Can someone be charged with hit and run if they verbally spoke with the owner of vehicle but a police report wasn’t filed?
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Can someone be charged with hit and run if they verbally spoke with the owner of vehicle but a police report wasn’t filed?
Friend backed into a parked car while no one was in it. The man claims there was $1100 worth of damage for a car with blue book value of $900. No report was filed. Threatening to file hit and run if friend doesn’t pay him cash. There’s no way this sort of damage was done to this old car. Not sure what the laws are here in nc. Chances are the guy is just trying to make a little cash but friend doesn’t want to have charges of a hit and run. There was a witness in the car when he backed into car.
Asked on July 12, 2012 under Accident Law, North Carolina
Answers:
Leigh Anne Timiney / Timiney Law Firm
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
This is not a case of hit and run. Further, I am not sure about North Carolina, but in Arizona it is illegal to threaten someone with criminal action in an effort to get them to resolve or settle a civil matter. Your friend is responsible for reasonable damages to the other person's vehicle. They are not responsible to pay for anything until they see a legitimate estimate from a verified auto body shop that can related the damages to the incident they were involved in.
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