brave-elk-8085/18/2026

Guy blew a stop sign doing 40 and spun my car around — he just drove away??

Still kind of shaking writing this out, honestly.

I was on my way home from work yesterday, taking the exact same surface road I take every single day. Nothing special about the route. It was a normal Tuesday evening, traffic was moving a little slower than usual because of some road work nearby backing things up, but nothing crazy.

There's a neighborhood side street that feeds onto the road I was on. It has a big, clearly marked stop sign. Has had one for as long as I can remember. I've watched plenty of people roll up to it and do the right thing.

Not this guy.

A full-size pickup truck came barreling out of that side street without even tapping his brakes. I had a delivery van riding pretty close behind me and cars moving alongside me, so I had literally nowhere to go. I laid on my horn but he never slowed down. He clipped my rear quarter panel and sent me into a spin — I ended up sideways, partially blocking two lanes, facing the complete wrong direction. My heart was going a thousand miles a minute.

Here's what really gets me: he pulled over for maybe thirty seconds, looked at the scene, and then just… left. Drove off like nothing happened. I was sitting there in a spun-out car in the middle of traffic and this man ghosted me.

A couple of bystanders stopped and one of them actually got a partial plate, which I gave to the police when they arrived. My car is clearly damaged — something in the rear suspension looks very wrong. I feel okay physically right now but my neck is starting to get a little stiff and I'm not sure if that's adrenaline wearing off or something more.

Has anyone dealt with a hit-and-run where you got a partial plate? Did the police actually follow up? And should I be going to a doctor even if I think I feel fine?

9 replies

Most helpful first

clear-raven-7875/18/2026
The stiff neck thing — please don't brush that off. After my accident I felt totally fine for about 36 hours and then whiplash hit me like a wall. Go get checked out, even if it's just urgent care. You want it documented way before any insurance conversation happens.
- gentle-crow-4755/18/2026
  When you talk to your insurance company, be really careful about how you describe how you're feeling. Saying 'I feel fine' or 'I think I'm okay' can get used against you later if symptoms develop. Stick to the facts of the crash itself and let the medical evaluation speak for itself.
silent-stoat-9205/18/2026
Seconding what the person above said about getting seen ASAP. Adrenaline is genuinely incredible at masking pain in the short term. Soft tissue injuries, especially in the neck and upper back, can take one to three days to fully announce themselves. Even if the doctor finds nothing, having that visit on record protects you. Don't wait until you're in real pain to go — by then you're playing catch-up.
- brave-fox-0085/18/2026
  A few practical things worth doing right now if you haven't already: (1) Write down everything you remember about the truck — color, approximate year, any distinguishing features, direction he fled — while it's fresh. (2) Go back to the scene and see if there are any businesses or traffic cameras nearby that might have caught it. (3) Get the contact info of those bystanders who stopped if you don't already have it. Witnesses are gold in hit-and-run situations and people's memories fade fast.
bright-swan-5695/18/2026
Former adjuster here. The partial plate is more useful than most people think — police can often narrow it down pretty quickly when they know the make, color, and general area. File a report with your own insurer under uninsured/hit-and-run coverage immediately regardless, because even if they find the guy, you want that claim open and dated. Don't wait to see if police locate him first. That's a mistake I watched people make constantly.
clever-marmot-3195/18/2026
Not legal advice, but: if police can't locate the driver, your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is typically what responds in a hit-and-run. Whether you have it and how much you have matters a lot here. Worth pulling out your declarations page and checking. Also — do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company before you understand your rights. That goes for your own insurer too.
swift-kestrel-1935/18/2026
I'm so sorry this happened to you. The fact that he looked and then just left is infuriating, that's not a mistake — that's a choice. I really hope the plate leads somewhere. Please take care of yourself physically first, everything else can be figured out.
bright-marten-6165/18/2026
Three things: go to a doctor today, get a copy of the police report number, and stop posting details about the accident on social media if you're doing that anywhere. That last one sounds paranoid but insurance companies absolutely look. Handle your health first, document everything second, worry about the anger later.
warm-tern-9495/18/2026
Not doubting you at all, but just curious — did the police seem engaged when you reported it, or did they kind of brush it off as a minor property damage thing? My experience is that hit-and-run follow-up varies wildly depending on the department and whether anyone was visibly hurt. If they seemed dismissive, it might be worth a follow-up call to the non-emergency line in a day or two.