Hit and run - help!

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Someone hit my car. I got their license plate, vehicle make/model.

Reported it to my insurance company and they said they can’t do anything unless I get the other persons info (name and insurance).

This seems odd to me. How am I supposed to do this? I can’t imagine the police will give it to me if I file a report (which I will).


Thoughts? I’m a little perplexed that I know all details about the vehicle but may be left with no recourse other than just paying to fix this myself.

[peter12]

Call the cops. I've been in a hit and run where I only got the name and number of their business painted on the side of their truck. I went to the cops, they called the guy, and got ahold of him.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Yeah go to your local station and file a report.

[CaptainCrunch]

Yup go to the cops, a hit and run is a serious charge, and at least you'll have the satisfaction of seeing the jerk burn, plus you can document it with your insurance company.

[prarieboy]

You'll be fine. If you file a report the police will call the person up.

[WhiteTiger]

Since you have their info, but they are runners, this'll require a unit dispatched to you for investigation (don't bother going to a district office, they'll tell you as much and send you on your way). Call up the non-emerg line and let them know what happened and that you have the other vehicle's information. They'll set you up a call to have a unit dispatched to your place.

During the officers visit, be sure to ask at some point for the case number (You can even ask the ECO answering the non-emerg line, at the end of the call if you like). It's an 8 digit number, and will start with 20xxxxxx. That's what your insurance company is looking for.

Your insurance company is perfectly capable of getting a copy of that report from the police themselves. I only mention this as they occasionally seem to tell their clients (you) that you have to get a copy and send it to them. So far as I know, they do this to be cheap. As a person involved in the report, if you go down to a district office, you can get a copy for free. IIRC, insurance companies are charged per copy. If you want to get a copy and mail/fax/email it to them, that's cool, but every insurance company is perfectly capable of getting their own copy.

ETA: The only place this gets a bit sticky is if the vehicle that hit yours is stolen or has been reported stolen. Then, to the best of my knowledge, you are out the deductible, but insurance covers the rest.

[White Out 403]

#### sorry that happened

[AC]

Yeah I was hit a year ago and the guy gunned it into a private parkade as I was pulling over to exchange info. Thankfully I wrote down his plate and type of vehicle.

Went to the cops, filed a report and they immediately looked the car up and called the registered owner. He eventually came in after realizing he didn't get away with it, and as a result the cops didn't treat it as a hit and run anymore(?!). I posted here that I was upset he wasn't being charged.

Turns out he refused to cooperate with his own insurance company and it took almost a year to get reimbursed. Such a pain in the ass.

[blankall]

A lawyer can also run a plate search too. But yes, I'd get the police to do it first before you go that route.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Someone hit my car. I got their license plate, vehicle make/model.

Reported it to my insurance company and they said they can’t do anything unless I get the other persons info (name and insurance).

This seems odd to me. How am I supposed to do this? I can’t imagine the police will give it to me if I file a report (which I will).


Thoughts? I’m a little perplexed that I know all details about the vehicle but may be left with no recourse other than just paying to fix this myself.

As mentioned, contact the cops and get the case number. Insurance can essentially take it over from there.

Sorry to hear it happened to you, but hopefully you'll be happy to know it shouldn't be as complex as the scenario you ran in your head. The situation still sucks though.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by blankall

A lawyer can also run a plate search too.

We can? CGYPUCK is next.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=178362

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by troutman

We can? CGYPUCK is next.

I must have this plate.

[Hockeyguy15]

I have to know. Why was your first thought to call insurance and not the police?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Because every accident I’ve ever been in that’s non injury and small amounts of damage you have to file in person.

Until WhiteTiger mentioned that hit and runs must be dealt with by a visit from the cops it never even occurred to me to call them. I thought I had to visit my local station.

[Hockeyguy15]

Regular accident I get, but hit and run is a crime so I just thought it would be instant call to the police.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Again why would you call the police only for them to tell you to come to the station and file a report? What would it accomplish?

[Sliver]

911 and request an APB.

[OMG!WTF!]

If I have a problem and no one else can help...and if I can find them I often hire the A Team.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Regular accident I get, but hit and run is a crime so I just thought it would be instant call to the police.

Not necessarily. The breakdown is like this:

Just happened/heard incident/saw the other car drive off (may/may not have plate info on offender car) - Crime in progress: 911

Don't know when it happened but you have info/evidence for police: Non-Emerg line (requires investigative action on the part of the police, to track down the offender vehicle)

Don't know when it happened (eg: sometime overnight) and you have no evidence/info on the offender vehicle (no investigative avenues for police to pursue) - Head down to the district office to file the report.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Again why would you call the police only for them to tell you to come to the station and file a report? What would it accomplish?

Because you said you had the licence plate so I assumed you saw him hit your car and drive off.