Need Help, involved in car accident and ppl wont give us details....

[evo6_tme]

Hi guys.

It's a long story, has nothing to do with bikes but its about my gf who has unlucky involved in car accident just this afternoon.

My gf parked her car in public parking where she normally park while she's working at restaurant, and accidentally this lady hit my gf's lancer.
This lady was kind enough to revail herself but because my gf was at her shift time and it was busy she could only obtain the phone number of this lady with her name.

It was about 10:30PM tonight and my gf decided to call this lady to get further information which she gonna need to sort this matter.
As soon as someone picked the phone up this man(lady?) on the phone was not very happy and would not give us any detail of the lady's address, rego etc....
and continue-sly using F words and saying he(she?) would not give any information regarding to his or her daughter to someone they do not know (he/she thinks that we may come over and shoot their head?!). Ok fair enough.
then I told this guy that if we can not obtain any information about her we would have to report to police and in worse case scenario.
Then this guy said he was not happy because we were calling 10:30 at night, he wants us to ring them back tomorrow morning. So i said yes.

It gets worse after this. after about 10 min we got a call from this private number and there u go the lady who hit my gf's car.
She was also upset because according to her we have threaten them?! I tried to explain that her father(mother) wouldn't let us to talk to her
and using abusive words, and was not helpful at all. but she still claims its our fault calling them 10:30 at night.

so..... my questions are...
1) Was it inappropriate to mention we would have to contact police if we could not get the details of this lady?
2) Lets say we un-intentionally threaten this ppl in someway. Is there anything we should be careful of when we next speaking to them on the phone?

I am really not sure what to do with these ppl at all and hoping someone could help me what to do as we are only migrated to this country few years ago...

Much appreciated....

evo6tme

[Shortfuse]

Take the phone number to the cops and tell them.

[milesiles]

If total damage is more than 1000$ then a police report needs to be filled out, most insurance companies will ask for the police report number when making a claim.

Try talking to them again tomorrow or even get a friend to call. If you get no joy just put in a claim with your insurance company with as much detail as you can about the other driver and let them sort it out.

[axefanatic]

Yep, def file a report with as much info as you have. You can add more details as/when they become available, but make sure you cover your arse by doing the paperwork asap.

[evo6_tme]

I forgot to mention, we currently are not cover by insurance and the same for them.
It is 100% they;re at fault so I do not want to back off just because they think that we have threaten them.
Does any one know if there is any government body or any organization I could be rely on?

[Thirsty]

Okay, I could understand if they were irritated being rung at 10.30 at night. You should treat these matters like business hours, ie 9am-5pm, unless they have told you to ring at a different time. 10.30pm is not appropriate.

I would ring them tommorrow at say 10am, apologise for ringing so late, you didnt realise how late it was cos you have been busy or some excuse.
They may be a bit more hospitable then, and give you the details

[milesiles]

You may have to welcome the fact that you are about to enter a your word against theirs shit fight. It may be that he is deliberately blocking you as he thinks he can get out of paying for damages. Wait and see what they say tomorrow.

If the police want to get involved, which I doubt as it was on private property and was not really a hit and run (so is a civil matter), your only option may be to chase them through court.

[FJ Steve]

no insurance, therefore....knock for knock?
Public carpark....vehicle owners resolve issue (normally)

And yes...10.30pm at night is a BIT late to make a call.

[evo6_tme]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I will ring her again tomorrow and will see if she will accept my apology.
Feel really depressed when I think the lady may not agree to repair our car.

[Rhonz]

Always get the rego.

[Rich]

I would've been pissed too if you rang me at 10:30pm...

[SilentBob]

^ WRS
I'm in bed by 10 if I have to work the next day. And don't call during dinner either.

I don't know what tone you took with them, but don't go guns blazing. Be polite even though the accident wasn't your fault. Last bingle I was involved in (I wasn't driving) the guy who was hit was very calm, reassuring the driver that it was no deal. No one was hurt, and stuff can get fixed. Assess the damage. An accident is just that. Handle it like a proper business transaction. Tell him you understand it was an accident, and you are willing to get the damage assessed at a workshop of his choice so he knows you're not out to rort him.

If they want to play dodgy, you can report the accident. It is a small accident I assume, and most times, these sort of things are handled between drivers, and more so when both don't seem to be covered (get at least 3rd party).
If your gf can prove it wasn't her driving since she was on shift, you may have a shot. But remember that you will still need to attend court, which is also time gone.

[Pato]

*waits for Barfy to post up in here and admit to being the female driver*

[evo6_tme]

Alright.... Just called her this afternoon and she has told me that she handed in a police report saying that I have threaten her.
and she was also saying she has intention to repair our car but from now on police gonna come and assess the car's damage but I thought it was weird cuz police normally would not do such a thing do they?

I think this lady is psycho or something.... really useless.....

[SilentBob]

Then go make a report. Simple.
Hand her number and any details you have to the police. And like Rhonz said, always get the rego.
Of course be prepared to get nothing in the end. How bad is the damage anyway?

[Noctis]

threats should be made as a last resort.... not on the first telephone call.
just my 2c

[evo6_tme]

SilentBob > yeah I am going to make a report. My gf was panicking at the time and she has totally forgot to grab the rego, only if i was there....
the damage are; huge dent on the rear right of the body and the paint scratches on bumper. ( not sure how much it would be but probably not much i guess...)

It is just sooo annoying dealing with these people with no ears to listen....

I just googled this lady's phone number and I think I got her address from PersonLookup.com.au Phone Number Search.... do u guys think its a good idea to check car's rego number and confirm the house address?

[SilentBob]

No it is not a good idea.
A) The website is wrong. You harass the wrong guy.
The website is right. You are now a stalker.

Make the report and let the police do whatever it is they do.
This is why having full comprehensive is a good idea. You call up the insurance and tell them to fix the shit. Let them worry about hounding the idiots.
Get a quote for the damages. Tee up an appointment with a smash repair job, or try PM Potato who is also a forum sponsor. If they refuse to pay up, you may have to foot the bill and tell your gf this is a real early xmas+valentine present.

[Big_Dave]

Could you be sure that a car parked there was the one that did the damage ?
What if there's five cars at the house, each with little bits of damage in different places ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapacrapa

[Desmo]

Alright.... Just called her this afternoon and she has told me that she handed in a police report saying that I have threaten her.
and she was also saying she has intention to repair our car but from now on police gonna come and assess the car's damage but I thought it was weird cuz police normally would not do such a thing do they?

How can the police assess the damage? Are they trained mechanics and panelbeaters too now?