Someone hit my parked car and left a number but won't send insurance info — what do I do?

Ugh, I went through almost the exact same thing last year. The person who hit my car in a parking lot kept stalling on the insurance info for almost a week. What finally worked for me was telling them in a text — in writing — that if I didn't have their full insurance info within 24 hours I'd be forwarding everything to my insurance and letting the carriers sort it out. Suddenly they responded within an hour. Sometimes people are hoping you'll just drop it.

Don't let your own insurance company pressure you into rushing the claim through their side if the at-fault person is still reachable. Once your insurer pays out, they'll subrogate — meaning they chase the other person for reimbursement — but YOU still ate your deductible in the meantime and there's no guarantee you get it back quickly. Keep the paper trail going with the other person first.

Former adjuster here. A phone number alone isn't enough to open a third-party claim directly with the other driver's insurer — you need the carrier name and policy number, or at minimum the carrier name so you can call them yourself.

That said, if you can get their full legal name and license plate, some states allow you to request insurance info through the DMV after an accident. The police report can help with that process. Worth asking the officer or checking your state's DMV site.

The police report is your best move right now honestly. Once that report exists with their name and plate on it, your own insurance company's subrogation team has something to work with. Also — keep every single text. Screenshot everything dated and timestamped. If this ever goes further, that paper trail showing they acknowledged fault and promised info is actually meaningful.

Give them one more clear deadline in writing via text — something like "I need your insurance carrier and policy number by tomorrow at noon or I'm proceeding entirely through my own insurance and the police report." Then actually follow through. Stop waiting. People like this are counting on you being too polite to push.

Not legal advice, but I'll say this: the combination of a written note, text acknowledgment, and a police report is actually a decent foundation if this ever needed to go further. Small claims court is an option people don't think about enough for property damage situations like this. If you can prove who did it and they have no insurance or refuse to cooperate, that's a real avenue. Consult someone locally if it comes to that.

This is so stressful, I'm sorry. The fact that they left a note at all is something — they know they did it. They're just hoping it quietly goes away. Don't let it. You did nothing wrong and you shouldn't be out a deductible because of them.

Quick question — did you get their full name off the note or just a first name and number? And do you have the plate of any vehicle near yours on a security camera or anything? Gyms usually have parking lot cameras. Might be worth asking the front desk before that footage gets overwritten.