I’m 27M and park on the street outside my building. A few days ago I checked my dashcam because I thought I saw someone near my car earlier. The footage shows a 20 year old girl who lives across the street trying to parallel park and hitting my rear fender hard enough that my car moved slightly.
When I looked at the car the finish on the paint was dulled in a small patch. You can notice it if you pay close attention. She got out looked at both cars with her hands in her hair, paused for a while and then drove off without leaving a note or anything. That already irritated me because I’m tired of people pulling that. My buddy’s parked car got hit by some woman and she was never found because his dashcam was off. He had to pay everything. I’m honestly sick of how often people like her try to avoid consequences with “I panicked” or “I didn’t think it mattered.”
I went to talk to her and showed her the dashcam clip. She acted like it wasn’t a big deal and kept insisting it was barely anything and “honestly I didn’t think I had to leave a note for something with no damage.” She even tried saying the mark looked old and maybe it wasn’t from her. That annoyed me because the dashcam clearly shows her car hitting mine.
I told her I wanted a new fender because I don’t trust just painting it. (I didn’t tell her this but I know there was previous internal damage years ago and the shop had to fix the mounts in a weird way. So I honestly don’t know if a hit like this caused more hidden damage.) She refused and said she’d only pay for paint or polishing. She kept arguing. She kept minimizing it. She even said she wasn’t giving me her parents’ number because “it’s my problem not theirs and we don’t talk much any more.”
Thing is I actually know her parents from local country fairs and community events. I don’t have their number or anything but they always seemed like decent people. If she had let me talk to them I feel like this would have been simpler. But she shut that down totally.
After that I messaged my buddy who’s a cop. I showed him the dashcam and explained what happened including how she refused to take responsibility. He said it was legally a hit and run because she left without giving information and we can pursue it if I wanted. He helped me file the report since he knew the exact language to use. He also said tons of people get away with stuff like this when they shouldn’t.
I also filed with insurance. The police report helps the claim according to my buddy so it should be smooth.
Well now she’s apparently in real legal trouble for leaving the scene of an accident and could have issues with her licence and retaining insurance. She called and texted me and called me a dick and that I was "ruining her life" over nothing and needs to drive for work and college. Some neighbors are acting like I committed some moral crime by not “handling it privately.” They say I escalated a tiny situation into something that could mess up a young person’s life.
AITA?
You admitted that there was previous fender damage. It seems like you are trying to pull one over on her when she was reasonable in offering to pay for paint or polish. You are definitely the asshole in this situation.
An asshole who is an opportunist and decided to use someone’s bad day to their advantage.
This. I get being upset with the hit and run, but the whole thing went downhill with the mention of prior accident. Very much a opportunist for sure.
This. All of it actually has me questioning if the dull mark wasn’t there from before since the previous damage was in the same area and he’s so insistent on getting a replacement instead of paint because he already knows what’s wrong with it from before. Honestly, sounding more and more like a case of insurance fraud to me.
A full fender replacement?? Come on, you’re overextending.
ESH. So she offered to pay for resurfacing but you want an entirely new fender? That’s just unreasonable. She’s definitely wrong for a hit and run because if she didn’t think she was wrong she wouldn’t have left, but you’re definitely making a mountain out of a molehill.
She never should have left without leaving her information. However she offered to pay for the paint and polish but you want her to pay for a new fender because you know there was PRE-Existing damage. That is not her fault. I agree she needs to take responsibility but you could have handled it without calling the police.
YTA. You took it way too far. You tried to extort her for a new fender to remedy previous issues instead of just accepting her offer to have a standard cosmetic fix for a bump that occurred at less than 5mph.
Then you involved the cops just to get super petty because she wasn’t agreeing to be extorted.
How do you know your friend’s car was hit by a woman if his dash cam was off?
Hope they find this Reddit post of you admitting there’s pre-existing damage so you can’t scam a new bumper out of them
I said the same thing in reply to one of his comments. Wish it wasn’t a throw away account or I’d find his info and share my screenshots of this thread.
A full fender replacement for damage that didn’t even dent, just scuffed the paint? Come on. She was obviously wrong, but you’re not a whole lot better with this response.
No wonder our insurance is through the roof. Petty persons filling frivolous claims. Should have manned up and dismissed the nudge. Sounds like his folks never told him no.
You’re currently top comment, you should add the ESH (Everyone Sucks Here) verdict. Because this is definitely a case where everyone involved sucks.
ESH.
The neighbour absolutely committed a hit and run, and that’s not cool.
That being said, attempting to involve her parents, as if to *teach her a lesson* or *go over her head* is both childish *and* assholish.
The cream on top, though? Actually trying to get a whole new fender out of her for what you even admitted was a barely noticeable scuff to the paint, and getting your cop buddy to bend the rules and focus on this woman, rather than just letting insurance handle it. Grade A Premium Asshole.