Kids playing football.

smilgy

So my car has been hit multiple times by kids and adults playing football on my road. Damage has been done to the car in which you can see a dent with paint cracking on the boot. Kids on the road pretty quickly ratted on the kid who did it and then after some talking the kid went home. What can I legally do to get my car repaired ?

Pic http://imgur.com/GM1Qi

Wicklowandy

Sorry to hear about your car.

If it was me, id park my car in my driveway if i had one in future.

I know its horrible, but a row with neighbours is rarely worth it.

smilgy

Wicklowandy wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your car.

If it was me, id park my car in my driveway if i had one in future.

I know its horrible, but a row with neighbours is rarely worth it.

I do park the car in the driveway but the problem still persists regardless of where I park it. The kid isn't exactly from my road and I have no problem of having a row with them. It isn't the only car that has been damaged.

crosstownk

A few years ago I had a young child (maybe 6 or 7) lose balance on her bike and fell into my rear 1/4 panel and damage it with a decent 20cm scratch and ever so slightly dented. I was well peeved at the damage but I thought 'hey, she's a kid she didn't do it on purpose'. So I just got it fixed and left it at that.

God knows how many things I damaged as a child.

Park away from the play area is about the best you can do.

smilgy

I went and had a talk with the father of the kid and showed him the damaged. He looked at, laughed and said "I'm not gonna do anything about that" and walked off which obviously left me even more angry than I was. At this stage it is purely because of the way he acted, not owning up to the responsibility, not even a sorry. I know I could just leave and I probably should but seeing as a lot of money was paid for a car that I take a lot of pride in I don't want to leave it at that.

slimjimmc

Afaik the age of criminal responsibility for most offences is 12 years so if the child is 12 or over you could try to get the Gardaí to prosecute (but would that pay for repairs?). However the DPP has to approve any prosecutions for under 14s.


I don't know if it's possible to sue the child or the parent through the civil courts for damages.

In either event you'll need better evidence of guilt than other kids' tattle telling.

leddpipe

I would imagine theres no legal route you can take, as theres no proof that a particular child made the dent!you have highlighted the issue now so theres a chance it wont happen again!failing that, a 12 gauge! although I broke a window and dented a car with an errant ball in my day!

TJJP

That sucks op. Can't offer you any great solution for the problem I'm afraid, but when I've had such issues (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74793108) Paul at Autodent in Dundrum (http://www.autodent.ie/) has sorted it out perfectly and for a reasonable price. He's no relation or connection but his work is good and reasonable so it might be one way to assuage your annoyance given the situation. Cheaper than a permanent falling out with the neighbours perhaps....

Chris_Heilong

Chase the kids away next time you see them playing football or encourage them to play outside the perps house near his dads car for ****s n giggles.

pajo1981

Get a brick and grind a picture of a football into the bonnet of his car.

keithclancy

Just get it repaired and call over to his house with the bill.

Just ask what he'd do if he broke a Window on your house etc.

Tell him you have a camera installed outside the house (doesn't matter if you have or not) and the next time it happens you'll be calling the Gardai but this time you will only report the incident so if it occurs again its a repeat occurrence.

You don't need to actually do any of the above.

The idea being you probably won't make any money out of this guy, but you do want to worry him enough so that he'll put the fear of god in the child that if he goes near your house again he'll get a hiding.

Best thing is to leave it slide in most cases with Neighbours, he could be posting dog shíte in your letterbox in 6 months time.

JJJJNR

thats crazy damage! and looks like it was more than a kick off a football, basketball maybe!? I had a similar issue with an adult recently and basically didn't have the will power to look for anything other than a bottle of touch up paint (even though I witnessed her wacking her door off mine) I think its just part and parcel of living in a housing estate or public parking area.

antodeco

That really doesnt look like a football dent being honest. Unless it was a GAA ball booted at blank range? Any previous damge done to the same area that was repaired?

keithclancy

antodeco wrote: »

That really doesnt look like a football dent being honest. Unless it was a GAA ball booted at blank range? Any previous damge done to the same area that was repaired?

Bigcheeze

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

Chase the kids away next time you see them playing football .

Don't do this. Every time they're bored for the next 10 years they'll try and get a chase off the crank in No. 15.

smilgy

antodeco wrote: »

That really doesnt look like a football dent being honest. Unless it was a GAA ball booted at blank range? Any previous damge done to the same area that was repaired?

I wasn't sure if it was a ball either but I could hear the kids talking about after I had noticed the dent as I happened to be out shortly after the incident. I asked the kids nicely who did it and they all ratted on the kid who did it so I'm fairly certain it was them with a ball

Reloc8

So to be clear, you're basing your conclusion on how it got damaged by what a load of kids said after you asked them who did it and they nominated another kid ?

Talk of gardai or having recourse to the parents here is nonsense. Even in the real world you've got nothing that says the particular young feller in question did anything to your car.

And it dun't look like a football did that to be honest.

Sorry your car got a dint in it - but you don't have any comeback here against the nominated culprit.

antodeco

keithclancy wrote: »

???

ShadowHearth

When I was in some estate looking for a house I heard a huge bang! Shared the living **** out of me. Then I sow some kid with that stupid hurling bat... Great...
Got out of the car and few feet away there was a hurling ball.
Kid was scared and I did not found the damage on the spot. So just looked at him angry, then set back in to car and kept looking or the house.
As ****y as it felt, I could do feck all. He was scared already and I could not prove anything.

For you OP it's already lost battle. All you can do now: try to prevent that from happening again.
I liked idea of showing a bill to kids "owner" and just say that this time you will let it slide, but next time you will have video prove and get him in court.
Child cannot be prosecuted, but parent for not looking after their "spawn" can.
No need to be faking the camera bit too. At this age and day there are plenty of solution for cameras, which will film and store it in to your home Pc or sd card. Those are not expensive anymore. Plus it's an extra security from thiefs.

Reloc8

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Child cannot be prosecuted, but parent for not looking after their "spawn" can.

I'm not really disagreeing with much of what you said but where do you get this from ? i.e. that parents can be prosecuted for their children playing football on a road and dinting a car ?

ShadowHearth

Reloc8 wrote: »

I'm not really disagreeing with much of what you said but where do you get this from ? i.e. that parents can be prosecuted for their children playing football on a road and dinting a car ?

Cause up till kids are 18, parents take full responsibility of them. Unless in Ireland kids are lawless creatures.

ottostreet

ShadowHearth wrote: »

When I was in some estate looking for a house I heard a huge bang! Shared the living **** out of me. Then I sow some kid with that stupid hurling bat... Great...

lol, 'hurling bat'...love it!

Reloc8

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Reloc8 wrote: »

I'm not really disagreeing with much of what you said but where do you get this from ? i.e. that parents can be prosecuted for their children playing football on a road and dinting a car ?

Cause up till kids are 18, parents take full responsibility of them. Unless in Ireland kids are lawless creatures.

To be frank you're just making it up as you go. Parents never have criminal liability for the actions if theuir children in this country except in a secondary sense (e.g child plays truant)