Going to the grocery store is stressful, to begin with, let alone coming out to find that your car has been in an accident and there is damage to it. Underneath the windshield wiper is a piece of paper with a note. At least the person left their name, number, and insurance information, right?
Should You File A Police Report After a Car Accident at the Grocery Store?
You probably weren’t expecting to prolong your trip to the grocery store by even longer due to the fact that your car was hit, however, the best thing you can do in this moment is call the police. It was nice of the person who caused the damage to leave their information, but to cover yourself and your interests in this, calling the police will produce a police report regarding the damage and the accident.
The damage to your car may seem minor to you, but there are many benefits to getting a police report for the accident:
- The information in the police report is important and something that you may need later on, especially with insurance.
- The driver who caused the accident could have been under the influence.
- The driver could be uninsured or unlicensed.
- Anyone who may have seen the collision is more likely to speak to an officer than to someone they don’t know.
- It is documentation of the damage done to the vehicle and will include pictures. That is why not moving it prior to the officer coming to make the report is important. There could be damage to other cars from your car being hit.
If you call the person to verify their information prior to calling the police, do not let them convince you that filing a police report is a waste of time. Handling the problem without insurance or police is not a good idea, especially if there is significant damage.
You will then need to file a claim with their insurance to get them to pay for the damages to your car.
It is also a good idea to contact an Augusta, Georgia automobile accident lawyer to handle all of your claims. These lawyers are experienced with handling the insurance companies who try to deny your claims.
What If the Person Didn’t Leave Information?
Then there is the scenario where you come out of the grocery and your car has been hit and there is not only anyone around, but there is no note or anything explaining what happened or who is to blame.
You have to call the police on this one, no one should be able to get away with a hit-and-run. It is possible that the grocery store has cameras in their parking lot that the officer can look at or someone may have seen something.
Getting this in a report is one of the best ways to get your insurance to pay. Hopefully, you have collision or uninsured motorist coverage on your policy. These can help you get the damages covered if the police are unable to find the person who hit your car.
Some insurance companies are willing to accept the hit-and-run and classify it as an uninsured motorist property damage claim. The only thing you would have to pay would be the out of pocket deductible that you set up on your plan. Simply paying the deductible is better than paying the possible thousands worth of damage to your car.
Insurance Is Denying My Claim
Sometimes insurance will still deny your claim, even if you think you have provided them with sufficient evidence for your claim. Make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, hire an Augusta car accident attorney to help you make sure your case has everything you need for the insurance company.
When gathering everything you need for insurance, make sure that you are getting the police report that you filed regarding the accident, whether it is a hit-and-run or the driver left their information. Having a police report helps give you proof of the accident as close to the time of the incident as possible.
Take your own pictures and make sure that you are trying to find any eyewitnesses who can corroborate the story. These accounts may be what insurance needs to classify it as a hit-and-run case. Hiring an Augusta automobile accident law firm in any car accident situation is the best way that you can protect yourself and make sure that your damages are compensated.
