Hit and Run

midlandsmissus · 10-05-2010 6:29pm #1

I did something very stupid last week.

I was driving out of an underground carpark, when I hit a brand new big parked jeep moderately hard. I'd never hit a car before and I was so shocked that I drove on, pulled in on the side of the road and tried to decide what to do. I was too scared to go back. I know it's no excuse but iIm fairly young and I was just terrified of what I'd just done.

I know this was a really stupid thing to do and I knew they'd find me with the CCTV cameras in the carpark, I wasn't thinking straight.

This was hanging over me all this week, I was so worried, more about the hit and run aspect than anything else.

Sure enough today a guard called to my door to say he was investigating a hit and run and to confirm was I the owner of the vehicle at that time.

I said I was and told him straight out what happened. I asked was I in serious trouble and he just said 'no, not if you did much damage'. And just said he'd call me.

I'm so worried now I am shaking. does anyone know what the maximum is I could get for a hit and run, is it a fine or jail? I can't find the info anywhere. I just feel so scared, I've never been in trouble before.

Myrddin · 10-05-2010 6:31pm

No idea really, Id imagine you/your insurance will be liable for any damage caused...further to that though I wouldnt think your in too much trouble.

Absurdum · 10-05-2010 6:33pm

As the victim of such an incident a few years ago, I'm all for the death penalty.

midlandsmissus · 10-05-2010 6:34pm

Absurdum wrote: »

As the victim of such an incident a few years ago, I'm all for the death penalty.

Absurdum honest to God I'm so sorry about it. If know how you feel - if it was my car i'd be raging. Fear makes you do stupid things.

ART6 · 10-05-2010 6:34pm

Absurdum wrote: »

As the victim of such an incident a few years ago, I'm all for the death penalty.

Oh FFS

Kepti · 10-05-2010 6:38pm

Once the initial panic wore off, it would have been a great idea to go report it to the guards before they came looking for you. The fact that you didn't makes it look like you were hoping that you wouldn't be caught.

You're not going to get jail so don't worry about that.

edit: You should start writing a lengthy, heartfelt apology to the owner of the jeep.

The Big Red Button · 10-05-2010 6:40pm

If it happened in an underground carpark rather than a public road, I doubt it'll become a criminal matter at all?!

I'd imagine you'll just be liable for the damage to their car, which I'm sure you'll agree is fair enough, I mean it wouldn't be right at all for them to have to go paying to get it fixed! It's not something I'd personally want hanging over my head anyways!

Don't stress out too much about it anyways, I'd imagine your insurance company will handle it (unless it's very minor damage and you'd rather pay it yourself), just learn from the whole thing and move on!

corktina · 10-05-2010 6:42pm

apart from the hit on your Insurance the worst that could happen would be a fine for failing to report an accident/remain at the scene and posibly some points. You should inform your Insurance Co if you didnt already.

langdang · 10-05-2010 6:44pm

midlandsmissus wrote: »

I'm so worried now I am shaking. does anyone know what the maximum is I could get for a hit and run, is it a fine or jail? I can't find the info anywhere. I just feel so scared, I've never been in trouble before.

If you were steaming drunk and mowed down a person you still wouldn't be guaranteed to go to jail so I wouldn't worry about jail for a bit of material damage that can be fixed through insurance...

midlandsmissus · 10-05-2010 6:46pm

Kepti wrote: »

Once the initial panic wore off, it would have been a great idea to go report it to the guards before they came looking for you. The fact that you didn't makes it look like you were hoping that you wouldn't be caught.

You're not going to get jail so don't worry about that.

edit: You should start writing a lengthy, heartfelt apology to the owner of the jeep.

Yeah I totally should of, and the stupid thing was I knew they were going to find me anyway! Cameras everywhere. I don't know what I was thinking.

And chatterpillar of course I'll pay for the damage, Im just worried there are serious repurcussions for a hit and run. At least it's not jail anyway, I was starting to really panic!

I will write him a letter and tell him I was terrified and I'm so sorry. A big lesson learnt for me.

biko · 10-05-2010 6:50pm

Don't worry. It's just metal and paint at the end of the day. No person was hurt.
It was bad of you to not stop and give your details.
Get in touch and apologise then let the insurance companies sort it between them.

Eric Cartman · 10-05-2010 6:51pm

midlandsmissus wrote: »

Yeah I totally should of, and the stupid thing was I knew they were going to find me anyway! Cameras everywhere. I don't know what I was thinking.

And chatterpillar of course I'll pay for the damage, Im just worried there are serious repurcussions for a hit and run. At least it's not jail anyway, I was starting to really panic!

I will write him a letter and tell him I was terrified and I'm so sorry. A big lesson learnt for me.

atleast you got caught and will pay , so many others would run and it would never be found, im glad the cctv was there and was used, next time it happens please have the human decency to stay there and provide your details

midlandsmissus · 10-05-2010 6:57pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

atleast you got caught and will pay , so many others would run and it would never be found, im glad the cctv was there and was used, next time it happens please have the human decency to stay there and provide your details

I'm glad I was caught aswell. The not knowing what was going to happen was the worst part. Believe me I will never, ever do this again!

bmw535d · 10-05-2010 7:08pm

why didn't you have the decency to own up straight away.sounds like you tried to get away with it until the guard showed up then you knew it was game up and confessed

i hate when some a**hole opens his/her door and smacks it on mine in a car park and walks on wile im not there..just because their car is a piece of **** and they don't care shouldn't mean they can just brush it off and walk away

rant over

Barr · 10-05-2010 7:13pm

Garda rarely follow through on a prosection if the damage is sorted and liability excepted.

Tell your insurance company so they can get the ball rolling.

midlandsmissus · 10-05-2010 7:18pm

bmw535d wrote: »

why didn't you have the decency to own up straight away.sounds like you tried to get away with it until the guard showed up then you knew it was game up and confessed

i hate when some a**hole opens his/her door and smacks it on mine in a car park and walks on wile im not there..just because their car is a piece of **** and they don't care shouldn't mean they can just brush it off and walk away

rant over

You can't make me feel worse that I do about it already. I'm my own judge, I know it was a s*it thing to do and I'm sorry.

I'm not lying - I was sitting at the side of the road thinking I have to go back, I have to go back. And then I just couldn't I was so scared.

It was an idiotic thing to do.

Thans for all the advice everyone, you've given me a bit of piece of mind.

Ryan T · 10-05-2010 7:43pm

Can we give the op a break- has learned a lesson and worse will happen

Don't worry contact the owner and apologise you'll feel better

dirtydiesel · 10-05-2010 7:50pm

Whats done is done and you cant change that, its what you do next that counts.
You should ring your insurance company and tell them what happened.
Do write a letter of apology to the owner.
Pay for the repairs.
Put it down to experience, things happen, its not the end of the world,
Your not going to jail or anything like that, worse end would be a fine but your more likely to get a severe warning from the guard dealing with it.

-Corkie- · 10-05-2010 7:59pm

Absurdum wrote: »

As the victim of such an incident a few years ago, I'm all for the death penalty.

I also was the victim in a hotel car park. Luckily a observant bouncer got her reg. I made a statment to the gardai and eventually i got paid for damage. I was given the option of pursueing the matter to court but i declined. I would recommend a letter op or a call in person either.

Absurdum · 10-05-2010 8:05pm

SARASON wrote: »

I also was the victim in a hotel car park. Luckily a observant bouncer got her reg. I made a statment to the gardai and eventually i got paid for damage. I was given the option of pursueing the matter to court but i declined. I would recommend a letter op or a call in person either.

Whilst my original reply was tongue-in-cheek, I wasn't so lucky. A neighbour got the reg of the car but the Gardai never bothered following it up, it happened outside my house and my car was written off. The driver had no licence, tax, insurance or NCT. There were 3 children playing about one metre from where my car ended up after being hit. I had to claim off my own insurance as the other driver couldn't be located even though his passenger lived down the road from me.

-Corkie- · 10-05-2010 8:10pm

Absurdum wrote: »

Whilst my original reply was tongue-in-cheek, I wasn't so lucky. A neighbour got the reg of the car but the Gardai never bothered following it up, it happened outside my house and my car was written off. The driver had no licence, tax, insurance or NCT. There were 3 children playing about one metre from where my car ended up after being hit. I had to claim off my own insurance as the other driver couldn't be located even though his passenger lived down the road from me.

:eek::eek: Sorry to hear that.. All i had was a deep scratch covering two doors. It only cost 700 euro but i wasnt letting it go on a 60k car. I do feel sorry for this op as she seems to be genuine whilst the people that hit you were only scumbags.

mcbobbyb · 10-05-2010 8:13pm

Lesson learned. Leave it at that!!

Paparazzo · 10-05-2010 8:22pm

midlandsmissus wrote: »

I'm glad I was caught aswell. The not knowing what was going to happen was the worst part. Believe me I will never, ever do this again!

Good, a lesson learned! I'm sure the owner of the jeep will understand.

BostonB · 10-05-2010 8:40pm

You're brave posting this here.

Regardless, sorry but don't have much sympathy tbh. Apart from the cost its the whole hassle of getting fixed, and it will probably not match the colour exactly and then most likely fade differently.

Anan1 · 11-05-2010 1:30am

Paparazzo wrote: »

I'm sure the owner of the jeep will understand.

I'm not, I think it's quite possible that they will want the OP charged. Were it not for the Gardaí they'd never have seen their money back.

ash_18x · 11-05-2010 8:19am

a few years back I came back to my car in a car park to discover a jeep or something had driven into the side of it, cost over €500 at the time to repair it, nobody seen anything and no cameras. it came out of my own pocket and like someone else said it just didnt look the same after it had been fixed.....

it really bugs me when this sh*t happens but you seem to have learnt your lesson, if you had just left your number or something on the windscreen it could have been sorted by now rather than you spending a week or whatever worrying about it. but anyway at least it is getting sorted now.

sorry i havent much sympathy for you but at least the guy in the jeep was lucky to have got you on cctv!!

Zulu · 11-05-2010 8:55am

Anan1 wrote: »

I'm not, I think it's quite possible that they will want the OP charged. Were it not for the Gardaí they'd never have seen their money back.

I have to agree. Awhile back a woman bumped my car in Superquinn while I was loading the shopping. She just drove off. I didn't catch her reg plate. CCTV didn't catch her.

Now she may be very sorry, somewhere, but that doesn't pay the bill for the damage. I've to foot that. On the back of that experience I've very little sympathy for anyone who drives off.

That said - I appreciate thats not what this threads about. My point is that if I had managed to get that womans reg plate - I'd be looking to presue her to the full extent of the law; because she drove off I'd be looking for the guards to press charges (if possible). If she'd stayed, I'd have been sound about it.

I imagine the owner of the jeep feels the same way.

Put yourself in their shoes. They came back to their jeep to find someone has hit it. No insurance details left on the window. Nothing. So pissed off they contact the owner of the car park for CCTV footage. The owner won't give this out except to the Guards, so they go down to the Garda station to report the incident. Then they go about their day seething. They then wait for the guards to contact the owners of the car park & review the footage. The guards ring them back saying the have the CCTV footage of the "hit & run", what do they want to do...

I know how I feel. How would you?

Midlandmissus - there's lots of things you should have done, but thats in the past now. Write a very sincere letter of apology. And in future - act like an adult & take responsibility for your actions.

Run_to_da_hills · 11-05-2010 9:05am

I also believe that Karma can often play its part in these things too.

Mr.David · 11-05-2010 9:10am

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I also believe that carma can often play its part in these things too.

Yeah I'd reckon it was a combination of Karma and that sacrifice to the gods made by the Jeep owner that resulted in the OP getting caught :rolleyes:

For 'Karma' please read 'CCTV'

Zulu · 11-05-2010 9:22am

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I also believe that Karma can often play its part in these things too.

I'd love to believe that aswell, however, if leaves me wondering what crime I committed to deserve getting bumped?

Or what saintly good deed she did to get to bump my car & get away with it.
I'm skeptical.

Run_to_da_hills · 11-05-2010 10:08am

Mr.David wrote: »

Yeah I'd reckon it was a combination of Karma and that sacrifice to the gods made by the Jeep owner that resulted in the OP getting caught :rolleyes:

For 'Karma' please read 'CCTV'

If someone damages someone else’s car and dose not report it they should not be too surprised or upset if they find the same happening to ther own car.

Hit and Run

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