What to Do If Your Car Gets Scratched by Someone Else at Night?
2 Answers
Look for nearby surveillance cameras to see if there are any accessible recordings. If available and the other vehicle is identified, you can privately negotiate with the other car owner for a resolution. If you have a dashcam installed, check if it recorded the incident where your car was scratched by another vehicle. You can choose to directly report the incident to the police. Let the police or your insurance company contact the other car owner to handle the matter. If the incident occurred in a residential area or a shopping mall parking lot, you can seek compensation from the property management of the residential complex or the shopping mall.
Last night I discovered my parked car got scratched, and I felt really upset. The first thing is not to impulsively lash out, but to assess the scratch—whether it's a surface mark or a deep dent, as this determines the repair difficulty. Immediately use your phone to take detailed photos of the damage, the surrounding environment including streetlight positions and neighboring vehicles, and note the time and location for future verification. If there are witnesses on-site, quickly ask for their contact details; if not, try to look for community surveillance footage. Then call 110 to file a police report, as officers can assist in retrieving road surveillance. Afterward, contact your insurance company to explain the situation, prepare your vehicle information and photos, and wait for them to process the claim. For repairs, you can visit a trusted repair shop for a cost estimate. When parking at night, try to choose well-lit spots, and installing a dashcam for monitoring can prevent future troubles and save a lot of hassle.
