Hit and run

[answin]

So... today I'm sitting in my car, in the driveway waiting for my husband to finish up inside so we could leave. I hear this thud and the car shifts, I look through the passenger side mirror and there's a man getting up off the ground. I see him stumbling around, reach down for his bike then was attempting to take off. I get out and stop him and look at the damage. This guy was stumbling all over the place and wreaked of liquor (at 2:00 in the afternoon mind you) He didn't speak any English, he just kept saying "No no, it's ok".

I pointed to the car, to the huge dent in the side and the broken tail light and said that he had done this and he wasn't going anywhere. We called the cops immediately and it took them over an hour to get there. This guy had already left. He wouldn't tell us his name or anything and every time I tried to take his picture with my camera phone he would put his hands up. He had someone come down to try and translate but he wasn't helping and gave us false information including a false apartment number.

The guy left about 45 minutes before the cops got there, and the others followed suit soon after. So by the time the cop came around, no one was there to give us any information on the guy who ran into my (rental)car.

The police officer wasn't much help either, he just had this big "oh well" attitude. And told me that since I wasn't sure which apartment he lived in exactly he'd have to go to the one that the guys "friend" told me he lived in. Even though the police officer had basically said he knew it wasn't the one. He also said that even if they find out who he was, the most he'd get was a ticket...

Is that true? JUST a ticket? I mean I've had someone run into my car before, drunk and flee the scene and they were arrested on the spot as soon as they were caught. I know because they had only made it so far before the police found them walking on the side of the road. They brought him back for me to ID him.

I guess through all of this mess.. I'm just wondering if this guy who clearly broke the law is just going to walk away with just a ticket. That just doesn't seem fair. I know that if that were me, I wouldn't get the same "oh well" attitude and they would find some way to find me and send my butt to jail. Let alone someone who clearly wasn't an American citizen..

Sorry for the rant and I'm sorry if it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. It just makes my blood boil thinking about the smirk on that guys face after he basically told me to f off and turned around and ran. :mad:


I'm in Florida btw.

[DeltaV]

Hit and Run is a criminal traffic offense in Florida, which means that the offender very well can just be given a criminal ticket and released at the scene. They COULD be arrested, but it all depends on the severity of the situation and any other factors. A bicycle running into a stopped vehicle is a lot different from a DUI driver in a motor vehicle crashing into another vehicle on the road. You don't even need a license or insurance to ride a bicycle. Either way, they still would have to answer to the same charge whether or not they are released at the scene or taken to jail. At my department, we are required to release misdemeanor offenders at the scene unless certain mitigating factors exist.

The fact that he's drunk really doesn't mean much. While it's technically possible, nobody's going to arrest someone on a bicycle for DUI unless they caused a serious crash that involved injury or death. The prosecutors won't proceed with DUI cases on bicycles unless there are special circumstances involved.

Situations like this are why you have insurance. As I said before, he's not required to have insurance if he's on a bicycle. Even if he had given you his correct name and address, you or your insurance company would have to sue him (if he had any money) in order to get reimbursed for the damages. The expense of a lawsuit will be greater than the expense to get the dent fixed.

[TX-LEO]

The police officer wasn't much help either, he just had this big "oh well" attitude..

So you want us to deploy the helicopter, set up a perimeter, invest 20 vehicles and find the guy for a 200$ vehicle damage report right? Any idea how much THAT will cost you?

Since it's IMPOSIBLE to find the person since Im guessing your talking about a motorcycle ( bike ??? Bicycle ?? ) and no license plate was written down, no color, model, make etc the case will go nowhere very fast. If it is a bicycle your talking about, it's not going to be handled as a Hit and run traffic accident anyways. Why would you expect the Officer to LIE to you and tell you " Yeah maam we will canvas the area and look for him, check business's and interview possible suspects we find "? Is this really logical use of a Police Officer who is making 20-30$+ per hour at the cost to your city?

The " attitude " you perceive is REALITY. Nobody deserves to be a victim of a crime, however when you call us to report an incident like this, think about how minor the incident is and that the world does not revolve around your property damage report. Remember that during your short contact with the police in even moderate size cities, there may be a murder investigation, DWI arrest(s), violent domestic disturbances, theft and many other things going on at the same time your world is interrupted.

In a case like yours, the Officer is not only required to clear the call quickly, but also obligated to do it as a public safety issue and return to the more serious crime which deserves a higher degree of attention. In many cities, your call would never result in an Officer being dispatched at-all because it's simply a very low priority.

You have every right to be irritated at the idiot damaging your car, however don't take it out on the responding officer who from what I can tell of your post, handled the situation text-book. You have vehicle insurance for these instances, ( I hope ! ) and your rental vehicle will be repaired regardless if the idiot who damaged it is caught or not. And yes, it's a citation based on the minor damage you mentioned.


Citizens LOVE to toss around the " attitude, rude" keywords however should consider their own attitude, and unreasonable expectations first before casting stones.

[Roger Dat]

As far as not being happy with the police response I say go scratch. We rank calls for service by priority and someone who has a minor car accident with no injuries ranks on the bottom of the pile. The cop did what he could do. When there isnt much information on the actor there isnot alot that can be done without any info.

Does it suck that your going to get stuck with the bill absolutey. Does it suck that they will probably not find the guy responsible defininitely, but its not the fault of the P.O.

[answin]

Thank you for giving me the time to politely explain to me what the cop who handled the case failed to do. Had he just said these few things to me I wouldn't have left the situation feeling as let down and frustrated as I did.

Again, thank you

Hit and Run is a criminal traffic offense in Florida, which means that the offender very well can just be given a criminal ticket and released at the scene. They COULD be arrested, but it all depends on the severity of the situation and any other factors. A bicycle running into a stopped vehicle is a lot different from a DUI driver in a motor vehicle crashing into another vehicle on the road. You don't even need a license or insurance to ride a bicycle. Either way, they still would have to answer to the same charge whether or not they are released at the scene or taken to jail. At my department, we are required to release misdemeanor offenders at the scene unless certain mitigating factors exist.

The fact that he's drunk really doesn't mean much. While it's technically possible, nobody's going to arrest someone on a bicycle for DUI unless they caused a serious crash that involved injury or death. The prosecutors won't proceed with DUI cases on bicycles unless there are special circumstances involved.

Situations like this are why you have insurance. As I said before, he's not required to have insurance if he's on a bicycle. Even if he had given you his correct name and address, you or your insurance company would have to sue him (if he had any money) in order to get reimbursed for the damages. The expense of a lawsuit will be greater than the expense to get the dent fixed.