as possible. If the driver who hit your parked car is at the scene, take down their insurance information, including their provider name and policy number. You should too record their license plate number, too as the make and model of their auto

• If the other commuter isn't at the scene, let's hope they did the right matter and left a annotation. If they didn't, well, that would brand it a hit-and-run, which is a scenario we'll go over subsequently. Merely assuming they left a note with their proper noun, contact information and insurance policy number, snap a quick photograph of the note and then you take an extra copy

• If you have a smartphone handy, y'all should too take photos of the damage to your car equally well as the location of the incident. Ask around to run into if there were any eyewitnesses and go their contact information too. If your car insurance company has a mobile app, you may be able to report the accident right from the scene, and upload your photos and other data straight into the app

• At present you'll need to kickoff the claims process. Contact your insurance, if yous haven't already, and requite them all the necessary information. Tell them yous're planning on filing a merits with the other party's insurance. And then notify the other party's insurance and tell them y'all're filing a claim against one of their policyholders. You tin normally do this online or over the telephone

• Stay on elevation of the process. You may exist asked to provide more documents or data. The other driver's liability insurance should cover the damage they caused. If you've notified your insurer, they may as well work with the other party's provider

What to do if someone hits your car while you're driving

If you're in an accident caused past someone else while you're driving, follow the same steps yous'd take afterwards any car accident:

• Pull over and get to safe. Turn on your hazards or low-cal flares so other drivers know to finish. And then evaluate the scene and bank check yourself and any passengers for injuries

• Call 911. Police officers can check everyone involved for injuries, and they'll as well write upwards a police report that you'll need when filing a claim

• Collect all the required information. That includes names, license plate numbers, insurance policy data, date and fourth dimension of the accident and contact information for any witnesses

• Document the accident. Photograph the cars, location, license plates and any other details. You can even draw a diagram of the accident while it's still fresh in your mind

• File a claim. Now nosotros get to the insurance part of things. Even if you believe the other person was at fault, you should still notify your insurance. Your provider will work with the other party'southward insurance company to determine who was at fault and what volition be covered. If it's clear that the other driver was at fault, yous should still tell your insurance provider that you lot're planning on filing a third-party claim with the other party's machine insurance company. If your motorcar was damaged and the other driver was at fault, their liability insurance would pay for the damages or injuries they caused. Just like filing a claim with your own car insurance company, filing a 3rd-party claim with another driver's car insurance can usually happen either online or over the telephone. Exist sure to accept all the necessary information handy when you file a merits— y'all'll need all that info y'all collected at the scene

• Follow-upward. Stay in affect with both insurance providers equally yous motility through the process. Depending on the extent of the damage to your vehicle, you may also cull to file a claim through your own insurance if you accept collision coverage, which covers damage from an accident regardless of who was at fault. If you've filed a third-party claim with the other driver's insurance company, you should somewhen receive a payment fabricated out to you straight

What if the other driver doesn't have insurance?

If another driver hits yous and they don't have any car insurance, or the car insurance they have tin can't cover the full extent of the amercement, the impairment they caused may exist covered by your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, or UM/UIM. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage exists for just this scenario — information technology covers you if you're in an accident acquired past someone who doesn't have insurance, or whose insurance can't embrace all the damage.

As we mentioned above, collision coverage will besides cover damage to your vehicle later on an accident, regardless of who was at mistake, only collision coverage usually requires you to pay an out-of-pocket deductible before it covers the rest of the costs.

What to practice if someone hits your car and leaves or hits your car and doesn't leave a note

If someone hits you while you're driving and speeds off, or hits your parked automobile and doesn't go out a name or a note, that's what'due south considered a hit-and-run. When you're involved in a hitting-and-run, you should still follow many of the aforementioned steps as you would in any auto accident, like calling 911, recording whatsoever details about the other driver that you know and taking photos of the impairment.

If your auto was parked when it was hit, you can ask people nearby if they witnessed the accident, and take downward their data. There may also be businesses nearby that take security footage of the accident, which could be helpful.

If your car was damaged in the hitting and run, don't panic. The damage may still be covered past your own insurance, even if you never successfully identify the other driver. Depending on the state yous live in, damage from a hit and run may be covered by your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage or past your standoff coverage.

Collision coverage - Pays to repair or replace your car when it'due south hit by another vehicle or object, regardless of who was at fault. Collision coverage comes with a deductible, usually of $500 or $1,000, which you must pay first in order to receive coverage.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage - Covers your medical expenses and vehicle repairs when y'all're in an accident with someone who doesn't have car insurance, or doesn't take enough to cover the full extent of the damage they caused.

And if you lot were injured in a hit-and-run, your personal injury protection, or PIP, may cover medical bills as well as other expenses related to an injury, like lost wages or childcare.

Does your car insurance go up if someone hits you?

An at-fault blow can cause your automobile insurance rates to become up significantly, merely they can also increase even when y'all file a claim for accidents you don't cause.

According to 2017 enquiry by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), [ one ] getting into a non-at-mistake accident caused by some other driver can increase your premium past hundreds of dollars. The inquiry plant that some major companies raised premiums by an average of 10% or more for not-at-mistake accidents, and in some cities, drivers saw average rate increases of more than $250 after a not-at-fault accident.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you do if someone hits your car while information technology's parked?

If someone hits your parked car and amercement it, you should phone call the police and so they can investigate and write an accident written report. Yous should also notify your insurer and requite them as much info as possible. If whoever hit your car didn't leave a note, you may be able to notice witnesses or go security footage from nearby businesses. If y'all have collision coverage, you tin can file a claim to embrace your vehicle repairs.

Should I call my insurance if an accident wasn't my fault?

You should however telephone call your insurance company and report an accident even if it wasn't your error. If you get hitting by another commuter, yous should stay on the scene and get the other political party's information then their insurance can comprehend your injuries and vehicle repairs. If you're hit by a driver who doesn't have insurance, or doesn't have enough to cover the costs of the harm, then uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can cover the costs.

What can y'all exercise if someone hits your car without harm?

If someone hits your car simply doesn't damage information technology, you should still consider reporting it to your car insurance visitor. The damage may bear witness up later, in which case you'll want to file a claim. The other driver'south insurance should pay for damage to your car that becomes apparent later on, as long equally it was caused by the accident.

References

Last updated on

July 27, 2021 |

Sources

Anna Swartz is a managing editor and auto insurance expert at Policygenius, where she oversees our car insurance coverage. Previously, she was a senior staff author at Mic.com, as well as an associate writer at The Dodo.

Stephanie Nieves is a former editor and insurance expert at Policygenius, where she covered abode and auto insurance. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Money, HerMoney, PayScale, and The Muse.

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Source: https://www.policygenius.com/auto-insurance/what-to-do-if-someone-hits-your-car/

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