Hit and Run....

[osteodoc08]

I was leaving for lunch today when I noticed that someone ran into the front bumber of my truck and took off. Minimal damage to the front passenger side bumper, basically dented in the corner. There was pieces of lens from the other vehicle on the ground and paint on my vehicle. My fog light on that side was not damaged.

I realize it is just an object and it can be repaired. What really pisses me off was that no one bothered to own up to it. It really is just straight up dishonesty.

Just had to vent. Thanks guys.

And my deductible is $1000......so itll likely stay like that.

[GRUMPA]

Same thing happened to the wife a few months back. Someone backed up into the front of the Toyota pick up and dented the hood, cracked the front grill (plastic) and almost tore off the piece of metal just below the right head light.

Nobody owned up to that and I know it would cost to get it fixed, along with my rates going up.

[osteodoc08]

Well, an OEM bumper is $850. Sheesh. Id rather use that towards another revolver. But unfortunately I will get neither. :mad:

[osteodoc08]

The last hit was from a retired Dr who had no choice but to stop since both of his airbags deployed! his (Prius).

Sorry for your misfortunes, but I kinda chuckled at that part. ***POOF***

[RickinTN]

It may fall under comprehensive coverage since it was parked? Most comprehensive deductibles are less than collision deductibles. Just a thought that may help.
Rick

[Zymurgy50]

Just now I was snowblowing the neighbors driveway when the snowplow came by and dumped another foot of snow by the road. We live on a dead end street, one lane around the lake, on a hill with blind curves at the top and bottom of the hill. When the county snowplow came back he didn't turn the sand on until he was almost at the bottom of the hill. I stood there shaking my head when he stopped and backed up, asking me "Whats the problem?"
I replied "It makes a lot of sense to put sand at the bottom of the hill, but none on the hill." Whereupon the snowplow driver backed to the top of the hill, running over my mailbox in the process. Then he turned on the sand and left.
Called the road commission, they will gladly give me a new mailbox and post, and cut me a check for $20 just as soon as I drive to the county seat and pick it up. Probably gonna cost $15 in gas to get there and back, and my bigger problem right now is how am I gonna get a post in the ground at this time of year?????

[jlucke69]

I would report it to the police if you have not. It will not help with your replacement, but if they are enough of a jerk to leave the scene, they might be enough of a jerk to try filing a hit and run against you.

[MUSTANG]

Just now I was snowblowing the neighbors driveway when the snowplow came by and dumped another foot of snow by the road. We live on a dead end street, one lane around the lake, on a hill with blind curves at the top and bottom of the hill. When the county snowplow came back he didn't turn the sand on until he was almost at the bottom of the hill. I stood there shaking my head when he stopped and backed up, asking me "Whats the problem?"
I replied "It makes a lot of sense to put sand at the bottom of the hill, but none on the hill." Whereupon the snowplow driver backed to the top of the hill, running over my mailbox in the process. Then he turned on the sand and left.
Called the road commission, they will gladly give me a new mailbox and post, and cut me a check for $20 just as soon as I drive to the county seat and pick it up. Probably gonna cost $15 in gas to get there and back, and my bigger problem right now is how am I gonna get a post in the ground at this time of year?????


I bet you could use the hard head of the Truck Driver and County as a Breaker Bar for the Frozen Ground.


I am fortunate, neighbors help neighbors around both our Kalispell and Moapa homes. Even leave notes when they slide onto the property in Snow at Kalispell, or leave ruts along the side of the Road in front of the Moapa house. Sorry for those who experience those with "Bad Raising".

[Hickory]

There was a thread a few days ago about owning a Ford Shelby, here is a prime reason why not.

[garym1a2]

that's what this bumper on my truck is good for protection.
95866

[DRNurse1]

I bet you could use the hard head of the Truck Driver and County as a Breaker Bar for the Frozen Ground.


I am fortunate, neighbors help neighbors around both our Kalispell and Moapa homes. Even leave notes when they slide onto the property in Snow at Kalispell, or leave ruts along the side of the Road in front of the Moapa house. Sorry for those who experience those with "Bad Raising".

Good information and Mustang, I have to say, nailed the essence of this issue and so many others we face on a daily basis. "Character is what you do when you think no one is watching" and these stories highlight the effects of 'poor raisin' (not the fruit).

[wch]

I have heard that some of the notes left when miscreants hit cars contain aliases and false insurance information.
Just today I went off the road into about two feet of snow to avoid a collision and a UPS driver and a passerby both helped me get back on my way; folks like that are sometimes hard to find.

[rockrat]

Snowplow took out my Sisters mailbox ,last snow.

Someone rear- ended her car this week. She got the ticket!!! Strange thing was, she went to the ER the next day, and some lady came in with a clipboard and some paperwork for her to sign "concerning her ticket"?? The woman repeated she needed to sign some paperwork because of her ticket. She told them "she wasn't signing anything, and to get the $##% out of there". When the Doc came in, she asked "who was that lady?". Doc had no idea who she was. Wonder if she was followed from home, or someone was staking out the hospital ER's? Bet it was a release of liability concerning the driver that hit her, so she wouldn't file a claim.

Kid got hit in the Applebees' parking lot and person took off. Took out the rear quarter panel and rear bumper. $3,500 damage.

Wife got hit at Wal-Mart. Lady then left and then parked in another part of the parking lot, then went in shopping. Luckily, a good samaritan witnessed the thing, and when the police came, told them what happened and the other persons tag number, and a description of the person. Police went to their house, they claimed they have been at home all day, and didn't have insurance, since they didn't driver the car. Police told her they were going to tow the car, as there was a witness to what happened. Lady found the insurance card real quick. Finally got our deductable back, after about a year and a half. Our insurance paid for our car repair, then they went after her insurance company.

Maybe your uninsured coverage will pay for it, if you have it.

[crazy mark]

My wife hit a car in the rear at a stop light. No real damage. The guy in the car wanted $200 for his inconvience. Wife asked for his DL# and Insurance info. He had no insurance and we didn't hear from him since that. He was driving a friends parents car with-out permisssion we found out.

[crawfobj]

I've been rear ended and had the guy take off twice. Fortunately, the damage was minimal both times. The last one was Saturday night. Called the PD, and met a very nice officer who had received a call from another driver with the license plate number. (There are still some good folks in this world!)

Sure enough, expired registration and no insurance. Filed a police report that will add a warrant for the next time the low life crosses the line.

Another time I was hit by a pink ford festiva (not kidding). The roller skate of a car got the worst of my receiver hitch insert, and all I got was some pink paint. His hood was buckled in enough that I'm guessing there was more damage under there. Wasn't enough to keep him from taking off though.

[CastingFool]

Just now I was snowblowing the neighbors driveway when the snowplow came by and dumped another foot of snow by the road. We live on a dead end street, one lane around the lake, on a hill with blind curves at the top and bottom of the hill. When the county snowplow came back he didn't turn the sand on until he was almost at the bottom of the hill. I stood there shaking my head when he stopped and backed up, asking me "Whats the problem?"
I replied "It makes a lot of sense to put sand at the bottom of the hill, but none on the hill." Whereupon the snowplow driver backed to the top of the hill, running over my mailbox in the process. Then he turned on the sand and left.
Called the road commission, they will gladly give me a new mailbox and post, and cut me a check for $20 just as soon as I drive to the county seat and pick it up. Probably gonna cost $15 in gas to get there and back, and my bigger problem right now is how am I gonna get a post in the ground at this time of year?????

I don't know what kind of post you were using, but I had a similar situation, and all I did was try to "reassemble" the pieces of broken 4"x4", and screwed them together. The following spring, I made a new post.

[lka]

Just now I was snowblowing the neighbors driveway when the snowplow came by and dumped another foot of snow by the road. We live on a dead end street, one lane around the lake, on a hill with blind curves at the top and bottom of the hill. When the county snowplow came back he didn't turn the sand on until he was almost at the bottom of the hill. I stood there shaking my head when he stopped and backed up, asking me "Whats the problem?"
I replied "It makes a lot of sense to put sand at the bottom of the hill, but none on the hill." Whereupon the snowplow driver backed to the top of the hill, running over my mailbox in the process. Then he turned on the sand and left.
Called the road commission, they will gladly give me a new mailbox and post, and cut me a check for $20 just as soon as I drive to the county seat and pick it up. Probably gonna cost $15 in gas to get there and back, and my bigger problem right now is how am I gonna get a post in the ground at this time of year?????

****,, now you have a pissed plower. I've had a hard time with one before he was going around a bling corner, hauling butt in the wrong lane, I had to run into the hillside to not be killed, messed my truck up a bit, the ******* was laughing his butt off at me! This was last winter, this am I was behind a plow and he was going pretty fast (about as fast as I would drive without a plow) and he was driving in the wrong lane around blind corners, two cars had to get out of his was in a hurry. I'm sure it's the same dude, I should call on him lol...

[BSalty]

Ugh, that is low. i still have a dented door and a buggered up running board on my suburban from a parking lot hit and run.

[sparky45]

I don't know what kind of post you were using, but I had a similar situation, and all I did was try to "reassemble" the pieces of broken 4"x4", and screwed them together. The following spring, I made a new post.
My neighbor used some plastic composite fencing post (from Lowes) that slips over a treated 4x4 post and that worked real well.

[DLCTEX]

My uninsured motorist insurance rider pays when someone does damage to my vehicle and leaves. Most recently when someone backed inti my truck at a grocery store and broke the tail light and dented the tailgate some. No deductible that way.

[Del-Ray]

I had a guy hit me while parked at the range, he was kind enough to leave a note.

Sadly, he was not kind enough to leave a note with his real name, or telephone number....

I'm still looking for a truck with a hitch that has light grey paint smeared on it.

[Bloodman14]

Yeah, come spring, I am putting my mailbox in concrete with a 6" pole filled with concrete in front of it. That way, it will be snowplow proof (I am hoping) and kids-with-baseball-bats-proof.
Have you ever parked in the extreme far end of the parking lot, only to come out and have THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKED NEXT TO YOU?!
I swear, I am going to carry a sledgehammer and a wrecking bar in the car.

[Zymurgy50]

The post was a treated 4X4, snapped off at ground level. Probably gonna drill a 1" hole into what remains and drive a chunk of 3/4 galvanized pipe into it until spring. Then I am gonna find some large diameter pipe and weld up something that can be knocked over and stood back up without any damage to the mailbox.

[schutzen]

Gunnerd, be careful what you use for a mail box post. There are federal regulations and in some states there are state regs too. I too had a problem with teenagers using my mail box for drive by batting practice. My solution was to mount my mail box to a 3" 90 bend conduit. I then set a 2.5" Schedule 40 water pipe as a post. The 3" 90 bend slides over the 2.5" post. I drilled a 3/16" hole in both pipes and inserted a cotter key. The mail box stay perfectly in place until struck by a hard object (bat, snow plow, drunk driver). Then it spins on the post. I'm sure this works because the Sherriff came to the house one day to present me with a bill for damages to a teen's car. The teen's father was quite upset about the damage to the vehicle because I had installed a steel mail box post too close to the road. The Sherriff and I measured everything to make sure. Darn the bad luck, I was spot on per US Postal Regulations for mail box posts. Then I showed the Sherriff the set up. He laughed and said he would be in touch. Sure enough, two days latter he was back. Seems like the teen had to confess to the Sherriff and to Dad that he had been joy riding with buddies playing mail box baseball. Dad was not to pleased with son.

[ohland]

Then I am gonna find some large diameter pipe and weld up something that can be knocked over and stood back up without any damage to the mailbox.

What one of my neighbors had for years was a pipe mounted swiveling arm, with a diagonally cut pipe and a pair of springs keeping the mailbox pointed out to the street. That way, if someone smacks it, their vehicle will definitely receive quarter panel damage, but with the main pole being six feet from the road, its hard for them to sue your fifth point of contact for intentionally creating a road-side hazard.

If you want some pics I can get 'em.

[Sweetpea]

My grandfather (a contractor) had a regular customer that was regularly taking out his own mailbox when he backed the car out of the driveway...

After numerous times of replacing the post/box, the customer was upset, and asked my grandfather if he couldn't build something stronger.

8" steel pipe went into the ground 8', surrounded and filled with concrete, and a new box went on top.

The customer was then PO'd at my grandfather when he demolished the rear of his car... But the mailbox was just fine!:bigsmyl2:

[MaryB]

4x4 for my mailbox is set back 3 feet from the street. It has a V in the top where the V from the cross bar sits. Mailbox on one end of a 6 foot crossbar and a 3 pound weight on the other end to counterbalance the mailbox. Best part is when a kid hits the mailbox it comes around and smacks back.

[contender1]

Hit & run stuff can be a real pizzer. I actually had a girl put her car in park at a red light, (to text on her phone, I was watching her,) and then when the light changed, as she changed gears she was in reverse & backed into me, slightly. All it broke was my front tag cover & frame. But she drove off. Not knowing how bad the damage was, I followed her, all while calling the police. I followed her to a house, and blocked her driveway with my truck. She tried to get me to move & I told her I was on the phone with the police.
She tried to deny it, but when the officers pointed out a few of the obvious things, she relented. She paid me cash on the spot to replace my tag cover & frame.

I have accidentally caused minor damage by backing into a vehicle in a parking lot myself. I parked, got out, & went into the store where we were. I found the young lady who owned the car, and paid for the repairs.

That said, I think a LOT of MINOR scrapes & damages are caused by folks who are not aware of what they did. I live in an area with a lot of elderly retirees and they do such stuff all the time. Heck, I had an 84 yr old woman fall asleep while driving, in a big line of traffic, and side-swipe me. She also almost hit the van behind me. She then drove home because she didn't realize what she'd done. She figured it out when she couldn't get out of her car on the drivers side. But, it was 6 hours later before she called the police to admit it.
Her insurance company didn't like me by the end of that issue. But they would NOT let her come to court. They lost a lot more than they wanted to.

I think a lot of people are honest & will own up to a mistake if they know it. But sadly, sometimes they do not know they did something wrong. And, sadly, we also have a bunch of people who will screw you over instead of admitting they made a mistake.

Now, I would LOVE to see more of the stuff on some of these mail box modifications. Start a new thread about that please!!!!!

[Zymurgy50]

When I was a kid, our mailbox was a 10 gallon milk can filled with concrete and a 2" pipe riser to the flange under the mailbox. After 20 years the riser pipe rusted off, now the milk can is the neighbors raft anchor. Anytime someone hit it we just stood it back up and knocked the dents out of the mailbox.

[HeavyMetal]

In 2007 I came in from work, drive a company vehicle, to find some truck driver had backed into the side of my car!

Damage was a dent the size of two basketballs right at the door pillar. several people saw him and made him leave a note. He deliberately wrote down bogus information, phone was off by one number that kind of stuff.

Fortunately one of the guys was asking questions and got the right phone number.

Sad to say I chased this guy for a month, he wouldn't answer phone and did not give insurance information. Finally had to call and "fake" a load pick up to get him on line.

Was he pissed! In the end I had to get the Calif. DMV involved we had a hearing and he got two points on his Licinse for failure to report and not providing insurance. I had to drive from LA to Fresno for this mandatory apperance hearing.

The real insult: I never did get his insurance information, DMV said they could not release it, privacy don't ya know, hope he lost his job and his Commercial licinse.

Fast forward to last month another, different, driver comes to our work site to deliver Tymco sweepers and hits a truck belonging to a shop guy.

They go get him and he asks the driver for insurance info, guy says he must be high as he never touched his truck!

6 witness's, there to help unload said machine, call him a liar. Guy locks himself in his truck hoping everyone goes away.

My guy call a cop who gets him out of the truck and basically threatens him with jail if he does not provide proof of insurance and fast!

Driver spends 5 minutes whining about how he didn't do it, cop then shows rubbed paint that matches his truck to him, white Pick up red KW, and again advises need for proof.

Driver finally provides insurance papers.

Cop says he'll hang around until delivery is finished and then will escort the driver and his truck out of town!

Not sure how this ended my guy and I have both been to busy for me to ask but I will today just for grins

[Bad Water Bill]

A local welding (blacksmith) shop used to make mailboxes.

Post was 6' of 4" solid bar stock.

Mailbox was made out of 1/4" plate.

When sunk in concrete there was not a bat in the neighborhood that survived.[smilie=1:

When the expressway first ran thru downtown Chicago there was one car everyone stayed away from.

The owner had a 1' I beam welded front and rear.

[leftiye]

that's what this bumper on my truck is good for protection.
95866

Had one of those on my dodge. Good for a lotta giggles whilst thinking about jerk drivers (slike a screw driver only different).

[mtnman31]

My wife's car got a parking lot dent the first day she owned it.

A few years back, a guy in a pick up ran a red light and hit me. It was a glancing hit and just put a small gouge in my bumper. He ran and I chased him for a bit. We had the police on the phone and after I got them the vehicle details, they asked me to stop chasing him. I realized that I was really putting myself in danger with the speed and simple fact that we didn't know who we were chasing. I backed off and went home. A couple weeks later the sheriff contacted me to say that the truck's owner had come forward. The owner had loaned the truck to an illegal alien worked for them and he was driving. The owner had convinced the illegal to turn himself in. He did and the owner paid me cash for a new bumper.

Only once, in my lifetime have I had my vehicle get hit and someone leave a note. We were in my wife's old car at a Veteran's Day parade. When we got back to the car there was a note. A tree trimming company's truck had side swiped us and left us a business card. Small family business that paid for the damage with no hassle.

[HeavyMetal]

Spoke with my fellow worker yesterday about his truck driver incident.

Says a week and a half later the trucking company has just finished the "invistagation" and will be in touch next week?

I can hardly wait for the next chapter in that day time drama, LOL!

[MaryB]

My recent car accident was a headache, kid slowed then ran a stop sign. I t-boned his pickup with my little Chevy Aveo at 40mph. Cops do all the reports and stuff, get his insurance info. His insurance finally gets me a rental 2 days later(if you have safeco insurance they are a joke, what the kid had). Day after I get the rental he suddenly has no insurance again and they wanted the rental back that day. I said fine my lawyer will be in touch along with the police because the kid lied about insurance to an officer. 6 hours later the kid is suddenly insured again. Turns out the insurance company told the mom to claim the kid did not have permission to be driving the truck. When they found out I was going to press charges they changed their tune fast, the kid would have faced a week or two in jail for falsifying information to the state police. Took me a month to get a check from safeco to replace my car, and they tried to cancel the rental on me 7 times, every time I had to threaten them with court to keep it. The lawsuit for pain and suffering is ongoing, my lawyer is working on it. I lost 2 months to blinding headaches and light sensitivity, still get headaches and some light sensitivity, neck problems, and my right wrist is messed up pretty bad.

[Cap'n Morgan]

At one point an insurance company over here, had its customers fill out an anonymous questionnaire.

On the question "Have you ever had your car damaged by someone, who left without leaving a note?" three out of four answered yes.
On the question "Have you ever damaged another car and left without leaving a note?" only four out of a hundred answered yes.

Things that makes you go Hmmmm...

[a.squibload]

2 days after we got our Impala my (late) wife took it across town to show her friend.
They went to a grocery store, came out to find the trunk lid bashed in. No note.
Some people just can't drive.
$750 deductible but shop did a good job, over 100,000 miles on it now, only about 3 years old.
I always wanted bumpers with pointy spikes all around, just for parking lots.

PS: made my mailbox stand out of leftover roll cage tubing, sunk in concrete.
Zinc WW spot-welded to the bottom of the tube for cathodic protection.
Should last a while if nobody runs over it.

[LynC2]

Yesterday I took the wife to a local government office and waited in the truck while she went inside. A bit later I witnessed a woman damage another vehicle when she backed out. She then sped away; however I got the license plate number, description and reported it. That is one that didn't get away!

[338RemUltraMag]

Back about 5 years ago my grandfather was having an issue with baseball bats, cars, and kids... He took pictures and kept reciepts of the 5 yes 5 boxes he had to replace.

Then he got tired of fixing the box, put a 4" steel pipe in the ground filled it with concrete and bought 2 mailboxes the small one and the big commercial one. He took the lid off of the small one filled the big one about a quarter full of his leftover concrete and set the small box in the big box. Once it hardened up he set it on the post.

A week later he gets a letter from the sheriff, it was a lawsuit against him, aparently one of the perpetrators broke his wrist when hitting the box. In court it came out HOW he broke his wrist and the judge ordered the kid to pay for damages to my Grandfather's mailboxes!

[osteodoc08]

Back about 5 years ago my grandfather was having an issue with baseball bats, cars, and kids... He took pictures and kept reciepts of the 5 yes 5 boxes he had to replace.

Then he got tired of fixing the box, put a 4" steel pipe in the ground filled it with concrete and bought 2 mailboxes the small one and the big commercial one. He took the lid off of the small one filled the big one about a quarter full of his leftover concrete and set the small box in the big box. Once it hardened up he set it on the post.

A week later he gets a letter from the sheriff, it was a lawsuit against him, aparently one of the perpetrators broke his wrist when hitting the box. In court it came out HOW he broke his wrist and the judge ordered the kid to pay for damages to my Grandfather's mailboxes!

It's ridiculous a suit can be brought on you by someone else's stupidity and illegal activity. Thank goodness the judge had common sense.

Called insurance company. $250 deductible for uninsured motorist and it doesn't "count against" me.

[338RemUltraMag]

It's ridiculous a suit can be brought on you by someone else's stupidity and illegal activity. Thank goodness the judge had common sense.

Called insurance company. $250 deductible for uninsured motorist and it doesn't "count against" me.

It didnt hurt that the puke tried to lie about how he broke his wrist, he had some flimsy story that was as thin as rice paper.

[MtGun44]

I think a piece of 8" x 1/4" wall steel pipe filled with concrete would be a really EXCELLENT
mailbox post when you replace it. Set it 4 ft in concrete and you'll KNOW who the person is
when they hit it the next time . . . . . because the car/truck will be there waiting for the
wrecker. :bigsmyl2:

Bill

PS hadn't read the other 'bullet proof mailbox' comment before I posted this one.

[fatelk]

Back about 5 years ago my grandfather was having an issue with baseball bats, cars, and kids... He took pictures and kept reciepts of the 5 yes 5 boxes he had to replace.

I've been surprised by how many people I've met that think it's funny to smash rural mailboxes. They shrug it off with "Boys will be boys", or remember fondly their own "pranks" when they were young. As one who has had my own rural mailbox smashed: it's not funny at all. It's criminal vandalism.

I had a neighbor once who was so mad he said he wanted to fill his mailbox with dynamite and see what the next punk with a baseball bat thought about that when he smashed it. Of course he didn't, but he sure was spittin' mad.

[Bloodman14]

Isn't destroying a mailbox a federal offense, or did I misunderstand what I thought I read?

[saphelps]

Isn't destroying a mailbox a federal offense, or did I misunderstand what I thought I read?

Yup, 18 USC 1705, but you must fill out a Label 33 and a letter to postmaster with all details to include description of person, license plate, etc and maybe they'll be able to act. At least in theory.

[TXGunNut]

Uninsured/underinsured motorist is one of the few insurance bargains today. Cuts way down on arguments, gets things moving and your insurance chases the other guy around. Other thing worth having is rental car coverage, if it costs them nothing to drag their feet they certainly will. If they're paying for your rental things happen fast.