My Parked Car Was Hit by Company Truck

Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 09:53
Last edited 19/07/2023 - 10:21 by 1 other user

Hi, I know this may be futile but thought I’d ask for any advice anyway.

My car was parked while I was at work. When I came back, someone has hit the back corner, leaving a big dent. They’ve left a sticker with the company name and number. I’ve called it and the owner says I have to prove that his driver did it. He’s arguing he doesn’t fully know his driver did it as there’s no damage to his van/truck. I argued that he obviously did if he got out and left a note. He’s said he won’t give the drivers name or address so I can’t give this to my insurance.

I’ve asked nearby businesses and no CCTV shows this and I don’t have a dashcam. If I went to the police, I’m guessing they’d say it’s a civil matter as there’s no witness.

Do I just have to suck it up? I do have comprehensive BTW.

Thanks for your time.

Automotive

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 19/07/2023 - 09:56
    +3

    Friggin bad luck. Sorry dude.

    Is the damage repairs more than the excess?

    I guess the business could argue that a random just put the sticker there.

    Does your dashcam footage show who the driver is?

    • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 10:38

      Excess is $650ish. In the process of trying to get some quotes to compare. Thanks

  • pyramid on 19/07/2023 - 09:57
    +8

    I do have comprehensive btw
    Case closed.

    • Clear on 19/07/2023 - 10:02
      -1

      Yup don't bother trying to hassle the other company.

    • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 10:37
      +5

      That’d mean I have to pay the excess, which I was hoping to avoid but the other driver taking liability .

      • Caped Baldy on 19/07/2023 - 11:13
        +3

        You often have to have pay the excess for the insurer to investigate. You may or may not get the money back.

      • TilacVIP on 20/07/2023 - 08:25

        plus, if you're on any "no-claim" bonus, you'll lose a portion of that as well, which increases your future premiums.

        This really sux

    • AustriaBargain on 19/07/2023 - 13:58
      +1

      Shoulda let the insurance call the business. Might be too late now that OP has put the business on the defensive by giving them fighting words.

      • blitz on 19/07/2023 - 16:32
        +5

        Comprehensive Third Party (CTP)

        It's "compulsory", not "comprehensive". This is to cover third parties if you are involved in an accident. It won't help here. Covering yourself and the other party, that's the "comprehensive bit" and it costs extra. Better start driving defensively again.

        • kerfuffle on 19/07/2023 - 17:29
          +5

          Furthermore, it only covers injuries, not property.

        • afah0447 on 20/07/2023 - 10:43
          +1

          Better now start rethinking that 8th VB before getting behind the wheel.

  • ginger-gin on 19/07/2023 - 10:11
    +4

    just file with your insurer, that's what you paid for it. Let the insurer deal with the company

  • 87percent on 19/07/2023 - 10:19
    +5

    if its somewhere you park often, check if OTHER cars have dashcam footage. But you could have bluffed the company that you have dashcam footage of it, sometimes thats enough

    I only have front dash cam, but when my car was hit from behind and the driver drove off, i managed to catch the car that hit me swerve around me and drive off in the footage. I contacted the police and lodged a report, and they contacted the driver and told him we have footage of him hitting me. He admitted fault (claimed he thought he hit something on the road)

    • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 11:09

      Thanks. I said I have footage of it hoping that’d move things along and he just said prove it.

      • coffeeinmyveins on 19/07/2023 - 11:14
        +3

        Ouch, yeah he's calling your bluff.

  • JimmyF on 19/07/2023 - 10:22
    +3

    Do I just have to suck it up? I do have comprehensive btw.

    Yes, lodge it with your insurance, give them the 'company' details for them to follow up.

    • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 10:40

      I called them and they want the name and address of the driver.

      • JimmyF on 19/07/2023 - 11:29
        +2

        If you have comprehensive, you can continue with a at fault claim. aka you don't have the other parties details.

        Maybe drop by the company whos business card was left and have a look at the cars they have. See if any have damage that matches up to you.

      • foolsgold on 19/07/2023 - 14:31
        +3

        go the company see if you can find a truck with damage that matches send to insurance and hope for the best.

      • kiitos on 20/07/2023 - 07:26

        So they won't accept just the business name and address and contact them?

      • ColtNoir on 20/07/2023 - 13:11
        +2

        I’d give them the owner of the business name and address.
        Reverse Uno and Prove to me that it wasn’t the owner driving

  • JMosk on 19/07/2023 - 10:27
    +4

    Give it a day and then contact the company again to see if the driver has owned up and they're willing to play ball.
    If not, leave an honest review (no emotion, just facts) of their business online and end it with "if the company does the right thing then I will remove this review".

    • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 10:41
      +1

      So I think the driver is doing the right thing but the business owner, who I spoke to, won’t share his info.

      • JMosk on 19/07/2023 - 10:55
        +4

        I got hit once by someone driving a company car. They didn't stop and kept on driving but thankfully someone else had seen what happened and stopped them down the road.
        The guy said he had no idea he'd hit me and that I should call the company and they would sort it out. Told him that he had to share his details with me or I was calling the cops and he eventually did.
        Point of the story is that I think companies give their drivers instructions to direct them to the company as it's easier (and maybe cheaper) for them that way but unfortunately leaves you high and dry.
        I'd be leaving a review or going to the cops to try and get some leverage for them to do the right thing

        • coffeeinmyveins on 19/07/2023 - 11:15
          +4

          yeah screw that, if someone hits you with a car, it's THEM that has done it, not the COMPANY. They are the driver of the vehicle, there is no get out of jail free card just because it's a "company car".

        • Gnilgorf on 19/07/2023 - 12:47
          +2

          Whenever there's an accident, the law requires parties to exchange details. This includes the drivers details & the vehicle owners details (if it differs).

          Presumably this is to avoid the crap shoot that could happen if the company denials any liability or association with that driver. Any driver attempting to palm it off to the company would already trigger a massive red flag. Whether this is company policy or not…who knows.

    • Porker on 19/07/2023 - 11:56
      +1

      First, I'd recommend OP actually confirm that the left business card is the one that caused the damage (this'll be hard if not impossible to do), as one could be leaving negative reviews for an innocent company.

      There's nothing to say that the offending motorist simply put a card (happened to be a business) on the windshield to look like they were doing the right thing.

  • barge-in hunter on 19/07/2023 - 10:44
    +1

    This is super annoying - sorry to hear it. We had a hit and run done on our car, and couldn't ID the driver.

    I guess the fact someone left a sticker there is more frustrating than anything as it's given you hope that someone's was doing the right thing. If there was no sticker, you'd just claim through your insurance anyway

  • oscargamer on 19/07/2023 - 10:59

    If it's a small company with a couple of trucks, just turn up and talk to reception, leave your details and ask the driver to contact you .

    If it's a large company, contact the fleet manager

  • bohn on 19/07/2023 - 11:05
    +2

    Slightly similar - I've had a truck driven by a contractor damage something driving into our house. I contacted the company that organised the delivery and they gave me the run around. They then said that the contractor had gone back to New Zealand and couldn't reach him etc.

    I sent the company a letter via registered post indicating that they had one week to pay me for the invoice or I'd be taking them to VCAT.
    Got a call once it was received from someone higher up saying 'blah blah, gee this is terrible I've only just heard about this, paying it today' essentially.

    It was bullshit but at least I got the $.

  • Porker on 19/07/2023 - 11:09
    +2

    The company card left might not even by the company that did the damage. It's assumed it is, but say the driver simply left a business card of someone else on your windscreen simply to negate public attention - it's not dissimilar to someone writing a note after a crash which reads 'I'm just writing fake details so people think I'm giving you my details'.

    There's no way you can actually prove that it was the card company that did the damage. The onus is not on them to prove they weren't there, it's on you to prove they were there and/or did the damage.

    It's an unlucky situation you're in.

  • wayfastwhitie on 19/07/2023 - 11:14

    Tell your insurance company the story and let them explain how to deal with the situation.

  • jellykingdom on 19/07/2023 - 11:28
    +5

    Can't hurt to speak to the police. I'd probably try them next

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 19/07/2023 - 12:11
    +2

    as there’s no damage to his van/truck

    looking at a majority of trucks, vans, etc most of them have been dinged up / scratched up, i find this hard to believe, scumbag company. Name and shameeeeee?

  • Ocker on 19/07/2023 - 12:23
    +8

    I had a similar incident and after I had reported to VicPol they actually went to the truck owners premises to examine the truck for any paint transfer from my car.

    • Ghost47 on 19/07/2023 - 14:47
      +2

      Really? Wow. Surprised the cops would go to those lengths.

  • pharkurnell on 19/07/2023 - 13:20

    What sort of company is it…. Bin pickup company?

    if they go there daily maybe park in same spot and hang round and see if you can spot the driver

    • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 15:17

      It’s a catering equipment repair company. I’ve asked the nearby businesses if they had them booked in and no one has.

  • Gnilgorf on 19/07/2023 - 13:24
    +3

    This is a sucky situation for OP but there is hope.

    The driver already did a bad by not putting their details down as well as the company's (if it was indeed that company's truck in the first place), So now it's going to be difficult to prove anything. I suspect the driver isn't going to self-incriminate themselves or own up either, and the company is clearly attempting to dismiss it.

    Keep trying though, ask around if anyone has footage, and check if there's anything which might be cause for that company being in that area.
    And get in touch with the cops with what you have.

    This is anecdotal, but years ago a mates car got clipped (and dragged) by a construction truck. They eventually found a neighbour who luckily caught the car being dragged on their home security footage, but not clear enough to make out specific details. But enough to know it was carrying building supplies. The construction site (either next door, or few doors down) claimed ignorance. But after cops got involved and delivery logs got checked, things started unravelling pretty quick for that truck driver…

    Can also relate, since last week I was rear ended by a Sterling Truck. It was only light, as they rolled into me during almost stopped traffic. But refreshingly, the driver quickly accepted all liability for it and would cover the cost without getting the company or their insurance involved. Shared details, mobile number (called and checked on the spot), took photos and was off again in a few minutes. There was literally no damage to their truck.

    And seeing things from the truck drivers perspective, the additional stress to everyone & impact to their (or their companies) insurance premiums would have far outweighed just outright paying for repairs themselves. Not all truckers are bad it seems~ They organized a replacement bumper, painting and I'm getting it repaired this Saturday.

  • jizmo on 19/07/2023 - 13:36

    Sounds like you got Trucked over by the company.
    Ring the big trucker back and tell him, he's just admitted to acknowledging there was an accident by a company vehicle, send that in to your insurance, and they can deal with the rest.

  • Mechz on 19/07/2023 - 15:20

    Apart from hanging around the car park to get the plates of the truck next time they turn up there's not much hope for you here OP.

  • Dlw on 19/07/2023 - 15:27
    +17

    So I ended up calling them again and this time an admin/receptionist answered and told me (she wasn’t supposed to I’m sure) that she was aware of the incident as the driver had reported it to her. I’ve taken this information and made a statement with the police. They said they’ll follow it up for failing to share details.

    • pharkurnell on 19/07/2023 - 15:37
      +7

      Sweet…. hope it comes out ok in the end for you…

      as others have said, what a prick of a manager…

      • Ghost47 on 19/07/2023 - 16:14
        +1

        Sadly that kind of behaviour isn’t unexpected.

  • Gnostikos on 19/07/2023 - 17:51

    The company to whom the truck belongs would likely be filing an insurance claim themselves for the damage to their truck, however minor.

    If your insurer has the company details (even without the truck driver's/vehicle's details) they would be able to find out this company's insurance provider pretty easily and then chase them up on the details of their claim for this accident (which they could easily identify with the time/date reported) as well as provide your details as the 3rd party involved in the accident. Their insurance provider could then determine them to be at fault (given the obvious evidence indicating that), charge them excess and then your insurance provider would have a valid claim to make against them in order to waive your excess and deem you not at fault.

  • Unicorn007 on 22/07/2023 - 17:27

    @Dlw Hey mate saw a similiar incident near my worplace on 18th eveining is it postcode 2148? I have the dashcam footage.

    • Dlw on 22/07/2023 - 23:05

      Unfortunately not. Thanks for reaching out anyway.

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