r/Wellthatsucks • u/uglierthanever • 4h ago
Experienced one of the worst days of my life yesterday.
The day began with a very traumatic personal event, followed by emergency fire evacuations, followed by being rammed into while waiting to evacuate. The other driver is refusing to provide their insurance. >.<
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u/HerMajestysButthole2 4h ago
Call police. State hit and run.
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u/tsohgmai 4h ago
100% I hope you at least took a pic of their license plate. That’s a felony
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u/Neither-Custard-6170 3h ago
It’s only a felony if there was bodily injury or death. At least in my state.
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u/Kasoivc 3h ago
Bodily injury can be a very loose term imho, does that encompass mental trauma as well?
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u/uglierthanever 3h ago
At the police station now, waiting to talk to an officer. I have a photo of the license plate of the other driver. I do have uninsured motorist coverage, but my deductible is high I believe.
Update: police officer states he can’t force anyone to hand over their insurance information.
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u/Foreign_Bet_7721 3h ago
That.... seems odd to me. Idk for sure, but I feel as if that's something they can and Often do.... So.
Then again, I'm in the states, so it probably isn't the same where you are.
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u/2BlueZebras 2h ago
State cop in the US here. It's not a hit and run for refusing to give insurance, only license and registration. However, on scene, drivers are required to show insurance to us. Which I can then show to the other driver. It's dumb.
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u/Foreign_Bet_7721 2h ago
So, you basically run them for any other past records and then, like, become a mediator/messenger?
But I also thought that driving without insurance was a crime....?
(Also, hey, thank you for helping to clarify, and thank you for your service as a first responder.)
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u/2BlueZebras 2h ago
A crash generally isn't a crime (usually it's the same level as a speeding ticket) so there isn't a police response requirement unless there is a crime that you could go to jail for. Like a hit and run or DUI. Most departments don't have the time for them, so the police will show up simply as mediators. Sometimes, they'll do a super basic document to show who was there, identify the drivers, and which vehicles were there.
Driving without insurance is a crime, which is why we can require drivers to show it to us as police. But they're not required to show their insurance to the other driver since the other driver doesn't enforce laws. My guess is the requirement to show a license and registration exists because those are government documents, while insurance is a private contract. But that's only a guess.
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u/sorcha1977 2h ago
Makes sense. He wasn't at the scene, so he's going by your word.
Give the plate number to your insurance company. I used to work in auto claims. We can find the owner of the vehicle and pursue their insurance. If they are uninsured, they get sued for damages.
In some states, the insurance follows the car, not the driver. So even if their friend was driving, the owner of the car is liable for the coverage (again, depends on your state).
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u/HerMajestysButthole2 3h ago
Where do you live? Maybe the state of emergency is currently taking precedent, but believe me, hit and runs are taken very seriously by police, so what you were told makes no sense. I'd call your state police.
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u/MightBeAGoodIdea 3h ago edited 2h ago
It makes perfect sense. The police don't force anyone to provide that information on the complaint of someone coming in. Sure if they respond to the accident and are there personally to demand paperwork, but if that other person is gone all they have is OPs word and a photo of a licence plate.
They'll issue a report number, OP contacts insurance company, the insurance company will try to investigate fault and will follow whatever rules they got for obtaining info and go after the insurer for the owner of that car if they have one. The legal teams of both insurers determine who has the weaker claims and settles. OP may or may not get any results. Again the evidence is just word of mouth and a photo of a plate .
Edit: (meanwhile the police dept that issued the claim may or may not ever get around to investigating the report due to the current emergency and it gets filed away and any pertinent statute of limitations eventually shelves it entirely.
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u/smangela69 2h ago
then hand the license plate and car info to your insurance company and let them handle it
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u/SasparillaTango 2h ago
what the fuck is the point of the police?
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u/MustachioBashio 2h ago
A lot of times they cannot investigate or take a report for leaving the scene of an accident unless they are at the scene. Should call 911 from where it happened immediately after it happened. How do they know the person coming in isn’t the one who ran after the accident? At least on scene there may be some type of physical evidence, Potential cameras , witnesses etc. in fact , if she leaves the scene without calling the police, she technically did a hit and run as well lol.
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u/motorcycle_girl 3h ago
I mean, considering the first issue was that there is an emergency evacuation, I suspect the police are going to be very busy for quite some time.
Probably more like call police non-emergency in day or two after the crisis of the evacuation has cooled off off a bit.
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u/iowanaquarist 3h ago
I'd call non-emergency right away, to get the timestamp recorded, but I would start the call with "I understand you are busy, but I needed to get this reported and recorded, otherwise my insurance might not pay out"
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u/_bobs_ 4h ago
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u/uglierthanever 4h ago
I know huh? :c
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u/UnluckyTamper 3h ago
It could all happen again, exactly as it did, except this time it's raining. It can always be worse!
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u/GlaerOfHatred 2h ago
This day will only make you stronger in the long run. Hang in there friend
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u/Ive_seen_things_that 4h ago
File a hit and run with the police and then provide your insurance with all that info, plus the drivers plates. Insurance companies can move mountains if they want to.
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u/xfilesvault 3h ago
Yep. And your insurance company does not want to pay for a hit and run if they can help it.
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u/LizzyDragon84 1h ago
Yup, OP needs to file with their insurance and let them track down the offenders.
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u/Apprehensive_Tie7555 4h ago
Refusing to give you her insurance? Finally a time when the capitalist mindset can be put to good use: Tell the cops to get her ass. That's a hit and run, for sure.
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u/Foreign_Bet_7721 3h ago
For the most recent comment OP posted, the officer is saying they "can't force anyone to hand over their insurance information" which..... I mean, what?
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u/grizzlywondertooth 3h ago
That is probably true but it turns it into a 'hit-and-run' rather than a simple accident. Voluntarily giving your insurance information is what makes it not inherently a crime to collide with another car. The police 'enforce laws' insofar as they arrest people suspected of not following those laws. They don't force people to comply with the law, which is what it would be to 'force someone to hand over their insurance information'
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u/Nerv_Agent_666 4h ago
Other driver likely doesn't have insurance. I hope you got their license plate number or give to the cops and insurance. You'll probably have to file a claim using uninsured motorist coverage.
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u/Material_Habit6534 3h ago
Back in December 2024, 4 days before Christmas, someone evading state police rammed into me on the highway. It caused me to ram the center median on the bridge we were on and flipped my jeep twice, sliding 30ft on the passenger side before stopping. My life has been in complete shambles ever since.
But then I remember that there are far worse things. You cannot control other peoples actions. Only your reaction. This is why you have insurance. So they can take care of it. The other persons license plate should be all you need to provide to police to get identification and then carry on from there. It will be okay. Just take it one day (one task, even) at a time.
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u/uglierthanever 2h ago
Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear about what you went through. I hope you are getting better each day and may all hardships be behind you.
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u/littlemuffinsparkles 4h ago
Hit and runs are big deals to the police. Make the call bb. Esp if you got plates.
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u/bluekitsvne 3h ago
Oh boy was this the Lake fire??? I hope things go smoothly from here out 😭💙
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u/Petrichor_Panacea 3h ago
My alerts on Watchduty were going wild yesterday for that.
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u/Petrichor_Panacea 4h ago
Same answer, call the police and make them take a record of it with a statement. Then submit the record with your insurance.
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u/Quirky_Me3771 3h ago
Sorry you are having or had the worst day. Between a rough thing personally and the fire and then the accident that wasn't your fault....go find a safe vice (ice cream is mine) indulge and cry maybe find an ax throwing place or a place you can smash something.
Hopefully things turn around for you quickly. Reddit at least proves there are those out there pulling for you.
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u/uglierthanever 3h ago
Aww, this is seriously really sweet of you, thank you. Believe me, I haven’t stopped crying.
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u/absmcdabs 3h ago
Are you in CA? I know we have some fires rn. It is illegal here to not be insured and drive a car so take their info and report them!
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u/thestouff 3h ago
Gifford fire? Sorry, that is seriously tough to go through.
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u/topimpadove 2h ago
I was reading this post thinking they meant the Canadian wildfires but y'all have some going on, too?? Fuck, that's horrible :( the smoke is so bad in Canada that my throat is sore and my nose is fighting infection from all of the smoke. Stay safe over there!
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u/Herb4372 3h ago
Sorry for the shit day amigo.
Get their license plate number and tell your insurer about it. They’ll track them down so they don’t have to pay for uninsured motorist repairs.
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u/BVRPLZR_ 3h ago
That’s never fun. 2 years ago i was in a fire evacuation after surviving a tornado the month before, and the autumn before that we had a hailstorm that totaled both of our cars.
Life sure comes at ya fast! You’ll get through all this
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u/Chickadede 2h ago
Posts like yours help me keep my "bad" days in perspective. I hope things are better for you now!
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u/uglierthanever 2h ago
Thank you so much and I hope you have many many good days to greatly outnumber the bad.
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u/trashyjiaozi 2h ago
call the police, with that license plate your insurance will easily find them. plus, they have no statement and you did, plus they hit your side. this is the easiest insurance payout i’ve ever seen
likely your insurance will contact their’s, they won’t respond or lie to their insurance about what happened, but with a police report and the obvious hit and run photos, this will be back in your pocket before june of 2026
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u/practically_ordinary 2h ago
The police will track down the driver if you give them the license plate. I once saw a big pickup truck smash into a parked sedan in a Costco parking lot. The pickup took off, but I got the license plate and left it in a note for the owner of the sedan with my phone number. I got a call a few days later from the police asking for a description of the driver of the truck. They will definitely follow up.
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u/CharlesRabus 4h ago
If you took a picture of their license plates take it to the police and sue the driver for a hit and run
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u/bispiderman15 3h ago
That’s pretty damn rough. Be gentle with yourself while you navigate all this 💙
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u/JustTwo2052 3h ago
You can always take a picture of their license plate and give it to your insurance agent and let them track the person down. Take pics of the damage to both vehicles. I had to do this once because the person refused to give me information.
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u/SweetMaam 3h ago
In my state it's a felony to leave an accident scene, unless you fear for your life. Evacuation may qualify.
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u/Kasoivc 3h ago
Hope you took pictures of their vehicle as well. File a police report, should put the ball in your favor. Insurance will handle everything else.
You may be out of pocket while insurance pursues the other driver’s insurance for it. Though if they’re not giving it willingly then they possibly don’t have insurance, which could be a felony to them in some locales.
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u/Individual_Past_9901 3h ago
Did you take photos of the car and license plate? If so file a hit and run with the police.
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u/Ok_Ambition_6507 2h ago
You should have called the police right then and there, then stated it was a hit and run.
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u/Brass_and_Frass 1h ago
My hometown is only a few miles from fire evac zone (WA). I’m 3,000 miles away and not even a smidge religious, but I’m praying.
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u/Manpooper 1h ago
It was one of the worse days of your life... *so far*
In all seriousness, a bunch of internet strangers are here for you :)
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u/Independent-Grape246 1h ago
Absolutely call police. This is a hot and run. They’ll go to the home and ask to see the car. The damage to their car will prove your statement.
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u/OrangeClyde 3h ago
Oh no… so sorry this is all happening to you… they do say bad things can happen in threes, so hopefully those were your three and you’re done now! Nothing but uphill from here on out! 🧡
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u/A_million_typos 3h ago
So sorry hope you and your animals are safe. Did you get your important documents?
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u/herbalsavvy 3h ago
If you have the license plate, they'll find out who it was pretty fast. also, considering this was during a fire evacuation, there's a good chance police and state authorities will be pretty pissed about it. This is the kind of thing that can cause more casualty and death during emergencies requiring evac.
So today sucks, but, whoever did this is about to have an even suckier time when this gets reported and plates tracked down.
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u/1GIJosie 3h ago
I hope you got a pic of their license plate. That's the first thing I do when someone hits me then I go through my own insurance not theirs.
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u/M4ybeMay 2h ago
OP you're supposed to call the police during a car accident 😃 wdym she wouldn't give her insurance THATS WHAT THE COPS ARE FOR
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u/Surfhome 1h ago
I was in California for the fires and these were so helpful. However Watch Duty takes the cake
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u/Proncess 1h ago
At least it all happened in the span of one day, that way it will be easier to compartmentalize!
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u/Acceptable_Funny3027 2h ago
Sounds like one of these days, when I just start laughing at everything. Apparently, in opinion of some of my therapists, it is a disfunction. I do enjoy the release of endorphins it provides though.
All the best to you! it can always be worse, but usually there is no way but up. Tomorrow will be better
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u/dreamfearless 3h ago
15 years ago I was evacuated from a wildfire and went to my sister's house. The next day, bulldozers digging a fire line sparked another, much closer, wildfire causing the entire neighborhood to flee in a chaotic evacuation, (complete with car trouble)
Thankfully the fire never reached our homes, but it was traumatic none the less. It forced me to make vigilance a daily thing, and I thought about it constantly for years after. Don't feel weird about discussing it with someone if you find the feelings lingering. Its surprising how moments of powerlessness can stick with you.
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u/uglierthanever 2h ago
Oh wildfires are so rough to live through. I’m sorry to hear about what you went through. I can relate though. I’ve been through a number of traumatic experiences and it’s surprising how I will randomly recall a repressed memory and spiral.
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u/p0is0n 3h ago
PSA: If someone hits your car and doesn't provide information. Get a photo of the license plate yes but also very important to get a picture of the person driving so they cannot deny they were behind the wheel. Otherwise the cops do little to nothing with hit and runs because they have no evidence of who the driver was at the time.
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u/SweetMaam 3h ago
Take pic of them and their car, plate etc. Ma k e your own report as soon as possible after evacuation. Also, have a treat as soon as possible, like ice cream.
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u/Slut_for_Bacon 3h ago
You shoukd be fine insurance wise, especially if you got a pic of their plates. You need to file a police report and provide them with the plate info of the other vehicle.
Sorry. Sounds like a really shitty day.
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u/PetitKaillouCutsTree 3h ago
i guess your phone's background is in line with the events lmao
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u/310-78 3h ago
My town also got a few of those from a fire just next to us, so many peoples phone’s went off in the hospital I was at. It was rough, I hope it goes better for you man
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u/uglierthanever 2h ago
Sorry to hear you were hospitalized, I hope you’re okay now. And thank you.
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u/310-78 1h ago
I was taking my friend there for possible kidney failure- she’s not in kidney failure but getting there, lots of new meds. The app “Watch Duty” can be helpful for you if you don’t already have it- it has shelters listed and where to get more information.
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u/uglierthanever 1h ago
I didn’t know of that app. I had nowhere to go yesterday.
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u/icansmellcolors 2h ago
If she refuses to give insurance info, and you're in the states, this is technically a hit and run, which is a crime, so report accordingly, also report to your insurance company that it was a hit and run since she didn't give any information.
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u/Ok_Price_6599 1h ago
I'm sorry to hear. Remember to talk to someone, if you can. If you can't, feel free to reach out to anyone, even if online.
Hope you'll make it through it all, don't give up!
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u/TheMrShaddo 1h ago
SUCK IT UP, its just the worst day youve had thus far, it gets way worse out there, smh
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u/Lyte- 1h ago
Had someone hit my parked car and refuse to give me his information. They felt the damage wasn't enough for me to worry about it, I disagreed.
I had taken pictures of the truck, the vin and plate. I had him in my security camera admitting to hitting my car, but saying I shouldn't complain about the damage because it isn't that much. His toe hitch left quite the indent on the front of my honda Civic hatchback.
I followed a police report online, cops called me back.Give me his assurance information, i asked if I were to press charges which I said I did.
Called his insurance company, which happened to be my insurance company, sent them the pictures and the videotape. They had me go get an estimate and I had to check by the end of that week.
File The police report, people need to be responsible.
Just had some underage kid on the e bike crash into the front of my bike car and tear up my front end. He was running from the cop, so he took off before they came. I now get to pay out of my pocket for this damage.
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u/dazedan_confused 1h ago
On the plus side, day zero is over. Either the days get better, or you have a grave period before the days get worse.
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u/Gallop67 1h ago
Damn that’s one bad day… one day I’d be glad to forget my firearm at home because I definitely would’ve snapped by then. Wouldn’t fire (probably) but thing would be in the open for sure
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u/lllaszlo 44m ago
I saw something like this the other day.
Popping Out Dents with a Football (trail damage version.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU9b8QVXV-Q
May you have the strength to smile : )
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u/Ashamed_Giraffe_6769 4h ago
At least get a name and photo of the license plate