Got hit in my own condo parking garage and the other driver is being SO sketchy — help?

Ugh, I went through almost exactly this in a mall parking lot last year. The other driver tried the 'let's keep insurance out of it' thing too and I almost fell for it. Don't. File with your own insurance first, tell them everything, and let them go after her carrier. That's literally what you pay premiums for. It felt scary to 'start a claim' but honestly it was the right move.

Whatever you do, be really careful about what you say when you first call either insurance company. Adjusters are trained to get you to casually say things that minimize your claim — stuff like 'I'm doing okay' or 'it wasn't that bad.' Just stick to the facts. And that neck stiffness? Get it checked out by a doctor NOW, not next week. Gaps in medical treatment are one of the first things adjusters use to lowball you.

Please take the neck stiffness and headache seriously. Soft tissue injuries and even mild concussions don't always show up dramatically right after impact — sometimes symptoms peak 48-72 hours later. Go to urgent care or your primary care doc and get it documented. Tell them it started after a car accident. That paper trail matters a lot, both for your health and if this turns into a claim.

Former auto claims adjuster here. Private property accidents are genuinely trickier because there's usually no police fault determination, so it becomes a 'he said/she said' situation. Here's what actually helps: photos of the damage and the scene (tire marks, the pillar, positioning), any security camera footage from the garage (request it from your building management ASAP before it gets overwritten), and witness statements if anyone saw it. That stuff can flip a disputed claim pretty quickly.

A couple of practical steps: First, send yourself a detailed email right now describing exactly what happened while it's fresh — time, direction you were traveling, speed, what you saw. That creates a timestamped record. Second, ask your building manager or HOA about garage security footage today, because a lot of systems only keep footage for 3-7 days. Third, hang onto every receipt or document related to this — towing, rental car, medical visits, everything.

Not legal advice, but for what it's worth — the fact that she asked to handle it privately and was evasive about her insurance are both things worth mentioning if you ever do consult an attorney. Most PI lawyers do free consultations for accident cases, so even if you're not sure you 'need' one, a 20-minute call can help you understand what you're actually dealing with. The neck and headache symptoms make this more than just a fender bender, in my view.

I'm so sorry this happened to you, especially basically at your own front door. That feeling of being lost is so real. Just know that the sketchy behavior you're describing from the other driver is actually pretty common — it doesn't mean you're stuck. You clearly handled it better than a lot of people would have by calling the police and getting her plates. You've got this.

The good news is you did the most important things right: you stayed at the scene, you called it in, you got her plate. A lot of people panic and don't do those things. You've got a starting point. It's messy right now but it's not hopeless — especially since you're dealing with it quickly instead of waiting.