Hello all,

please bare with me as I try not to swear since I've been holding it in all day. I felt bad because I didn't want to be a jerk towards my girlfriend and her family members this morning. But my car got hit in the rear side(driver side). My bumper is pushed in as you can see and there are some tire marks and chipped marks on the bumper. I noticed some plastic broken into pieces but not from my car so I had a little Batman moment where I went to some of the people's houses to see if anyone had seen anything this morning. With that said, one of the ladies seen two kids, mind you they are 8 years old, on motor bikes!!! Who in the world lets their 8 year old on a motor bike in a subdivision I have no idea. But she showed me where they live and they were not home. I wasn't going to be a jerk or accuse them without talking to the kid and the parents and of course to see the bike if it had broken plastic missing. I now have to go back tomorrow and hopefully they are there because I am not paying a cent for this damage. There is also a metal piece behind the bumper sticking out which is touching my tire a little bit.

Sorry for ranting but I needed to let loose because I'm so irritated. The one time I park in front of the house of someone else I get this crap to deal with. Any other time I park 15,000 feet away whether it be going to work, out to an event, or whatever the case may be. This just plainly stinks!

Hopefully she'll be fixed asap so I don't have to see my MINI have a boo boo for too long. I know Autometric does a great job since they fixed her up a year ago from hitting a fat possum.

Rant over thanks for letting me let out my pain and sadness.

 

Good luck getting the parents to admit their kid did it, let you talk to the kids, or letting you see their bikes.

I deal with lots of people every week who do not take responsibility for their mistakes.

That rrrreally sucks, but I would be more surprised if you don't end up paying for your damage than if you do.

No matter what you find out, I would let my insurance carrier handle it.

 

Call the cops. If the kids (and parents) don't learn now it will only get worse.

 

+1

 

Yeah I left since no one was home the whole time I was there so I plan to go back today and since I have evidence of the plastic and they won't let me see the motor bike then I will call the cops because obviously they're guilty.

I was hoping it was a dream this morning but it's real and this sucks

 

Wow - whose house is that in the background (first image)? And whose fingers are those?

Totally agree with the Rev - have faith that the parents will see this as an opportunity for their kids (IF they are indeed responsible) to assume accountability. The price of not doing so will be far greater than fixing a bumper.

 

Cops?

In most jurisdictions where I handle claims, police won't even come to the scene of an accident unless there are injuries or a vehicle needs towed. So yeah... good luck with that.

 

Last summer there was a sixteen year old gal that was racing through my neighborhood and missed the turn and ran up on my hedge and got stuck. She called a friend and they used the other car to pull her off. She drove away but my neighbor who saw the entire ordeal got her plate and called the police. The police found her a block away inspecting the damage on her car - none. She told them she was scared so they didn't write hit and run on the police report.

I got her insurance info from the officer that came to my house to tell me about the damage to my shrubs. The girl lives is the house behind mine and over one - I didn't know her family as they just moved in. Neither her nor her parents every tried to get a hold of me to apologize. I feel this gal never learned anything except lying works.

The estimate to replace the hedge was $2,500.

 

RM - the parents may not know. And, it might be a case of mistaken identity. When you knock on their door again, you can ask if their kids are physically okay since a neighbor reported that they had a collision on their motorbikes with a parked car. It introduces all the alleged facts without the drama. It is also an opportunity for the kids to cop to the accident / the parents to, indeed, make sure everyone IS in one piece.


...while texting.

 

+1
Remember CR&PW&JB is probably the best insurance expert we have on this board.
Besides, it will be very rare if a parent takes your word over their child's, even if you have someone else involved.
Also, don't plan on the cops getting involved. They hate when we want them to handle a dispute. Most of the time they will just let you know they are not judges, in a nice way, and tell you to move on.

 

If you go after the parents for damages then you'll need to prove they were negligent. Giving a motorbike to an 8 y.o. is probably negligent but how are you going to prove they gave it to them. If the children did indeed damage your vehicle you can get a judgement against them but you'll have to wait until they're 18 years old to collect.

 

A very good point.

Your best chance of collecting will be if you get the parents to cough up the money for the repairs voluntarily.

If that fails, as I suspect it will, file an Uninsured Motorist claim and let your carrier handle it. The UM deductible is very small in most states.

 

Thulchatt... thanks very much for that compliment. But "klayfish" would give me a run for the money in that regard. I say it's a very good thing for the board to have multiple people here who are experienced in matters of auto insurance.

 

Thanks for the compliment, it's always good to be able to help people out when this kind of thing happens. Insurance can be confusing and frustrating to someone not familiar with it.

I have an 8 year old myself, but he doesn't ride motorbikes...I won't let him ride/drive anything without a full cage and seatbelts.

Michigan is a true "no fault" state, there is no other state that has laws like they do. In an auto accident where it's car vs car, each party goes to their own insurance company regardless of fault. There are things that happen afterwards, but initially everyone goes to their own carrier. Many people in MI don't realize this and get very unhappy when they're told they have to go to their own insurance when they got rear ended at a stop light. It's not the insurance company's decision, it's state law.

Check to see if you have what's called the "Broadened Collision" endorsement on your policy. If you do, it'll waive your deductible. Your insurance carrier will decide if they can pursue the parents of the kids, or if it's worth the time. Since your car was parked at the time, Michigan considers it "real property" (other examples are mailboxes, trees, signs...). That would give your insurance company full recovery rights.

 

Great example on why its so helpful to have multiple insurance reps on the board. Every state has jurisdictional specific insurance regulations. Liability laws are one of them.

Good info, Klayfish... true "no fault" law is quite interesting and would make my job much easier if my jurisdictions had it. I handle comparative neglignce, contributory negligence, and less-than negligence states.

 

You both should hang out a 'shingle' to your signitures. Non industry specific of course but something like "Insurance Agent Help 5¢ - The Agent is in".

 

 

I had a similar thing happen to my ex's car where the neighbor kid riding his bicycle ran into the car and dragged the handle bar all the way down the driverside of the car. Scratched the car from the tail light to the headlight. (I put the car out in the street for an hour just to clean my boat in the driveway and this happens) The kids aunt came over to the house to tell me about it and when I talked with the mother, she denied it all and I had to pay for the car to be fixed. It sucks that this had to happen and I hope it turns out good for you.

 

The police need to be called. This is a hit and run and destruction of property. Crimes have been committed.
Also, since your car was parked, your comp. ins. should cover this, not collision. I say this because maybe your comp. deductible is lower than collision.

 

It's not a comp claim. Hit and run is covered under Uninsured Motorist coverage. And how do you know what his comp and collision deductibles are ??

 

Small claims could be used to get your money back.

 

It has been my understanding that comp covers all damage when vehicle is parked. If it was being driven, collision would apply.

I was just saying maybe his comp ded. is lower. I do not know.

Uninsured coverage is for injury.

 

Vandalism, hail, something falling on it while parked... yes, all comp claims. Struck by another vehicle while parked, no.

Most people's comp is lower, some are the same as collision, in rare cases it might be higher. Can't assume.

Nope. Uninsured coverage is for both property damage and bodily injury claims.

 

What is UM?
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage provides a valuable source of legal recovery after a car accident, when someone is injured by another driver who is uninsured or does not have adequate insurance.
With UM coverage an injured person turns to his or her own auto insurance company to pay what would have been recovered from the at-fault driver, had that person been properly insured with an insurance policy limit to cover their injuries.
To be compensated under a UM policy, an injured driver must show that the other driver was uninsured and was legally at fault in causing the auto accident.


I do not see where this definition states "property damage". Also the "at fault" person must be known. At this point we do not know.

(EDIT) I think I see the problem. There is Uninsured Motorist Property Damage coverage, but I do not see it in any search for Michigan Auto Ins. Remember, Michigan is a no-fault state. There is no reason to look to the other party for ins. coverage.



Also:

Comprehensive coverage protects you when your car has sustained damage that DID NOT RESULT FROM A COLLISION, such as either a natural or civil disturbance (such as a hail storm, a falling tree, or an act of vandalism). Comprehensive coverage also protects against damage such as a broken window or windshield, as well as any damage sustained if you accidentally hit an animal while driving.

 

Where are you getting this info ? A google search ? Would help me understand why you are questioning me.

UM is Uninsured Motorist. While your google search source might not specifically say "property damage", UM in nearly every State in the Country applies to both property damage and injury. Some of them seperate UMPD and UMBI and that may be why you're finding this language in your search.

In very few states, if you don't carry any Collision coverage, then you're out of luck if an uninsured motorist hits you and you have property damage. But in the vast majority of States, Uninsured Motorist coverage will apply to the property damage.