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Company van hit my car in a parking lot and drove off — do I have any options?

So this happened a few days ago and I'm still kind of annoyed about it.

I was parked outside my gym during my normal morning workout. When I came out, my rear bumper was crumpled and there was white paint transfer all over it. Obviously someone backed into me and just... left. Great.

Here's the thing though — a guy who was loading equipment into a nearby unit told me he saw the whole thing. He said it was a white van with a landscaping company logo on the side. He didn't catch the plate but he remembered part of the company name. I actually found them on Google — there's only one landscaping company in my area with a similar name, so I'm pretty sure it's them.

I called the non-emergency police line and an officer came out and took a statement from the witness. But when I asked what would go on the report, the officer basically said there wasn't enough to officially name the company, so the report just says "unknown suspect vehicle." Frustrating.

I've since driven past that company's yard and spotted a white van with a dent and paint missing in roughly the right spot on the bumper. I took some photos from the public road.

My collision deductible is $750 if I go through my own insurance, which I really don't want to do. I'd rather the responsible party actually pay for this.

Questions I have:

  • Can I go back to the police with my photos and push for them to follow up?
  • Is there any way to make the landscaping company pay directly without going through my insurance?
  • Should I contact their insurance myself, or does that backfire?

I've never dealt with anything like this before. Any advice from people who've been through something similar would mean a lot. Thanks in advance.

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