Another hit and leave a note and number, need advice pleaseeee!!!!! | GTAMotorcycle.com

Another hit and leave a note and number, need advice pleaseeee!!!!!

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walking back to bike, noticed it didnt look extaclty where i left it, then i saw the mirror was crooked. My heart dropped to my stomach and I immediately looked for damage. Mirror shattered, clutch bent into a question mark and of course rash, (no sliders). I find a note that say "call me so i can fix your mirror" LOL. After a few cuss words i turn on the bike to check how she runs. a minture or two later a lady comes out of her house waving her hands, i assume to complain about the noise i was making ( it was 9pm). she tells me she saw it all happend and someone backed into it. She also told me her neighbor has the license plate number. I thank her like crazy and apologize for the racket, she said no problem and her son always admires my bike and was also upset when he heard what happened. I go to the neighbor's house and she gives me the number. She tells me that the lady backed right into it and asked the people who saw "did i hit it?" lol. she then proceeds to walk off, the neighbor tells her she should leave a note and help pick it up. The driver says "it looks fine" (WTF!) The neibhor insists and they both pick it up. neighbor then jots down the plate just in case. I was sooooooo happy these two witnesses came through for me. Ill be giving them some gift cards next time i pass by. I Get on the bike and the left peg falls off, riding home with one mirror while using rear pegs isn't as uncomfortable as you would think haha. Im pretty bumed but the kindness that the two ladys showed almost outweighs it.

so, what should i do guys? what do you recommend? haven't called her yet, should i just go straight through insurance ? or settle it with her outside of it? i REALLY would appreciate some feed back thanks!!!!! how likely is it that i will have to pay for anything?

pics to come
 
Call your insurance company and give them her plate number. In the old days, I'd give people a break..nowadays, screw that. She's probably expecting a bill for $50...I suspect it will get very hard to contact her when the bill reaches $2000...
 
Try the number first to see if it goes through to her. If it does go from there, like the advise from the other threads get an estimate from a shop, etc.

If the number doesn't lead to her then you take the information from the witnesses to the police and go from there.
 
Option 1) (trying to give the other driver the benefit of no insurance hit)
Get a shop to do an appraisal ASAP (tomorrow if possible). Call the driver and let her know that there is more damage than the mirror and you are getting an appraisal. When the appraisal is done, call the driver and give her the number see what she wants to do, if she sounds at all like she may give you the run-around go to Option 2.

Option 2) (the fastest, simplest and safest solution for you)
Go to a collision reporting centre and report the accident to the police, then call your insurance company, give them the police file number and witness info. Let the insurance company fix your bike, as long as she has valid insurance you won't have to pay anything (if she doesn't you have to pay your deductible).
 
GreyGhost said:
Option 1) (trying to give the other driver the benefit of no insurance hit)
Get a shop to do an appraisal ASAP (tomorrow if possible). Call the driver and let her know that there is more damage than the mirror and you are getting an appraisal. When the appraisal is done, call the driver and give her the number see what she wants to do, if she sounds at all like she may give you the run-around go to Option 2.

Option 2) (the fastest, simplest and safest solution for you)
Go to a collision reporting centre and report the accident to the police, then call your insurance company, give them the police file number and witness info. Let the insurance company fix your bike, as long as she has valid insurance you won't have to pay anything (if she doesn't you have to pay your deductible).
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if i do option 2 would it be ok if i go to collision center tomorrow? or will that be too late?
 
I recommend you call your insurance agent immediately.

I also suggest you call the police, unless your agent says that is a waste of time.

Several reasons:

You paid for insurance, so use it. Yes, I know it isn't your fault, and so does your insuror, so your rates will not increase. The point is, these people are the pros, and they know what to do and how to do it, so let them handle it.

From the wording of your message, I imagine you are bummed and mystified and shaken. Amateurs in those conditions make all sorts of mistakes. No offense intended; I would do the same. You can easily make costly mistakes in the unfamiliar events and interactions you must face.

However you handle this nasty event, you will learn a lot, and probably handle the next nasty situation a whole lot better. With help this time, especially professional help, you have a chance of getting your bike fixed without having to pay for it, as is your right, of course.

I like your plan to give a gift to the people who helped to prevent the responsible party from escaping.

Good luck!
 
Insurance is the way to go. Even if she agrees to pay for damage, when she gets that bill for +$2000, she might reneg. You are so lucky to have witnesses. Reporting centre dude.
 
Numb said:
if i do option 2 would it be ok if i go to collision center tomorrow? or will that be too late?
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You're fine to go tomorrow, you have something like 24 or 48 hours to report. I would expect you could report without the bike present (especially since it's not safe to ride, the cops could give you a ticket). I have never had to report so I can't tell you for sure.
 
GreyGhost said:
You're fine to go tomorrow, you have something like 24 or 48 hours to report. I would expect you could report without the bike present (especially since it's not safe to ride, the cops could give you a ticket). I have never had to report so I can't tell you for sure.
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If you are going to report it; just have it towed to the collision centre then towed to the shop of your choice or the choice of your insurance company. Submit the bill for the tow to your insurance company; they will reimburse you.
 
Why are you considering her situation? She didn't care about yours and would have left your bike in the dirt if it wasn't for the witnesses. Call your insurance company and follow their advice.
 
nobbie48 said:
Why are you considering her situation? She didn't care about yours and would have left your bike in the dirt if it wasn't for the witnesses. Call your insurance company and follow their advice.
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This. I was about to get shafted by this lady who hit my car and ran away while it was parked. They seem co-operative untill they see the bill. Mine was $2000. As soon as she heard this number she started having a very busy schedule, and refused to give me her insurance information because "we will take care of it outside insurance, so why do you need it?", and she was "not comfortable giving out personal insurance information" B|tch, its your policy number. You hit my car. Called the cops and they said it happens everyday where people balk when they see the bill, and if enough time has passed it makes things more difficult.

1. Call the police FIRST, and explain the situation to them and make sure you mention that you want to go through insurance (so they at least have a record of you reporting it)
2. Go ASAP, (tomm) to collision reporting center. Call in advance and ask if the bike has to be there, or if pictures will suffice. Either way, the tow should be covered under insurance.
3. Call your insurance company and tell them what happened. They will ask for the numbers on the papers the collision centre gives you.
4. Your adjuster will be in touch with you, and you will get your bike fixed, or if its a write off (which is common with bikes being tipped over), you will get a nice cheque of the value of your bike. (If it is written off, dont accept their first offer, as they will try to lowball you)

Please do NOT give this person the benefit of "settling it outside insurance", because you have nothing to gain, and a lot to loose. you can tell by the note they left that they think the damage is minor, and are not expecting a bill that is $1000+. Also, by the accounts of the witnesses, it seems to me like this person doesnt really give a **** about your property, and theres a high chance they would have left the scene without leaving a note if witnesses werent present.

BTW, when the cop took my statement, and it said that she refused to give insurance information, AND failed to leave a note, she ended up with a criminal charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident or something along those lines. Also got a ticket I believe.

Moral of the story, cover your ***.
 
DOHC1 said:
This. I was about to get shafted by this lady who hit my car and ran away while it was parked. They seem co-operative untill they see the bill. Mine was $2000. As soon as she heard this number she started having a very busy schedule, and refused to give me her insurance information because "we will take care of it outside insurance, so why do you need it?", and she was "not comfortable giving out personal insurance information" B|tch, its your policy number. You hit my car. Called the cops and they said it happens everyday where people balk when they see the bill, and if enough time has passed it makes things more difficult.

1. Call the police FIRST, and explain the situation to them and make sure you mention that you want to go through insurance (so they at least have a record of you reporting it)
2. Go ASAP, (tomm) to collision reporting center. Call in advance and ask if the bike has to be there, or if pictures will suffice. Either way, the tow should be covered under insurance.
3. Call your insurance company and tell them what happened. They will ask for the numbers on the papers the collision centre gives you.
4. Your adjuster will be in touch with you, and you will get your bike fixed, or if its a write off (which is common with bikes being tipped over), you will get a nice cheque of the value of your bike. (If it is written off, dont accept their first offer, as they will try to lowball you)

Please do NOT give this person the benefit of "settling it outside insurance", because you have nothing to gain, and a lot to loose. you can tell by the note they left that they think the damage is minor, and are not expecting a bill that is $1000+. Also, by the accounts of the witnesses, it seems to me like this person doesnt really give a **** about your property, and theres a high chance they would have left the scene without leaving a note if witnesses werent present.

BTW, when the cop took my statement, and it said that she refused to give insurance information, AND failed to leave a note, she ended up with a criminal charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident or something along those lines. Also got a ticket I believe.

Moral of the story, cover your ***.
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thanks for the help everybody! i called insurance and reported it. went to collision without bike and i have to go back tomorrow. i thought about how she didnt give a **** about my bike and decided i shouldnt give a **** about her either, especially since she drives a bmw its not like im gonna make her and her family homeless.

ok so if its a write off and they give me a cheque for 4500 and my bike is worth 500 in my eyes i should be like"its worth way more than that blah blah blah" and hold out for something more?

stupid questions

- can i mention any mods i may have done? or were already done when purchased?

-if its a write off do i get the cheque and the bike back? lol

- if its a write off can i use how much a paid for it as leverage? or will they use that against me?


sorry if this should be asked in insurance section but ill giver it a try
 
- can i mention any mods i may have done? or were already done when purchased?
From what I know, unless the insurance company was informed of the modifications when you set up your policy, its not covered.

-if its a write off do i get the cheque and the bike back? lol
For cars it's pretty straight forward. Example: Car was worth $2000, it was written off. You get the option to buy the car back, at a price they tell you. So you get the $2000 cheque, and buy the car back for $500. End up with the smashed up car + $1500 in your pocket. The car doesnt have a clean title anymore though. However for bikes, honestly I'm not 100% sure how it works. I would think that its a similar process, but I dont wanna give you false information so maybe someone else can chime in here.

- if its a write off can i use how much a paid for it as leverage? or will they use that against me?
They dont care how much you paid for it. They care about how much it costs to replace your motorcycle. They will pay you the market value of the bike (which may be much higher or lower than what you paid for it), which is why you shouldnt take their first offer if you're not satisfied with it.

Remember, you're not at fault for any of this mess. You have witnesses. It happened at the end of the season which means you dont miss our on too much riding time.
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