What to Do If Someone Scratches Your Car and Flees?
2 Answers
Here are the steps to handle the situation if someone scratches your car and flees: 1. Call the police: The police can check surveillance footage from nearby areas to identify the suspect vehicle. Their presence also has a deterrent effect, and this method is faster than searching on your own. 2. Check the dashcam: You can review the footage from your dashcam to identify the offending vehicle, or request footage from nearby vehicles' dashcams to find the culprit. 3. Contact the parking attendant: Ask the parking attendant to review the surveillance footage. Most paid parking lots have surveillance cameras, so communicating with the attendant can narrow down the search area and speed up the process of finding the culprit.
I've encountered this situation a few times. As an experienced driver, the first thing is to stay calm - don't chase the vehicle as it could lead to accidents. Quickly get out and inspect the damage to your car. Use your phone to take photos of the scratch locations, record the time and place, and capture details of the surrounding environment - these are crucial pieces of evidence. Then immediately call the police to report the hit-and-run situation. They might not find the culprit, but they'll provide an accident certificate which is vital for insurance claims. Next, contact your own insurance company to file a claim. If you have comprehensive coverage, they can compensate for repair costs - remember to check your policy details in advance to see if it covers hit-and-run incidents. For daily parking, choose spots with surveillance cameras or corners in commercial areas to significantly reduce the chances of such occurrences - safety first. Finally, take your car to a repair shop as soon as possible for damage assessment to prevent delayed issues from worsening. Going through this entire process will help settle your mind.