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The Shoulder
daring-badger-087

Someone hit my parked car at work and drove off — but I got lucky and have proof

So this happened last week and I'm still kind of in disbelief about how it unfolded.

I just started a new job at a large facility — we're talking a massive property with a huge parking lot. On my third day, I came out to my car after my shift and found my rear quarter panel caved in and my taillight shattered. No note. Nothing. Whoever did it just… left.

I was honestly about to just eat the cost and cry about it, but then I checked my phone and had a voicemail from an unknown number. Turns out a maintenance worker had seen the whole thing from a nearby loading dock, wrote down the plate and a description of the vehicle, and somehow tracked down my number through the front desk. An actual guardian angel.

Armed with that info, I talked to building security and they pulled footage from an exterior camera that caught the whole thing — the hit, the driver looking around, and them just pulling away. Clear as day.

Fast forward a few days: I spotted what looks like the exact same vehicle in the employee/contractor lot. Same color, same make, same partial plate.

So here's where I'm stuck:

  • Do I go to HR or facility management and ask them to help identify the driver?
  • Do I file a police report first (I haven't yet — is it too late)?
  • Do I loop in my own insurance and let them chase the other driver, or does that mess with my rates?

I don't want to tip the person off before I have a plan. I also don't want to do this out of order and accidentally make things harder for myself. Any advice from people who've been through something similar?

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