Postby NarendZORCE » November 11th, 2009, 1:11 pm
As many have experienced, hit and run accidents are apparently quite common. The basic story is that someone hits your car and drives off. The permutations include:
• The mystery hit and run: You are in a car park, you find your car damaged, no idea of who, what or when. Maybe you find a note on your windshield with and apology and contact info. Or not.
• The broad daylight hit and run: Your car gets hit, plenty people see, guilty party speeds off, all in broad daylight. You get the number and get a good look at their vehicle.
• The nighttime ninja: Your car gets hit, a couple people see, guilty party speeds of and turn off their lights to hide their plates. You are lucky if you managed to memorize the number or get a good look at the vehicle.
• The pedestrian hit and run: Someone knocks down a person. Maybe they stop and call an ambulance and the police. Maybe they don't and YOU have to. Note the vehicle details, number plates, date, place and time and make a report.
In all cases you should try your best to at least get the vehicle description and number plate. Take note of the date and time and make a report to the nearest police station or the station assigned to the area.
The offending driver is not legally obligated to give any information to you. But they are obligated to make a report and failure to do so within the required time frame can lead to charges. They may want to avoid reporting immediately if they have been drinking or if their is a problem with their driver's license or insurance, or if the vehicle they are driving is borrowed or stolen.
Ask to see their license and insurance and note the information if they are willing to give it. Either way make your report to the police. If there are any witnesses or other parties affected in the accident (property or other vehicle owners) they should also make a report at the same station.
If possible, TAKE PICTURES of ALL affected. Pay attention to the location, damages, plates and road markings etc.
Tracking down an elusive guilty party
1) Find out which insurance company the vehicle is registered with via an Insurance Investigator e.g. Cariclaims Investigators and Adjusters Ltd. and Insurance Investigations Services Ltd.
2) Lodge a claim with YOUR insurer, if you have an agreed excess amount on your policy you will have to pay this fee first. They will then seek to recover from the third/guilty party. If they have no information on him then there is nothing to recover unfortunately so you can lose your no claim discount and excess (not good).
3) Instruct your investigator to obtain a certified copy of ownership for Mr. Hit & Run, which is easy since you've got a registration number. From this, the police will head to that address and give Mr. Hit & Run a "warning of intended prosecution" note for his unreported accident whereby he is now required to lodge his statement or face legal prosecution under the law.
4) Carbon Copy your report to Mr. Hit & Run's insurance company so that your insurance can recover their funds from them. That way your No Claim Discount remains intact and you can seek to recover your deductible/excess from Mr. Hit & Run's insurer. If you choose not to deal with your insurance company then ask them for a coverage letter and you deal directly with Mr. Hit & Run's insurer.
You will need the following documents:
1) completed claim form
2) 2 forms of ID (could be 1 as well)
3) VAT 605 letter (obtain this at VAT Office, St. Vincent St., P.O.S. and be sure to walk with your BIR file # and ID to search your records)
4) estimate of repairs by reputable/recognized repairer/garage
5) certified copy of ownership
6) insurance certificate
The process can be wrapped up in 2-3 weeks depending on how co-operative the TTPS is in coding the accident You and/or Mr. Hit & Run reported and how fast the investigator can obtain the certified copy of Mr. Hit & Run from Licensing Office and lastly how fast the Adjuster can look at your damaged car and compile a report based on the damages done as a result of this particular accident.
(Special thanks to N. Jagdeo)
Last edited by
NarendZORCE on November 17th, 2009, 12:04 am, edited 3 times in total.
