Someone else's accident pushed a truck into my parked car — should I be worried about hidden damage?

Oh man, yes — please get a full inspection. I had almost the exact same situation a couple years back, parked car got bumped by a chain reaction, drove totally fine for about three weeks, and then my alignment was so far off I needed new tires AND an alignment correction. The shop told me it probably happened in the accident and just gradually got worse. Document everything now while it's fresh.

Former adjuster here. When a vehicle gets a sudden jolt like that while it's in park — especially from behind — the transmission and drivetrain can absorb forces they're not designed for. It's not common for everything to be fine AND invisible, if that makes sense. A body shop with a frame measuring system can check whether anything shifted. That inspection report becomes really important if something shows up later, because the at-fault carrier will absolutely try to argue any future issue is "pre-existing" if you don't document early. Get the car on a lift ASAP.

Whatever you do, be careful about giving a recorded statement to the at-fault driver's insurance before you know the full extent of the damage. They will call you fast and seem super friendly and helpful — that's not an accident. They want you to say the car "seems fine" on record before you've had a real inspection. Don't let them rush you.

On your question about going through your own insurance vs. the at-fault carrier — you technically have both options. If you go directly through the at-fault driver's liability coverage, you avoid a claim on your own record and skip any deductible, but you're also dealing with a carrier that has zero obligation to prioritize you. Your own insurer (assuming you have collision) has to work for you. A lot of people go direct for property damage because it's simpler, but just know the at-fault carrier controls the pace and scope of that process. Keep copies of literally everything — photos, texts, any written estimates.

Short answer: yes, get the inspection. Don't drive it more than you have to until you do. Take photos of the bumper, the tail lights, and the tires from multiple angles today. And text yourself a quick note with the date and exactly what happened — that timestamp could matter later. You're asking the right questions, just act on them quickly.

How hard was the initial impact, roughly — do you know? Like, was this a slow parking lot type nudge or something at real street speed? The answer kind of changes how worried I'd be. A car moving a couple feet while in park is a decent jolt, but "a couple feet" can mean a lot of different things depending on context.

The good news here is that you're not dealing with an uninsured situation and you have a cooperative witness in the delivery driver. A lot of these parked car scenarios turn into a nightmare because nobody knows who hit what. You've got clear liability on the other side, which puts you in a genuinely decent position to get the car properly evaluated and repaired without it coming out of your pocket. That's worth something.