I was the victim of a hit-and-run. My car was parked, and the damage
was minor ($600). There was a witness but he will not step forward. He
did report the incident to building security who notified me. I left a
note on the car of the person who was seen hitting my car and then
reparking. I took dated photos of his damage and mine. He called me,
and gave me a name and phone number. I haven't called him back yet
with the estimate. I haven't reported it to my insurance company yet,
though they know of the accident. (I had
unwittingly asked the insurer, AAA, for a repair shop recommendation.)
 It's been more than 10 days since the accident. I believe California
law requires reporting within 10 days if the damage exceeds $500. Am I
better off reporting the accident to my insurance company or settling
it?

---

Request for Question Clarification by darrel-ga on 27 Nov 2002 12:24 PST

Hello--

Does the person who hit you have auto insurance? Do you have a deductible on yours?

Thanks,

darrel-ga

Hello,

Regardless of whether or not you settle, you are correct, you must
report this to the California DMV using the SR-1 Form (linked below).
Infact, both parties are required to submit this form regardless of
fault. The accident will then be kept on your record (taken off the
DMV's Reporting the Accident To DMV linked below):

"
Accidents On Your Record

Every accident reported to DMV by law enforcement shows on your
driving record unless the reporting officer says another person was at
fault. Every accident reported by you, or another party in the
accident, shows on your record if any one person has over $500 in
damage or if anyone is injured or dies. It does not matter who caused
the accident. The law says DMV must keep this record.
"

I couldn't find a penalty for reporting late, but I recommend
reporting as soon as possible. I also recommend calling the police
into this regardless if nothing else than to file a report. They can
take a statement from the witness which will probably be needed in
order to settle. Or you can just call this all moot and settle with
the person for $499.99 so neither of you have to report or involve
your insurance companies. This isn't really my specialty though, so
I'll gracefully bow out and let another researcher take over where I
left off.


Search Strategy:

california reporting accident "must be reported" on google:
://www.google.com/search?q=california+reporting+accident+%22must+be+reported%22


Additional Links:

California DMV Sr-1 form:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/sr/sr1.htm

DMV Reporting The Accident To DMV:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/pgs66thru68lossoflicense.htm#report


skermit-ga

pms1234,

skermit is right.

You need to report this accident to the police IMMEDIATELY, if you
have not already done so. Many insurance companies will not even cover
a claim of this size, if no police report has been filed. You are
lucky

You will need to give police ALL information you have on the accident:
Date, Time, and Location; Color, Make, Model, and License Plate of the
other vehicle, the Name and Phone Number of the driver, and the Date
and Time that the driver called you (if they left a message on your
answering machine and you still have it, DON'T erase it); your
Insurance Company Name and Policy Number, the Name and Employer of the
Security Guard who was informed about the accident; and the Name of
the Witness, if it is available.

Be sure to get a police report number from the officer who takes your
statement and files the report; your insurance company will require
this number.

In the future, you will want to make sure that you do NOT delay in
reporting an accident; report it IMMEDIATELY when you find out out
about it. The more time that passes, the less likely it is that your
rights will be protected and that your losses will be fully covered.

Good Luck!

aceresearcher