A few weeks ago my girlfriend backed into her roommates car and put a
small ding on the door and some paint scratching. However, the
roomates car was not parked in its usual spot and was left 3 feet away
from the curb and partially blocking the driveway (the roommate freely
admits that she did not park the car properly).

My question has two parts: 
1) Is the fact that the car was not parked legally affect who was at
fault for the accident (we live in Connecticut if that makes a
difference)
and
2) Is it reasonable for her to request to have both doors painted so
they match perfectly in color even though there was only one door
dented?

Please ignore this comment if a ?researcher? answers.

Was the car parked on a public highway? If not, standard vehicle
insurance may not apply.

Were a prosecution pursued by the police, both parties would be
charged, though they wouldn?t bother. The law tends to be that one may
not drive in a manner such that one cannot avoid stationary objects,
except in extreme cases such as a body lying in the middle of a
freeway. Also one may not park dangerously.

Insurance companies generally don?t entertain claims for more than a
percentage of the car?s worth -- 75% sort of area. If it is an old
vehicle, they would only accept single panel repair. Any repair is
likely to be valued commensurate with the vehicles general state.

That?s the legal case to which you may refer, but there would be no
point in painting two doors rather than one because they wouldn?t
match the rest of the car if there was a mismatch. Repairers can be
very good though -- find some recommendations -- and there is no
reason to expect perceivable mismatch.

If it?s a newish vehicle though, look on the bright side. A small dent
stops one worrying about it getting dented. It has been said that
French drivers on receipt of a new car deliberately ding a panel
because it?s going to happen sooner or later. I scratched a car in
France and the owner simply shrugged, ?Cela vie.?


Best