Got hit in my 85 El Camino yesterday as I was slowing down to turn down my street. I looked in my mirror and saw it was going to happen, looked like the driver was on a cell phone. She tried to swerve into the other lane but hit the left rear with her right front. I ended up doing a 180 into the street I was turning into. I looked over at the other car which then proceeded to leave the scene :mad:. I got out of my car to try for the license number but the car was already to far away. I called 911 and the police came out but weren't too helpful. Although it was a pretty hard hit there is surprisingly little damage to rear, it did put a large crack in my windshield. I can still open the tailgate and drive it.

I have neck and back pain and will see the doctor this afternoon. I will fill out an accident report, but wonder how to proceed from here. I will talk to the insurance adjuster today. I don't have full coverage because of the age of the vehicle. I hope that the uninsured motorist coverage will cover repairing the damage.

I hope the lady has big problems with her car because of that. Idiot. I wouldn't wish any ill effects to her health but if she has any, it serves her right.

Steve,
I hope they find her also. Hope the pain in your back and neck is not to serious. Since it is a hit and run it is possible that your uninsured motorist coverage will cover your car. You medical probably will have to cover your doctor bill until they find the hit and run driver. Hopefully you got a good look at the car that hit you.
Take care Ray

I don't know about alot of states..but here in Tn. jail time can be up too 10yrs. for hit and run...She probably done had a drink with her girlfriends and got scared of getting dui...Freaking ______!!!

Too bad no one else saw it. Or if they did, I'm almost surprised no one stopped to ID the car. I witnesses an obvious drunk driver/hit and run. I gave the police the plate number but by the time they caught him he was already home. They could only get him for leaving the scene but not DUI.

Did you see what kind o car it was? It is definatly goinig to have some frontend damage so keep a eye out. Also, depending on where this happend maybe there was a trafic camera or maybe a neighbor had a securuty camera that caught it. Neck and back pain is no joke. Once you mess your back up it is never the same.i hope you can find the person responcable.

That's odd, Jeff. If they have a firm witness ID of him at the scene (which obviously they do if they can charge him with leaving the scene), and not much time has passed, can't they get him for DUI if he's still drunk? I mean, sure you'll have some doubt there that he might have had time to drink at home, but if his BAC is high enough and it's only been a few minutes they could demonstrate that he didn't have enough time between when he got home and when he was tested to drink enough to get his BAC to that level.

If she fled the scene there's a good chance she didn't have insurance anyway. I still hope they catch her and that she does a little time for her stupidity. Her car has to be pretty messed up, you'd think the police would put out a notice to repair shops to be on the look out for this and that, but I don't know if they bother to do their jobs like that any more.

I've had several hit and run incidents, and the cops always say they don't check body shops unless there has been an injury.

That's odd, Jeff. If they have a firm witness ID of him at the scene (which obviously they do if they can charge him with leaving the scene), and not much time has passed, can't they get him for DUI if he's still drunk? I mean, sure you'll have some doubt there that he might have had time to drink at home, but if his BAC is high enough and it's only been a few minutes they could demonstrate that he didn't have enough time between when he got home and when he was tested to drink enough to get his BAC to that level.


Andy,

Still can't do it. Happened to a young couple when I was still a Patrolman. A woman DUI, blew a Stop sign and T-boned a young couple in the driver's door, ejecting the B/F out the passenger side window and his G/F winding up in the passenger seat (she was driving). The alleged (DUI) woman left the scene on foot according to witnesses, and returned about 20 minutes later drunk as a skunk. We were unable to charge her with DUI because of the time lapse.

If she was charged, her attorney could always say that after the accident, she walked away in a daze, and drank a considerable amount of an alcoholic beverage during the time she was gone, then returned to the scene.

The State has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that she was intoxicated at the time of the accident.

I know, I know, the Law sucks sometimes.


Respectfully,
John R.

Yeah but it seems to me it would be possible in some instances to prove that not enough time had elapsed for the person's BAC to get to the point it was at. I mean, say they person was sober when the accident occurred, and ran off and drank a bunch, they come back, and their BAC is .20. How much would they have had to drink in that short amount of time to get a BAC that high? Is it even possible to get it that high in that short of a time period? What about .3%? And would there still be unprocessed alcohol in that person's stomach if they had just drank a bunch? If they had just drank a ton of alcohol, wouldn't their BAC continue to rise, where if they had been drunk when they crashed, maybe they hadn't been drinking for a while, and their BAC is on the way down. I'm not an expert but it seems to me an understanding of the biological aspects of the way the body processes alcohol would go a long way here in some instances.

Hopefully you'll be okay, that's what really matters. But these POS's that leave the scene really piss me off. We just had my wife's van side swiped at her work the other day. They hit it just behind the pass side front door all the way back. Dents and and removed paint to the metal in several places! This wasn't a casual "bump". And the piece of $&^% didn't even leave a note.

Sorry for the hijack

Yeah but it seems to me it would be possible in some instances to prove that not enough time had elapsed for the person's BAC to get to the point it was at. I mean, say they person was sober when the accident occurred, and ran off and drank a bunch, they come back, and their BAC is .20. How much would they have had to drink in that short amount of time to get a BAC that high? Is it even possible to get it that high in that short of a time period? What about .3%? And would there still be unprocessed alcohol in that person's stomach if they had just drank a bunch? If they had just drank a ton of alcohol, wouldn't their BAC continue to rise, where if they had been drunk when they crashed, maybe they hadn't been drinking for a while, and their BAC is on the way down. I'm not an expert but it seems to me an understanding of the biological aspects of the way the body processes alcohol would go a long way here in some instances.


Probably so, but the Law does not read that way. In addition, the BA Test cannot be given until a least 20 minutes have passed, due the "alcohol" breathe crap. (For additional info on that, read the Scott Kalitta thread).


Respectfully,
John R.

Talked to the adjuster this am and he said that the uninsured motorist coverage would cover repair of my vehicle and medical bills, so that is good. What I wonder is if my rates will go up?

IF your car was driveable I would have followed the driver.....

I have NEVER had an accident where the other driver volunteered their Information......

for the most part it has always been me being able to write down the licence number of their car that got results .......

I say for the most part ...... becouse the one's being taken to the hospital .... I got the Info from the Police !!

In Ca if you're going to drive ...... you better Carry UN-insured Motorist coverage as NO ONE who's hit me has ever been Insured !!!

Andy,

We were unable to charge her with DUI because of the time lapse.

If she was charged, her attorney could always say that after the accident, she walked away in a daze, and drank a considerable amount of an alcoholic beverage during the time she was gone, then returned to the scene.

The State has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that she was intoxicated at the time of the accident. .

Will, She COULD have been charged... Let the D.A. decide if they will prosecute... Even then, "beyond a reasonable doubt" is for a Jury to decide...

I think Andy is right, BUT,I do realize that the DA, police, etc don't usually want to deal with a case that will be difficult to win (not enough manpower and money to prosecute everyone, have to pick the cases where you have a chance)...


There was a case here where the defense tried to prove the oppposite. Their client killed 4 people, and there were witnesses that saw him drinking (bartenders too), and he was tested as being overthe legal limit when he got back to the station... his lawyer argued that even though he had drank, the alcohol hadn't entered his system completely, and by the time they tested him, the BAC had increased from absorbsion...

Blah blah blah...

I think he got 17 years...


Anyway... Steve, If you know what car, what color, and do you remember the driver at all? I'd personally go to some area body shops (if you have the time, you need estimates for your car anyway, right) to see if anything looks familiar... See the same type of vehicle with similar damage, and then look for evidence of your paint... Then call the police and your insurance company and tell them what body shop...

Either that, or (if you find the car) get her address, and just sit in front of her house with you El Camino, and glare at her... Maybe knock on her door and show her your damaged El Camino (she'll get freaked that you found out it was her)...

we need a special debtors prison for people who cause property damage or bodily injury and don't have proper insurance or bond. Insurance isn't necessary, just the means to pay. I'm sick of people getting off scott free for causing other people problems.,

IF your car was driveable I would have followed the driver.....

Thats what I was thinking. Do you know what kind of car it was?

Good luck to you in finding them

In WI, they changed the law so that if you did a hit & run, you'd face more or less the same penalties as a 1st time DUI. Trying to remove the incentive for taking off

Either that, or (if you find the car) get her address, and just sit in front of her house with you El Camino, and glare at her... Maybe knock on her door and show her your damaged El Camino (she'll get freaked that you found out it was her)...

Since it's close to Halloween ..maybe get some red headlight covers. Make yourself up as a corpse and sit in front of her house and rev the engine, then do a smokey burn out down the street!!

I had the opposite experience this summer. I was having a coffee at a coffee shop with my wife early in the morning, waiting for the grocery store to open. After a while I had to leave. I came out and there was a taxi beside my car and a taxi driver with a concerned look on his face. He asked if this was my car. He told me flat out that he had hit it while parking. He actually waited 10 minutes for me to show up. I got all his particulars, told him not to fret about it and wished him well.


I doubt THAT will ever happen again in this lifetime (especially a taxi driver!)

Around that lot I had been hit twice before over the last few years, luckily it was limited to paint abrasion on the bumper cover, but still... Always a hit and run. In fact I had witnessed one while in that very block when I was at a restaurant. Four people in a car backed into an impossibly tight spot, hit the car behind (not mine) pretty hard, then slammed it into drive and took off. These were middle-aged people that should be responsible. He took off so fast I couldn't get his licence (and I tried). Scum...


Some drivers :mad: There is a traffic light out of my neighborhood where I have witnessed 3 times a driver blatantly running a red while yacking on a cell phone (it was the same driver each time!!!) It was as if there was no light at that intersection. That is why I look even if I have a green.


Wasn't there a member on this site involved last spring with a hit and run that caused his wife's minivan to roll after being clipped? Billscamino or somebody? The other driver didn't want to be inconvenienced by missing an exit ramp.

You know, there are a lot of insane people walking around among us. You have no idea...

Either that, or (if you find the car) get her address, and just sit in front of her house with you El Camino, and glare at her... Maybe knock on her door and show her your damaged El Camino (she'll get freaked that you found out it was her)...

Good way to maybe get shot

Following would have been a good idea. I couldn't see where the car went right after the accident because of a hedge, I wrongly assumed that they would be pulling over to curb, but found that when I got back to the street they were so far down the street that there was no chance to see the license plate. I was so surprised by the whole situation that chasing them never came to mind.

When Barbara got rear-ended by a hit and run driver, we noticed a couple of days later there was a perfect tag number imprint in the dirt on her rear bumper.

They didn't do anything to the kid though. :mad:

Wasn't there a member on this site involved last spring with a hit and run that caused his wife's minivan to roll after being clipped? Billscamino or somebody? The other driver didn't want to be inconvenienced by missing an exit ramp.

You know, there are a lot of insane people walking around among us. You have no idea...

I believe that was his Daughter and SIL or vice versa....


That sucks Steve. At least your Ins. Co. is stepping up and covering all of your expenses.

I had a 65 Falcon Van jacked up with N50's on the back. I was stopped on an overpass down town and when traffic started I was a little slow from the brake to the gas and letting out the clutch so I rolled back into the car behine me taking out her grill and all the head lights.
I motioned to her to follow me around the corner on the other side of the overpass so I could give her my insurance information. As soon as I turned I hear tires squeel and the lady flies on down the sreet never to be seen again!!!:confused:
My guess is she must have thought she hit me!!!:clonk:

I had a 65 Falcon Van jacked up with N50's on the back. I was stopped on an overpass down town and when traffic started I was a little slow from the brake to the gas and letting out the clutch so I rolled back into the car behine me taking out her grill and all the head lights.
I motioned to her to follow me around the corner on the other side of the overpass so I could give her my insurance information. As soon as I turned I hear tires squeel and the lady flies on down the sreet never to be seen again!!!:confused:
My guess is she must have thought she hit me!!!:clonk:That happened to me once, I bumped a car at a stop sign when he stopped, started to go and then stopped again. I got out of the car and he took off as fast as he could go, never saw him again. I suspect he didnt have a license or insurance and didnt want to talk to a cop.
Ron

it was probably an illegal immigrant driving a stolen car without insurance or a driver's license.. so, if you go after her and get her to fess up to what she did and take the consequences, you are a xenophobic racist and would probably be convicted of some sort of hate crime.

Will, She COULD have been charged... Let the D.A. decide if they will prosecute... Even then, "beyond a reasonable doubt" is for a Jury to decide...

I think Andy is right, BUT,I do realize that the DA, police, etc don't usually want to deal with a case that will be difficult to win (not enough manpower and money to prosecute everyone, have to pick the cases where you have a chance)...


There was a case here where the defense tried to prove the oppposite. Their client killed 4 people, and there were witnesses that saw him drinking (bartenders too), and he was tested as being overthe legal limit when he got back to the station... his lawyer argued that even though he had drank, the alcohol hadn't entered his system completely, and by the time they tested him, the BAC had increased from absorbsion...

Blah blah blah...

I think he got 17 years...


Anyway... Steve, If you know what car, what color, and do you remember the driver at all? I'd personally go to some area body shops (if you have the time, you need estimates for your car anyway, right) to see if anything looks familiar... See the same type of vehicle with similar damage, and then look for evidence of your paint... Then call the police and your insurance company and tell them what body shop...

Either that, or (if you find the car) get her address, and just sit in front of her house with you El Camino, and glare at her... Maybe knock on her door and show her your damaged El Camino (she'll get freaked that you found out it was her)...



Tony,

I understand what you and Andy are saying, but it just cannot be applied here in NJ. The City where I worked at was more concerned with the Homicide and Burglary rates, than 'hit and run' accidents.


Respectfuly,
John R.

I do realize that the DA, police, etc don't usually want to deal with a case that will be difficult to win (not enough manpower and money to prosecute everyone, have to pick the cases where you have a chance)...

The DA doesn't want to take on a case he might lose and add a negative to his prosecution record. Remember, he is an elected official!:yes:

Hope you recover physically Steve.
What kind of car and color hit you? What color paint is the elcamino?
I drive all over town including your area pretty often. It's a stretch, but stranger things have happened.
Rob

Rob, I thought that the car was a Dodge Intrepid or Taurus, but I'm not sure. The color is maroon. My El Camino is two tone bronze/brown color. The car would have a lot of damage on the right front. Thanks for being willing to keep a lookout.

it's easy to find the car..
spend the afternoon calling the insurance comps that insure in the area..

and tell them about the car, and what happened..
and as a claim comes across their desk.. it'll get flaged..
and "checked"
as she'd have to list it as a hit and run also.. and thats insurance fraud.. and will get the insurance comp out of paying for the fix,,, of her car.
worth a shot..

Just a idea. It worked for my parents. My mom had a Chevy Vega wagon that was hit while parked in front of our house early one morning. By the time we all got up to look the person who had struck the car had left. We did find broken parts from the persons car in our yard though. Was able to tell it was a GM make and grey in color. What we did: We sat in various places around the neighborhood in the mornings and the evenings looking for a damaged grey GM car. Bingo. After 3 or 4 days of this. A grey GM car with serious passenger side front end damage that was located not 3 blocks from us was spotted. Point being, Go back to the scene of the accidient. Around the same time of day the accident happened. Keep and eye out for damaged vehicals. The person was driveing down that street for a reason. Maybe its a route they take daily. If you have the time and can recall the color of the car or other features it may help you located this likely underinsured or uninsured motorist.

Just a idea. It worked for my parents. My mom had a Chevy Vega wagon that was hit while parked in front of our house early one morning. By the time we all got up to look the person who had struck the car had left. We did find broken parts from the persons car in our yard though. Was able to tell it was a GM make and grey in color. What we did: We sat in various places around the neighborhood in the mornings and the evenings looking for a damaged grey GM car. Bingo. After 3 or 4 days of this. A grey GM car with serious passenger side front end damage that was located not 3 blocks from us was spotted. Point being, Go back to the scene of the accidient. Around the same time of day the accident happened. Keep and eye out for damaged vehicals. The person was driveing down that street for a reason. Maybe its a route they take daily. If you have the time and can recall the color of the car or other features it may help you located this likely underinsured or uninsured motorist.

That is a great idea! :thumbsup:

it's easy to find the car..
spend the afternoon calling the insurance comps that insure in the area..


The reason why the guy ran off could be that he doesn't have insurance. It's still worth a try, and calling the local body shops could pay off as well.