Shouting into thin air, ‘Oh, my goodness! Someone hit my parked car!‘ will get you nowhere. The important thing is what to do when someone hits your parked car. We can help you find a solution to this problem. The first thing you should do if someone hits your parked car is to call the police so they can investigate later file an accident report. If your policy has collision coverage or uninsured motorist coverage, you should contact your insurance agent to begin the claims process. Your car insurance company will be able to assist in covering the damage to your car. The hit and run of a parked car is a serious crime.
Filing a Claim for Insurance Rights?
Yes, but let’s save that for later. First, you need to calm yourself and take one step at a time. Analyze the damages inflicted on your car thoroughly. Call your insurance agent if one or more expensive parts of the car are damaged beyond repair or require replacement.
Should I Contact the Police?
Yes. Once you have settled in and understood the damages, the next thing you should be doing is to report the damages to the nearest police station. It helps a lot if you have surveillance cameras with night vision in the vicinity to understand what exactly happened. However, even if you don’t have access to such cameras, the police could help here. They will also file the accident report, which will be necessary for filing a claim. Once that’s done, contact your insurance agent and explain in detail the damages. As they’re used to dealing with similar cases, they would know how to approach such situations.
I Don’t Have Parked Car Insurance!
Don’t worry; there is no such thing as parked car insurance coverage. If you have a valid insurance coverage scheme under comprehensive insurance, collision insurance, or uninsured motorist insurance, your insurance will cover your repairs. However, it is important to find out how exactly the accident took place and what caused the damage before proceeding any further. So, how exactly do all these insurance schemes help you?
a) Collision Coverage
If you have collision insurance coverage and the damage was caused by another car that collided with you because of the other driver’s fault or not. You may still have to pay for deductibles, but collision coverage will pay for your car’s repair even if you don’t know who hit the car. However, if you don’t have collision insurance coverage and don’t know what caused the damage, you will have to pay for your car repairs.
b) Comprehensive Coverage
If you have proof that the damages were caused by vandalism, theft, natural disasters (heavy winds, tree falling, fire, etc.), or by an animal, consider filing a claim for comprehensive coverage. The comprehensive insurance scheme will cover all the damages caused to your cars in the event of such unfortunate developments.
c) Underinsured Coverage
Underinsured insurance coverages come into play when the accident involves a driver on the other end without liability insurance coverage. You will have to shell out the repair cost from your pockets, even when the other driver is at fault. While some drivers, if they do feel at fault, offer to pay for the repairs, others can refuse to do the same. The only possible way to deal with such events is to have an underinsured coverage active, which will pay off for repairs in such a scenario.
The Bottom Line
The best counterstrategy to avoid getting your parked car damaged would be to ensure that your car is not exposed. It is impossible to go for covered parking all the time. In that case, you could consider having access to a garage for overnight parking. Websites like Way.com provide hundreds of parking lots across the country. If you have the Way App, reserving a parking spot can be done in a matter of minutes. That’s not all – you can also get premium car care services, including car washes and car insurance coverage schemes, from trusted vendors at some of the lowest rates. It also helps a lot if you have full insurance coverage active for your car so that repair costs are covered in all circumstances.
Renée Martin is a travel and car expert who focuses on road and air travel in the U.S. For the past 6 years, she’s been helping make driving and trip planning easier and budget-friendly for everyday travelers.
