regarding an earlier post...

Nah, I coulnd't do that.
We got the car fully and independently insured today.

On the bright side, one of my customers, a Seattle cop, came by the shop today to do some recording. While here, he made height measurements of my car versus the red 'vette.
We also pulled my car just behind the 'vette, and presto...an almost perfect alignment of my damage and and some damage on his rear bumper.
He also explained that paint transfer is not always two-way.
He commented that he was so certain it was the 'vette, he'd bet his next paycheck.
So. I'll be having a nice conversation withthe owner tomorrow..

 

yea... always blame the vettes huh..

just messing man.. make him pay!!! But make sure it was him!

 

The cop and I looked at the other suspect car, the only other red vehicle aside from the red Cherokee that was seen in our driveway. Several people suggest the Cherokee would have done much more damage.
The Daewoo had NO place on it which could have caused such a dent, no paint transfer, and the colour was much brighter and darker than the transfer on my car.
The corner of the vette's rear bumper is nearly a perfect match in shape with my dent, the height is the same, and the colour is as close a match as you can get.
Also, the cop noted "fresh looking" cracks in the paint....now, being a guitar guy who loves an old guitar with a "checked finish" I know what real age cracking and forced cracking looks like...and so does the cop, as he's a guit player too with a SWEET goldtop Les Paul with a beautiful checked finish.

 

Here's a couple pics, with tape measure for comparison.
Please note, my car is parked on an incline at a higher level than the 'vette, which would have been coming upwards to "meet" me.
I'll have to get both of them on level ground again to make a perfect measurements.

 

That's funny that he has the audacity to still park near you. I would think if someone hit your car, and messed it up like that, he would at least park the car down the street for a little while!!

 

He claims he didn't do it...but, he's had a couple DWI's before. Perhaps he was drunk?
Also, this car is very loud...there's no chance he could possibly have heard any sort of "crunch" or "thud" noise when it happened.
Yeh...he's parked about 20 feet away...the [/i]nerve[/i]

 

Don't see ANY evidence of paint-swapping? Look very carefully. There might be something. . . No neighbors saw anything?

 

The evidence is on my car only. Red paint. On the 'vett, no blue colouring whatsoever...but withthe flaking and peelin of his paint job, he probably could have scraped it off very easily.

Our across the street neighbor saw the 'vette pull in the driveway about 8am that morning, which means he had to have left between the time we got home and the tim ewe wok up...which he admits to leaving that morning.
Before he left, he was face-in. He would have attempted to back up to our garage door.

I'll have to post some pics of the driveway tomorrow morning.

 

The geometry of the damage matches up almost perfectly. You have no real PROOF that is was that person that did it, but I'm 99.99% positive that car backed into yours.

That fact of the matter is that realistically you probably won't get a penny out of him unless you keep pestering the guy over and over again saying you KNOW it was him, and that the damage matches up perfectly, you have photos, you know he has DUI's, etc etc etc. Either he will pay up, or slip up.

There is truely nothing more frustrating in life than KNOWING someone is guilty of something and watching them get off scot free. It's enough to drive someone to commit nasty sins that they would otherwise never do.

 

Don't even think of doing something stupid along these lines. Instead, threaten to make a civil case out of it. The beauty of a civil action (as opposed to a criminal trial) is that the decision is based on the balance of probabilities, rather than "reasonable doubt".

Investigate the small claims court, or your local equivalent, as an avenue. Typically to get the ball rolling, the cost is not high. You don't need a laywer. Use the expertise of your cop buddy to compile evidence for the case (photos, measurements, time, dates places etc.) Write down all the details while it's fresh in your memory.

I'd be surprised if you don't get a result one way or the other (i.e., he 'fesses up and settles, or you get a decision in your favour.)

-Mark

 

And the best part is he does not know where you live.... so there is no fear of reprisal

Let's face it.
A: He is a DRUNK! (Which means-as noted- he drinks and drives)
Which means he has no since of judgement and may just do something more stupid once pressed with a lawsuit.

If he does not own the house or whatever I think I might put in a call to the landlord! I am sure if he does not cover it, some sort of home owners insurance would.-theirs not yours!

 

I agree. I'd file a police report and have them come out, take a report, pictures, etc. As was stated, a civil case's standard of proof is far easier to prevail on than a criminal one (and that's not up to you anyway - if the cops feel there's enough evidence to get the guy criminally for H&R or anything, they'll be the ones to forward the information to the D.A. for review and final determination).

Circumstantial evidence IS still evidence. The police might even be able to chemically analyze the paint for match at a lab, although it may be not worth their while / cost to do so. You could at least ask which lab they use and check yourself into the cost of having such a test run. If you win the case, you could probably get the cost back of any tests required anyways.

 

Too much CSI
But seriously....this guy does not take care of his Vette, drinks, drives, and I am sure the beat goes on....This is a no real win situation. Take him to court and you will probably waste your time and money...and maybe **** him off. The fuzz will do nothing at all for you. Great you have a cop friend, but so do I and they got no pull(even less higher up)
Believe me I have gone your route and tried to gain some sort of "justice" it is not worth it! (trying hard not to state the value of the 24..or any 44)
Get a bumper shock from some rennlister, replace and live with the little dent in your front fender. (pull the bumper and take some shots, at that angle there might be some body damage at the shock mount-no frame probably)-nothing a come-along and a telephone pole, can't fix.

Just get his insurance information, make a claim and go from there.
And if he does not want to provide it just wait until he is drunk then ask

 

File a report. It looks pretty obvious to me. A Jeep would have certainly been higher. What a schmuck your neighbor is. Karma is a bitch.

 

Beyond the physical damage to your car, HIT and RUN is a FELONY in some states. File a report with your local PD and have a froensics team come out and take samples.

FYI: Each paint manufacturer has chemical "tags" that they add to their mix so the paint can be identified chemically, just like explosives and nuclear material. A good forensics lab can identify the paint manufacturer, and from that info they may be able to find a batch/lot number and so on.

If the other driver was DUI at the time I vote for suspending him by a nail through his gonads.