Picked up my bronco then got into a small fender bender. (Dashcam)

[BroncoSarge]

For sure would report that guy to the cops. They are going to hurt someone.

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[F OR D]

I don't understand why you wouldn't get info. I'd want to nail their ass for leaving the scene of an accident.

This! He's only sorry because he was caught. Remember that the rest is a con to get out of trouble.

Everyone makes mistakes but I'd flip this to the cops and let them decide if it's no harm no foul. Probably nothing since paperwork is required and no damage but the driver will keep doing things like this. Why? Because there are no repercussions.

 

[SubmarineNuke]

How does someone sideswiped another driver and just drive off like it’s no big deal.

 

[Moto26]

The fact that he ran would mean zero sympathy. The only reason he was apologetic is because you caught up to him. Report his ass for leaving the scene of an accident. Next time his disregard for others on the road may not end so well.

This sums it up.

Sounds like there’s no point in bothering with insurance, and now you’ve gotten your first scuff out of the way, so you’re good to go.

But that jackhole is a freaking hazard, and he needs some correction. I’d report him…

 

[okbob]

Jackwagons in traffic are generally jackwagons in life.....and generally because they keep getting away with things with little or no consequences. My job here on earth is to help break the cycle...

 

[F-Spot]

Unfortunately, in California, if there were no persons injured, the police may not even bother with hit and runs.

 

[Gotdesl]

The moment he decided to book it is the moment that I would have committed to the police being involved. Damage or no damage, he would be explaining to someone other than me how sorry he was for getting caught. There is no excuse or apology that makes anything in that video okay or understandable. At this point, whatever you do, I would do with the assumption that it will be going against your own insurance. There is no police report, you really don't know for certain who the driver is, and it may not even be the driver's car. At a minimum, it will turn into a fight with the insurance companies wanting to know why there is no report. Any damage you find can be argued to have come post-collision, especially since neither of you saw any damage at the time.

 

[Wannabe Techie]

I’d report it just because you never know if that type of a-hole is going to claim you hit him. Plus better to document for others. Seems like he is a habitual a-hole.

 

[PaulMedik]

The vehicle that signaled and merged without making sure the lane was clear is at fault. The driver that swerved into you was avoiding a more direct impact with that car. Granted the car that hit you should have braked instead of changing lanes, but the same could be said for you; you could have braked as well.
Bottom line is no harm no foul, but you don't have as cut and dry case as you thought.

 

[Tcbbronco]

The fact that he ran would make me follow through.

 

[jimmy234]

Yea, to me it looked like he was trying to avoid hitting the other car that wasn't yielding on a merge. I know everyone is calling for a police report, but that would probably complicate things and maybe not in your favor.

If it didn't harm your bronco, I'd say just let it go. Yea, it sucks he fled, but you caught up to him and he acted contrite, so really what else are you going to do at this point? Pursuing anything else would be a bit extreme, in my opinion, and again, that footage may not be the vindication you think it is.

 

[805Bronco]

Need some advice,

Got into a fender bender, only a couple days after I picked up my 2 year old reservation. The Luck!

Some dude was in a hurry and tried to force his way into my lane. We made light contact and the dude tried to run away but I managed to catch him because he made a turn into a dead end street. He was very apologetic for everything. We talked and i decided, no harm no foul, so I didnt get his info but he doesn't know i have dash cam. I have a sasquach so the rubber on the tires took the hit. There was only light rubbing on the sidewall, no damage to anything else on the vehicle.

I am not sure if I should pursue with a claim through my insurance? I know I should have exchanged info to be sure, as a precaution. I do have his plates. I have no damage, the tire looks good, all is well on my end. Leave it be or call insurance as a precaution?

I'll predicate this by stating I retired several years ago after working a 30+ year career in CA law enforcement.

First, your story underscores why dashcams are so important. It can often take a "he said; she said" - who knows what really happened situation, and tip the scales in your favor. I have a dashcam in all my vehicles for this very reason.

Second, you wrote you have no damage. Was damage sustained to the other vehicle? In CA, if there is no injury and no damage - there's no foul, and the incident would NOT warrant a traffic collision report. If the other driver's vehicle did sustain damage, then yes, you MIGHT want a collision report to cover your arse. However, with the dashcam video (which you'll always want to save before it's overwritten), any claim the other driver might make that you merged into him/her wouldn't hold water.

Some are claiming this is essentially a hit-and-run, but without knowing if the other driver's vehicle sustained any damage (despite there being contact), a District Attorney likely wouldn't file charges without damage (essentially because you aren't a true victim who has suffered loss or injury). Certainly, he should have stopped. Why would he have kept going? No license; no insurance; he didn't want police involvement - perhaps because he had warrants... who knows. But, he was certainly wrong for fleeing.

And last, and here is the big consideration should you ever consider selling or trading in your vehicle - once you report that vehicle has been involved in a collision to law enforcement (which goes into all sorts of databases), the value of your vehicle goes down significantly (despite the level of damage). This is always a consideration when you spin the wheel of luck and try to "work things out" with the driver of the other vehicle and not involve law enforcement or insurance.

Always exchange info with the other driver in these situations. Even if you can't see any damage, it doesn't always mean you don't have damage.

 

[ex_nyer]

Need some advice,

Got into a fender bender, only a couple days after I picked up my 2 year old reservation. The Luck!

Some dude was in a hurry and tried to force his way into my lane. We made light contact and the dude tried to run away but I managed to catch him because he made a turn into a dead end street. He was very apologetic for everything. We talked and i decided, no harm no foul, so I didnt get his info but he doesn't know i have dash cam. I have a sasquach so the rubber on the tires took the hit. There was only light rubbing on the sidewall, no damage to anything else on the vehicle.

I am not sure if I should pursue with a claim through my insurance? I know I should have exchanged info to be sure, as a precaution. I do have his plates. I have no damage, the tire looks good, all is well on my end. Leave it be or call insurance as a precaution?

I'd run his plate, and make contact. Tell him he left the scene of an accident and you need your vehicle fixed. His move was aggressive and could have hurt someone. He clearly tried to run.

 

[dberg71]

The guy was wrong. My only concern with a police report is that it will be considered an accident. The car fax on your vehicle will record that way. It may drop your value down more than this is worth.

 

[broadicustomworks]

No harm, no foul, no damage, no altercation?
I'd move on with my life and let sleeping dogs lie.
It could open up a Pandora's box of stress and red tape for you.
You dodged a potentially harmful situation by running them down and blocking their exit, then lightly confronting them (assumption based on the context of the story).
Instead of being sorry they were caught and apologetic, they could have come out blasting.

People these days in general are getting less and less humble and empathetic. Everyone feels they have the right of way.
I see it every time I drive.
People not applying a half-second of brake to allow a merging car over (Hey, I was here first and not going to inconvenience myself by slowing down and being courteous). Not moving to the next lane to allow the merge even though the next lane is empty for like 100 miles back, speeding up to close the gap so the merging car can't possibly get over.
It's horrible.

My take on the footage is that guy was doing just that: Speeding on up and screw the car trying to get over.
Well the car getting over had the "screw that guy, I'm coming over anyway. It's his problem now" appearance.
People are Aholes as a general rule.

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