Press charges?

[drainer]

I think you live 5 minutes from me? My truck got hit a few years ago. Deductible, rental car etc paid by other party. Insurance wasn't affected. Another case I got hit by debris on freeway. I paid my 500 dollar deductible and that's it. insurance not affected one bit.

I think you may need to shop around for a different carrier. I have AAA for all three of our vehicles and my boat. No issues whatsoever.

Like I said, there are multiple variables and there are different levels of coverage.

The last time we were hit it was by a truck carrying water cooler jugs that lost control coming down La Jolla Parkway. The owner of the truck was self insured. Experts at stalling and giving the runaround. Our carrier was good to us, bottom line it was a major hassle and cost us money - over $1K.

 

[drainer]

I don’t see why you would even have to press charges. Hit and run is illegal whether you’re ok with it or not.

Doesn't matter - no one will press charges unless you press charges.

 

[drainer]

That's what I thought- that the police would charge him. Why do I have to step up?

Cops don't have the authority to press charges on hit and runs.

It's up to you or the DA to decide whether or not to do so.

And in most major cities, especially in CA, I would guess they are highly unlikely to do so. Theft and property crimes have been basically classified as quality of life issues and are unlikely to be prosecuted as the justice system continues it's push leftward.

My insurance (AAA) said I have a $250 deductible but most likely the other driver's insurance would cover it. My worry is that my car is 1985 vanagon. It was in pretty pristine condition and has a newer Audi engine with low miles. The previous owner was a retired JPL engineer who did the install himself and all the mechanics who've looked at it mention what a clean install it is. Thing is, no paper work. I'm worried they will call it totaled. Today I collected a couple of comps online for $26,000 and $29,000 (same engine conversion). Hoping for the best.

Good luck man, I feel ya.

 

[Firebird]

It's a little late now for your situation, but GoWesty has an appraisal service for Vanagons and Eurovans for exactly this type of situation.
When people pour tons of money into VW vans, the value is rarely reflected by Kelly Blue Book or similar.
GoWesty will go through all of your receipts and photos and give an accurate appraisal to present to the insurance company so you can recoup your investment.
Maybe once you get your van repaired, it'll be worth having done for future issues?

 

[john4surf]

Cops don't have the authority to press charges on hit and runs.

It's up to you or the DA to decide whether or not to do so.

And in most major cities, especially in CA, I would guess they are highly unlikely to do so. Theft and property crimes have been basically classified as quality of life issues and are unlikely to be prosecuted as the justice system continues it's push leftward.



Good luck man, I feel ya.

If the violation rises to a felony level, the cops will file charges. A ‘victim’ has to press charges if the crime is a misdemeanor (a cop must witness a misdemeanor before the cop can press charges). If the violation is a felony, the cop doesn’t need to witness the crime to file charges.

 

[afoaf]

press charges TWICE

fk drunk drivers

make them suffer and save the next person's life

 

[Subway]

Sorry about 2020, but at least you can all thank me for not drinking. I drove drunk all....the...time...

 

[One-Off]

It's a little late now for your situation, but GoWesty has an appraisal service for Vanagons and Eurovans for exactly this type of situation.
When people pour tons of money into VW vans, the value is rarely reflected by Kelly Blue Book or similar.
GoWesty will go through all of your receipts and photos and give an accurate appraisal to present to the insurance company so you can recoup your investment.
Maybe once you get your van repaired, it'll be worth having done for future issues?

I knew about that but it was always low priority. I also inquired about classic car insurance but one stipulation was that the car could not be parked on the street.

 

[Norm']

I backed into a car in a parking garage and left the guy a note. I expected an angry phone call, but the kept saying "thank you so much!, I can't believe you left a note!".

 

[$kully]

No

Get a copy of the police report and you're good.

You don't need to press charges. They have al the evidence they need. You weren't even a witness.

What if the driver was black?

 

[donuts]

What if the driver was black?

are you saying the perp who hit the
vanagon was driving a vehicle that
he’d previously car-jacked?

 

[donuts]

Sorry about 2020, but at least you can all thank me for not drinking. I drove drunk all....the...time...

the last time (i’m pretty sure anyway...)
that i drove drunk, i had actually just had
a few with not just subway, but skully
as well (he might have been using his
frvcvs secret identity then...?).

 

[VonMeister]

What if the driver was black?

You would patronize him to help hide the fact that you are racist. You would also be afraid of him.

 

[drunjk]

i'm glad your vanagon was hit by a drunk driver. i'm glad the wheel must be turned 90 degrees to drive straight.

 

[$kully]

the last time (i’m pretty sure anyway...)
that i drove drunk, i had actually just had
a few with not just subway, but skully
as well (he might have been using his
frvcvs secret identity then...?).

do you still look like Lawrence O’Donnell? I found that disarming.

 

[Bob Dobbalina]

Not sure how filing charges helps you.
Not sure how filing charges helps them.
Concentrate on insurance.

Sorry about your car.

 

[urchined]

I work in insurance. dm me if you want with specific questions. AAA will reimburse your deductible when they collect their money from the other party's carrier. That can take a year.

 

[ghostshaper]

Not sure how filing charges helps you.
Not sure how filing charges helps them.
Concentrate on insurance.

Sorry about your car.

I agree it wouldn't help him. It would definitely hurt the perp. Why do that to them? Because they would've screwed you over if they hadn't been caught, and they need to learn how to take responsibility for their actions. Will they learn from it? Who knows.

Sucks that you have to deal with this. Sorry, too. Time for a new camping rig.

 

[One-Off]

Appraiser came today and said, three times, "Wow, your van is in really good condition." He said it would probably be a minimum $20,000 appraisal. So, it looks like it won't be totaled. He also said the old cars are built like tanks and if a new car got hit like mine did it would for sure be totaled.

I'm not going to press charges. If the police do that's fine. If he's going to learn a lesson, I think the DUI will go a long way in that direction. The appraiser said it would not make any difference to me. He also said that it is possible, depending on blood alcohol level and priors, that the DUI could be a felony DUI (caused an accident).

 

[drainer]

Not sure how filing charges helps you.
Not sure how filing charges helps them.

It helps other people (future victims).