Driver hit my car, tried to flee, and now I'm being told reporting it will hurt ME??

Oh man, the rate increase thing after a hit-and-run is genuinely one of the most infuriating parts of this whole system. I went through something similar — parked car, driver took off, I did everything right — and my agent actually told me upfront that because I wasn't found "at fault" and had a police report, my rates were protected. It really depends on your specific policy and state laws. Definitely read your policy or call your agent before you file the claim and just ask directly: will this affect my rates? Get the answer in writing if you can.

Don't let that comment from the officer scare you into NOT filing. That's exactly the kind of vague warning that leaves people eating the cost of damage they didn't cause. Insurance companies love it when you self-silence. You have a police report, photos, and a witness — that's a strong position. File the report, document everything, and don't apologize for using coverage you've been paying into.

Former claims adjuster here. The rate increase thing is real in some states and with some carriers, but it's not universal, and many states actually have laws that prohibit penalizing you for not-at-fault claims. The key phrase to look up for your state is "not-at-fault accident rate protection." When you call your insurer, specifically ask whether this claim would be coded as not-at-fault and whether your state has any surcharge prohibition. If the rep can't answer clearly, ask for a supervisor or check your state's insurance commissioner website.

Not legal advice, but a couple of things worth knowing: using a vehicle to intimidate or move toward a person can cross into criminal territory well beyond a traffic violation — worth mentioning that detail explicitly in your statement to police if you haven't already. Also, partial plate plus a witness is more than a lot of hit-and-run victims have. If they locate the driver, your options expand significantly beyond just an uninsured motorist claim.

Please don't forget to check in with yourself physically. I know the car damage feels urgent right now, but adrenaline masks a lot. Neck stiffness, headaches, or shoulder soreness showing up 24–48 hours later is extremely common even from lower-speed impacts. If anything feels off in the next couple of days, get seen — and make sure any visit is documented in connection with the incident while the timeline is still fresh.

The part where he reversed toward you is terrifying and I just want to say — you handled that really well. A lot of people would have just frozen or let him go. You stayed calm, got evidence, called the police. That took guts. I hope the rest of this process is way less stressful than today was.

Three things: 1) File the police report if you haven't already and make sure the attempted intimidation-with-the-vehicle is in it. 2) Call your insurance and ask point-blank about the rate impact before anything is formally opened — most agents will tell you. 3) Send your photos and witness contact info to yourself via email right now so everything is timestamped and backed up. Don't sit on this.

Did the police actually take a formal report or just fill out an exchange-of-information card? There's a difference and it matters for how your claim gets processed. Also — did your witness stick around to give a statement, or just tell you verbally they saw it? Written statements or names on the police report carry a lot more weight than "someone saw it."