The Mom Crowd

This afternoon, I had the misfortune of being involved in a hit-and-run accident.  Thankfully, I am fine and no one was hurt.  I was leaving my college and another driver decided he was in a bigger hurry than everyone else and rammed his car into my driver side door and kept going.  I followed him the 50 feet or so to the end of the parking lot to where he was stuck because another car was at the stop sign in front of him and I got out of my car to tell him he hit me and that he wasn’t allowed to leave!  He got out of his car briefly to tell me that he was driving his girlfriend’s car and didn’t have his license and then the car in front of him left, so he quickly got back in his car and took off!  I was yelling “You’re not allowed to leave!” and I then started chanting his license plate numbers hunting for a pen and paper.

I called the campus police who showed up to one mad mama!  While they were taking pictures of my poor mini-van {the door is probably going to need to be replaced}, I called my husband at work {who is an adjuster for our automobile insurance company} and told him what happened.  Of course, there are things I wish I would have done differently, but for the most part I got a thumbs up from my husband on how I handled the situation.  It’s really hard to think in situations like that, so I thought I’d share some tips with you to store in your back pocket, in case you’re in a situation like this someday.

Grab a witness

• This is one thing I wish I could have done.  While I was chanting the license plate numbers, I wish I would have yelled for someone to identify the car so they could place him at the scene.  Unfortunately, I’m a biased witness, so if you can grab a witness of the accident, do it!  Make sure you get their contact information for your insurance company and ask if they’ll stay for the police report.

Take a picture!

• I wish my phone had a camera and that I had the quick thinking skills to photograph the car as he was leaving.

Find out as much as you can about the other person

• Most accidents do not involve a hit-and-run, so make sure you write down the person’s driver license number, insurance information, make/model/year/color of vehicle, and their license plate number.  If they are fleeing the scene, try to get their license plate number at the very least!

File a police report

• If the person sticks around, make sure you have a police report filed so the person can’t say they weren’t there.  This is especially important if there is not damage to their vehicle.

Drive Safe!

• The best way to avoid accidents is to drive defensively.  Pay attention!  Don’t talk on your cell phone!  Even if the light is green, look for cars who may be running a red light.  In my case, there was no way I could have avoided it {other than skipping class today}, however, as soon as I saw him coming, I hit my horn and braked.

I am still fuming and mad about this chump who decided to flee the scene without taking responsibility for his actions, which is why you got this post!  I am supposed to be studying for two big tests, but all I can do is replay this afternoon in my head.  I’m hoping they find this guy.

Have you been in any similar situations?  What tips do you have for situations like this?