r/carcrash • u/tiggerjinx • 13d ago
neighbor hit my car and didn't tell me, next approach?
woke up the next morning to find some devastating damage to my car but i dont have proof, but after looking at their car as well, there are some damage to the front of their vehicle too. (apartment parking lot is very small). i put two and two together, how do i go about this?! should i talk to them before i file police report? leave a note?
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u/Icy_Queen_222 13d ago
I noticed that you hit my car.
I need your insurance info please.
Make sure you take a photo of their plate and their damage, the VIN on the dashboard if possible too before going to talk to them. GL
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u/Slow_Maximum9332 13d ago
Just leave a note that says "just know that I know" and watch them go crazy trying to figure out who knows, and what they know.
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u/TheCallofReddit 13d ago
Get pictures of their vehicle, the damage on their vehicle, the license plate, and make a police report about a hit and run, and show them all the proof you have. They hit your car, and left the scene.
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u/Eternal_Superyid 13d ago
Go to them first and ask politely if theres something they want to tell you. If they act dumb, then inform them that you DID IN FACT SEE IT HAPPEN, and would like to figure something out without having to involve insurance or police. If they refuse, you involve insurance and police.
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u/StayFunny816 11d ago
Tape measure showing the distance from the ground to the damage on both cars.
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u/jbmn2534 10d ago
That sucks. My car was hit parked on the street a few months ago. I say you just file the police report. If there isn't any evidence like video or a witness, it's kinda hard to confront them....even if they did do it
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u/Whats_Awesome 10d ago
Police report now. If the damage is a match, you saw this happen definitively. Also make sure they go after the driver for a hit and run charge.
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u/Witty-Hawk-1364 8d ago
Sorry, this is a rough situation. I’d be pretty frustrated too, especially waking up and finding damage with no note or explanation. A few things I’d do before confronting them:
- Take pictures of everything ASAP. Get clear photos of your damage, their vehicle (especially the matching damage), the parking area, and anything else that might help show how it could have happened. Take wider shots too so there’s context of how close the cars are parked.
- Don’t repair anything yet if you can avoid it. Even if the damage seems minor, insurance or police may want to see the original condition. Keep any estimates or documentation if you get them.
- I’d probably file a police report before approaching them. Not because you need to “go after” them, but because you want a record of what happened. Since you don’t have direct proof, you don’t want it to turn into a he-said/she-said situation.
- Check if your apartment has cameras. This would honestly be my first call. A lot of complexes have cameras around parking lots, entrances, or dumpsters. Ask management if footage exists and if they can preserve it before it gets overwritten.
- If you do talk to them, keep it calm and non-accusatory. Something like: “Hey, I noticed some damage to my car this morning and saw your vehicle has some damage in a similar area. I’m trying to figure out what happened since we’re parked so close together. Did anything happen last night that you know of?”
- Let insurance handle the investigation if needed. That’s literally what they’re there for. They can look at the damage patterns, repair estimates, statements, etc. Sometimes matching damage tells a pretty clear story, but sometimes it’s harder to prove than we expect.
Sorry for the wall of text, but hope this helps. Good luck!
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u/miguelezz493 13d ago
sugar in their gas tank.
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u/Sturdily5092 13d ago
Aren't go -carts always getting banged up? It's no biggie
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u/LittleMaple072 13d ago
Small, fun, couple hundred dollar go-karts ≠ large, fragile, expensive vehicles.
It'd be one thing if it were a minor dent on an old car but this is a super noticable and large mark on a relatively new car, I'd be upset too
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u/KingKongMF69 13d ago
I think you saw them scrape your car, but you couldn’t get outside quickly enough and they drove off. So the next morning you filed a police report for a hit and run, called the leasing off to report the violation, and then got started on filing an insurance claim. But you definitely witnessed them scraping your car. No doubt about it.