Imagine you go out of your favorite restaurant or outside the mall after a day of shopping only to find your bumper suspended vehicle. You look around to see if there is another vehicle with damage because, after all, misery loves company. As luck would have it, this life experience is yours alone to bear.
Your first thought might be to look for someone who may have witnessed the impact, but there is nobody around. Then you remember that one New Year's resolution was to have more faith in the company and you think, "surely someone left a note to assume full responsibility for the damage!" You check your windshield. No note. Now what?
Hit-and-run accidents are frequent. Generally, at least one accident hit and run is reported on a daily basis, so you're not alone. The first thing you should do is a minor scene investigation. If you have a smart phone, get pictures of the damage to your vehicle at the scene. Look around the parking area for surveillance cameras. Companies often have them for security reasons and to have a general video up. If a surveillance camera recorded your accident, the video could help local authorities identify the responsible party. Check with the company and see if you can get a copy of the video, but I advise you to get the video within 24 hours that many backup with video cameras are set to record a loop and on them- same in one day.
Then, contact the local police or a private security firm to patrol the area. This is an important step if you hope to file the incident as a loss of uninsured motorist. Most car insurance policies require that you report a hit-and-run local authorities for coverage to apply.
Finally, contact your insurance agent to report your loss. They contact your insurance company and your expert can guide you in the next phase of the process.
A hit-and-run is anything but fun, but with a quick action on your part, you might be able to avoid paying the price!
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