To the guy that backed into my tow hook… lmao

[ShadowsPapa]

its why I keep the extender on my hitch, though it wouldn't of helped me recently.

Some ass backed into my right rear quarter panel earlier this year while I was at the MTB trails. He took off after hitting my jeep. There was a guy in the parking lot who saw the whole thing (smoking a blunt as he later told me.) I apparently rolled up on my MTB like 2-3 min after it happened. He told me he saw a passenger get out of the vehicle that hit mine (before the accident) and get into another car that drove off into the park. That same vehicle with said passenger comes rolling up the dirt road at that very moment....I jump in front of the car and tell them to stop. The kid who was in the car I jumped in front of wont give up his friends name. I tell him thats fine, but I have this car's license plate, his first name, this drivers first name and the cops are on their way. The kid is obviously high as F@#$. Kid gives up his friend about 2 minutes after the cops get there. About ten minutes after that, the car that hit mine rolls in, dad yelling at his son and super apologetic.

A funny side note...the blunt smoking witness was some OG gangster guy, full prison tattoos reading things like F%$# cops, helter skelter ect.... He is in bilateral leg braces and crutches. He actually called the cops for me before I even got there. He tells me he almost didn't do it because he got that way after being in a shoot out with the cops years ago!

I think I'd buy that witness a steak dinner - maybe the best meal he's had in a while. Show that sometimes doing the right thing actually pays off.

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[Sazabi19]

This is exactly why I got a trailer hitch lol. I don't even town but I always leave it on there. People seem to watch out for those slightly more than the average back bumper.

 

[Klutch]

Had things gone a little different you could have towed the other driver right to the police station by the bumper!

In Colorado Springs, the police would not have cared. They consider a parking lot to be private property and none of their concern. If you call the police, they'll simply tell you to file an online report and not to bother them.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

In Colorado Springs, the police would not have cared. They consider a parking lot to be private property and none of their concern. If you call the police, they'll simply tell you to file an online report and not to bother them.

Glad I don't live there. Here, they care - it's still a property damage thing, a police matter.

 

[Klutch]

Glad I don't live there. Here, they care - it's still a property damage thing, a police matter.

As I understand it, if someone is dead or injured, the police will show up, but they're still not concerned with who was at fault for vehicle or property damage. That's not their problem. They'll weigh on who injured or killed who, but otherwise, nope. Call a lawyer.

 

[eaglerugby04]

This is exactly why I got a trailer hitch lol. I don't even town but I always leave it on there. People seem to watch out for those slightly more than the average back bumper.

be careful. some states might have laws against that. Owning two trailers I feel like I can at least justify it.

 

[Dqban]

I think in my case it came down to witneses being present

 

[Gvsukids]

Another truck rolled into me at a stoplight bending back the bumper just a little bit, now I'll be keeping my hitch on.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

be careful. some states might have laws against that. Owning two trailers I feel like I can at least justify it.

IL - You can leave the hitch on the rear of a motor vehicle if it does not extend more than four inches beyond the bumper. Any hitch that extends beyond this must be removed.

Here is where someone asked a newspaper columnist a question as he'd been hearing people "say they heard that............" and this was their response -
ANSWER: As far as I can tell, there’s no law in Washington or any other state that specifically requires removing a ball trailer hitch when not in use.

Other than the law in IL, I've found no state requiring removal unless it obstructs the view of the rear plate.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

As I understand it, if someone is dead or injured, the police will show up, but they're still not concerned with who was at fault for vehicle or property damage. That's not their problem. They'll weigh on who injured or killed who, but otherwise, nope. Call a lawyer.

Totally depends on location and local police policy. Some say they will or do respond, others give sort of a "it depends" response, insurance company sites sometimes say call police to have an official report as it can be a "he said/she said" thing in court and official documents can help.

From USNews -

2. Call the police. After checking for injuries, call the police and file a report – even if it's a minor accident and no one claims injury. A formal report is important if you or the other party are injured. Without a police report, it may be your word against the other driver's word.

However, it's possible the police may not come to the scene of a parking lot accident if no one is injured, if the damage is too minor or if there's extreme weather in the area, such as a blizzard or severe storm.
-----------------------------------
Michigan Law 257.620 reads: “The driver of any vehicle which collides upon either public or private property with any vehicle which is attended or unattended shall immediately stop and shall then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner of such vehicle of the name and address of the driver and owner of the vehicle striking the vehicle or, if such owner cannot be located, shall forthwith report it to the nearest or most convenient police officer”.
By reporting the accident to police or the vehicle owner, you clear yourself from any criminal element in regards to a “hit and run”.

When police are contacted, they have the ability to locate the owner of the vehicle by going to the owner's address or by contacting him or her by phone. Under Michigan law, police agencies do not have to fill out a police report for private property fender benders.

However, some police agencies will provide you with an accident report depending on that agency's policy for handling private property accidents.

So call or not - it's going to depend on where you are, the local police policy, state or local laws, circumstances at the time and more. There's no rule saying to not call, nothing says they don't respond or aren't supposed to, etc.
Here, unless busy, they'd respond. I know the town where I grew up they'd be right there.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

This dude tried to make a right turn out of a road and swung out into my lane and caught my driver side tire. I was turning into the same road and the Jeep ended up climbing up his bumper and across his quarter panel before coming off of it. I had zero damage but he had a totalled vehicle. The officer that responded to the call was pretty puzzled in trying to figure out what actually happened. He said , " you gladiatored the sh*t out of his vehicle, this things a damn tank"

That's my JT in the background, he couldn't even steer it, mine is still going strong. Good thing I didn't have the 37's on yet or it may of tore the whole front of the vehicle off. The 35 kO2s did some Toyota crawling!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This dude tried to make a right turn out of a road and swung out into my lane and caught my driver side tire. I was turning into the same road and the Jeep ended up climbing up his bumper and across his quarter panel before coming off of it. I had zero damage but he had a totalled vehicle. The officer that responded to the call was pretty puzzled in trying to figure out what actually happened. He said , " you gladiatored the sh*t out of his vehicle, this things a damn tank"

That's my JT in the background, he couldn't even steer it, mine is still going strong. Good thing I didn't have the 37's on yet or it may of tore the whole front of the vehicle off. The 35 kO2s did some Toyota crawling!

Hell, these things will climb over rocks bigger than that thing.
I'd love to see the look on his insurance adjuster's face.

 

[Klutch]

Totally depends on location and local police policy. Some say they will or do respond, others give sort of a "it depends" response, insurance company sites sometimes say call police to have an official report as it can be a "he said/she said" thing in court and official documents can help.

From USNews -

2. Call the police. After checking for injuries, call the police and file a report – even if it's a minor accident and no one claims injury. A formal report is important if you or the other party are injured. Without a police report, it may be your word against the other driver's word.

However, it's possible the police may not come to the scene of a parking lot accident if no one is injured, if the damage is too minor or if there's extreme weather in the area, such as a blizzard or severe storm.
-----------------------------------
Michigan Law 257.620 reads: “The driver of any vehicle which collides upon either public or private property with any vehicle which is attended or unattended shall immediately stop and shall then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner of such vehicle of the name and address of the driver and owner of the vehicle striking the vehicle or, if such owner cannot be located, shall forthwith report it to the nearest or most convenient police officer”.
By reporting the accident to police or the vehicle owner, you clear yourself from any criminal element in regards to a “hit and run”.

When police are contacted, they have the ability to locate the owner of the vehicle by going to the owner's address or by contacting him or her by phone. Under Michigan law, police agencies do not have to fill out a police report for private property fender benders.

However, some police agencies will provide you with an accident report depending on that agency's policy for handling private property accidents.

So call or not - it's going to depend on where you are, the local police policy, state or local laws, circumstances at the time and more. There's no rule saying to not call, nothing says they don't respond or aren't supposed to, etc.
Here, unless busy, they'd respond. I know the town where I grew up they'd be right there.

My wife works at a bank. Years ago a mom in her full-size van plowed into my wife's parked XJ at the bank. My wife called me understandably upset. I called the police. The police rep told me it was private property and, since there were no injuries, they would not respond. Van Mom's insurance paid to fix the XJ. They were fine with the police report I filed. (XJ damage was minor. It was a different story with the coworker's Acura parked next to the XJ.)

Last summer someone stole my next door neighbor's Honda CRV in the middle of the day. It was parked on the street in front of the house. Then it wasn't. Neighbor called the police. Police said to file a report. That was all.

 

[Dryfly24]

This thread got me thinking this morning so I decided to put this on and leave it on:

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My wife works at a bank. Years ago a mom in her full-size van plowed into my wife's parked XJ at the bank. My wife called me understandably upset. I called the police. The police rep told me it was private property and, since there were no injuries, they would not respond. Van Mom's insurance paid to fix the XJ. They were fine with the police report I filed. (XJ damage was minor. It was a different story with the coworker's Acura parked next to the XJ.)

Last summer someone stole my next door neighbor's Honda CRV in the middle of the day. It was parked on the street in front of the house. Then it wasn't. Neighbor called the police. Police said to file a report. That was all.

Like I tried to say - it's where YOU live. It's different here and other areas. So bottom line - you don't call the police, some others may be well off to do so.
"It depends". USNews did research before publishing their article - their suggestion - call, the quote I posted from "Ed" - a retired cop - says it all. "It depends on where you live".

Your cops won't give a rip - others will, or may. What's the worst that happens - you waste a free phone call.
Thankfully, Colorado Springs isn't the whole country.

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