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OK, I just got back from seeing our 97 900 SET get towed away on a flatbed after being the victim of a Hit & Run accident while parked, so I'm asking for advice. I'm obviously very upset with whoever "the hitter" in the Hit & Run was, but I'm remaining calm so that I can do the best thing for the car and financially for us (my girlfriend and me).
The background: we went out to drive the car this morning, to find that it had been hit. It was properly parked in a legal residential parking spot on the street 3 blocks from my girlfriend's apartment here in San Francisco. It looks like it was hit on the front left wheel as the wheel was bent and sitting crooked in the wheel well, so it appears extensive suspension (and more mechanical damage underneath where it was difficult to see?) damage was caused.
The wheel on the Saab was turned sharply right when we parked it as it was parked on a steep hill. The "hitter" must have been going very fast to just clip the "back half" of the wheel that was outside of the wheel well and cause this much damage.
The driver's side mirror was bent backwards and all the mirror glass was missing. The front of the car had been pushed to the right and right wheel was about a foot to the right and a foot forward of where it was when parked and it had been pushed over a curb--and it looked like there was a small dent on the right front wheel as well.
Oddly very little body damage was caused...no scrapes on the car body, but the left front bumper was slightly pushed out of line about an inch at the front left corner....maybe from when the wheel/tire was bent forward and hit it.
The tow truck driver was just barely able to get it on the flatbed...the left front wheel just barely, crookedly, wobbled along...and was making bad scraping noises when in "Drive." (It's an automatic transmission)
No note was left on or around the car. No evidence or anything. Even the driver's side mirror glass was oddly absent. The car had been parked there from Sunday night, January 25th when I last drove it until this morning, Tuesday the 27th, when I went to go drive it at about 8:15 AM.
Any suggestions on how to try to locate the Hit & Run offender? I know it's a very, very long shot, but worth trying. I am thinking about typing a note to affix to a couple nearby stop signs, light poles, any suggestions of what exactly to say? Or any other suggestions in general?
And, if we file a claim with the insurance company, surely the insurance rate for the Saab will go up extensively--even though the damage was not our fault. Is there anyway to argue this point with the insurance company? Or are we better off paying for the damage ourselves, so the insurance rates won't go up? Unfortunately, I don't have a quote for the exact damages yet...but I'll take a very rough guess of around $2,000...
The insurance company has told us to wait until we hear back from the claims investigator to take any other actions just yet, such as filing a police report.
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
-Robert
97 900 SET, 5-door, auto, 62K miles
posted by 66.81.22...
, Tue, 27 Jan 2004 12:51:09
, Tue, 27 Jan 2004 14:19:07
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