Hit and Run
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Hit and Run
I was back ended by a vehicle on an on ramp at what felt like pretty high speeds. The vehicle then decided to speed off and I quickly pursued the vehicle even though I had hit my head on the steering wheel. I called 911 to report the hit and run and the state troopers quickly intervened and pulled the vehicle over. The officer gave me a crash report and it showed that he wrote the other driver a ticket 3361 Driving vehicle at safe speeds. I am not sure what this means but I was wondering if there is anything I could do because I think the police just let him go even though he left the scene. My car has no major damage just a couple of scratches, a small dent, and my horn stopped working for some reason.
Asked on November 20, 2017 under Accident Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
You can't force the police to do their job, so if they choose to let him get off with only one minor ticket for this, unfortunately, that's going to be the case.
You could sue the other driver, who was clearly at-fault or negligent in causing the accident, for any costs to repair your car and any directly related other costs (like a rental for a few days if necessary, if you car is in the shop). Bear in mind that suing will take at least a day of your time and if he doesn't pay voluntarily after the lawsuit (or has no money to pay), you could spend a lot of effort on collections and still not get the money (or all the money). It may be best, if you have collision insurance, to simply file a claim--this is why you have insurnace, after all--unless the amount is so small it's best to pay for repairs out of pocket and then move on.
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