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bright-kestrel-359

Someone dinged my door in a parking garage and just drove off — do I have options?

So I'm still kind of annoyed about this and honestly just need to know if I'm completely out of luck or not.

I was parked on the second level of a parking garage downtown while I ran a quick errand. Came back maybe 15 minutes later and found a fresh scrape along my driver's side door — paint scraped down to the metal in one spot, maybe four or five inches long. Not catastrophic, but definitely not nothing either.

Here's the thing though: I actually watched it happen on my dashcam footage when I got home and reviewed it. A pickup truck had squeezed into the spot next to me, the passenger swung the door open way too hard, and it caught my door clean. They all just... got out, glanced at my car, and walked away. Didn't leave a note, nothing.

I got lucky because the camera angle caught a partial plate — not the full thing, but most of it. I also have a clear shot of the truck's make and color.

My question is: can I actually do anything with this? I've been debating whether to file a police report for a hit-and-run (does this even count as one in a parking garage?), or just go straight to my own insurance. My deductible is way higher than what this repair would probably cost, so filing a claim feels pointless for me financially. But I don't want to just eat the cost when I have footage of who did it.

Has anyone been through something like this? Did the police actually help track down the other person, or is that a waste of time?

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8 replies

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    tidy-lynx-866

    Almost the exact same thing happened to me in a mall parking lot last year. I had partial plate info and filed a police report. Honestly the cops weren't super enthusiastic about it, but they did run the partial and found a match. Took about two weeks and a lot of me calling to follow up, but I eventually got the other person's info and their insurance paid for the repair. File the report — it's worth the hassle.

    • 0
      genuine-crane-223

      Former claims adjuster here. A few things: first, check whether your policy has uninsured motorist property damage coverage — not every state requires it but if you have it, your insurer may cover the repair with a much lower deductible or none at all specifically for hit-and-runs. Second, if you do find the other party, go directly to their liability coverage — you don't touch your own policy at all and your rates stay clean. The dashcam footage is genuinely valuable. Hang onto the original file, don't just rely on a copy.

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    plain-hare-961

    File the police report today, not tomorrow. Bring your dashcam footage on a USB drive or be ready to show them on your phone. Partial plates plus make and color is actually a decent amount to work with. Don't assume they won't bother — some departments are more diligent than others and you won't know until you try.

  • 0
    clever-mole-167

    Yes, this typically qualifies as a hit-and-run even in a private parking garage — leaving the scene after causing property damage without exchanging info is the definition in most states. A police report creates an official record, which is what you'll need if you eventually track down the other party's insurance. Even if the police don't locate them right away, having that report protects you. Some insurers also require it before they'll waive a deductible or handle it as an uninsured motorist property damage claim, depending on your state and policy.

  • 0
    bright-fox-063

    Whatever you do, be careful how you describe the damage if you end up calling your own insurer 'just to ask questions.' Those calls are often logged and can complicate things later. I'd hold off on contacting your own insurance until you know whether you can find the other party first.

  • 0
    silent-otter-438

    Not a legal thing at all but — are you okay? Sometimes when stuff like this happens the frustration and feeling of helplessness is genuinely stressful, especially if you've already been dealing with car trouble. Don't let it eat at you too much while you work through the process. Good luck, I hope the footage helps.

  • 0
    clever-heron-035

    How partial is 'partial'? Like are we talking missing one character or missing half the plate? That makes a big difference in how useful it actually is for police. Also what state are you in — some states have pretty limited hit-and-run enforcement for property-damage-only situations compared to injury accidents.

  • 0
    spry-badger-567

    Honestly the fact that you have dashcam footage at all puts you ahead of 90% of people in this situation. Most folks come back to a ding with zero info and zero options. You actually have something to work with — that's not nothing.