Essentially the same thing happened to my 1987 CRX HF...

 

Thanks for your sympathy MFLetou, that IS all I initially made the post for. Instead I was run off this board! LOL!

UPDATE:

1) Insurance man told me it would have been pointless to call the police. Since nobody was injured the police would not have responded just like montush said. Here in San Diego specifically we have a SEVERE shortage of city police and they only respond to serious traffic accidents involving injuries.

2) California has some sort of "equal fault" law for these types of accidents as well. So in the end it *almost* doesn't matter whose fault it really was or that the driver left before providing her info.

3) The information I got (license plate #, vin, insurance info on other vehicle) is more than sufficient for my claim.

I guess if I lived in a smaller city the police responding to such a thing would be a reality, but sadly in San Diego it isn't. Have any of you other San Diego drivers been hearing on the news about the shortage of police like I have?

I'll try and get some photos before I take it to the body shop tomorrow to be repaired. I was worried parts would be scarce since this is a brand new model design, and the hybrids are only coming from Japan at the moment. But to my surprise the body shop called around and found a Toyota parts dealer with the bumper and LED tail lights.

I'd like to thank everyone again. Especially to those of you that didn't flame me and instead shared stories and provided positive advice.

 

I don't want to open another can of worms, but I don't understand what you're talking about here Matt.
This is exactly what an insurance investigation is for. And no I'm not surprised how often someone changes their mind as this has happened to me before!

The one other accident I've been in was 11 years ago and again was a case of another driver hitting me. Well after the fact this driver recanted their admission of guilt like you have mentioned can happen. My insurance agent handled the entire affair and the damage on the cars spoke in my favor. Case closed.

Even if the police had responded - all they would be doing is taking statements from both parties. Anyone could still choose to change their mind after the fact. And the police report would be essentially just a witness statement to the details after-the-fact. The police can not state anything they did not see. Their word would be the same as anyone who witnessed the aftermath such as the security guard in my case. My insurance agent told me today on the phone that it is these exact scenarios that insurance investigations are for. I asked the insurance man today specifically if having a police report would change anything in my current situation. After telling me about how they would not respond, he went on to say that California is an "equal guilt" state and that anyone can change their mind and this is why the insurance company always investigates all accidents regardless of the situation.

From the wide range of responses in this thread the laws must be different from state to state in these matters. Let alone how things must differ in Canada.

 

There are three things specifically I'm talking about...

#1-vehicle damage. Without a police report documenting damage, there's nothing to back up what happened to the other vehicle. I'm aware of many cases in which two vehicles collide, and after the fact the other driver denies causing the damage on a vehicle. An obvious way to document this would be to look for corresponding damage on the other car, but that's impossible after the cars have left the scene.

#2-witnesses. Police will obtain statements from anyone who witnessed the accident. These can be used to corroborate your story. A witness is not the same as just your word or the other drivers word---they've got no motivation to lie.


#3-bodily injury. Police will ask if medical attention is needed and document obvious injuries. If the other driver declines medical attention, it will hurt their case later on if they try to sue you for bodily injury. My dad was involved in a situation like this--his brakes failed and he hit somebody at a relatively low speed. They were fine, hopped out of the car, etc. 6 months later the guy claimed his back was hurt and sued. The police had responded and the driver had declined medical attention. It was one of the factors used to determine his claim was bogus.


In terms of relying on insurance investigators, there are many accidents in which no fault will be determined by an insurance investigation, even though in reality it WAS somebody's fault. So you end up paying (if you are in a fault state like I am).

Now, I hardly live in the middle of nowhere---and in fact I was involved an accident in a fairly notorious place, Washington DC. I was parked at the time and a Honda CRV backed into me. I did call the Police, and was told that my best course of action would be to obtain a Police Report. They dispatched an officer, who took statements, talked to the one witness, and documented damage with a camera. They gave me a copy of everything and said it would facilitate my insurance claim against the other driver, which was quickly processed.

Now, obviously, in a no fault or equal fault state, things are different--basically, you are screwed anyway. In other states, though, things are different---if I get in an accident and the other driver is responsible, I pay nothing and my insurance is never even notified of the accident--the claim is handled and paid for by the other driver's company.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I just don't trust people, unfortunately. I have good reason not to!

But the good news here is that you're ok, your TCH is going to get fixed, and insurance handled it well. I'm glad that's the case and wish you the best. I'm sure you'll update us on the progress of your repair.

 

I don't either! ha ha. That sucks someone backed into you. From my past experiences with auto wrecks I started to carry a camera in the car. Well now a camera phone. I took extensive pictures of both vehicles in the accident to be safe.

Now I understand just where you are coming from. Things seemed to be handled diffferently in DC versus San Diego. Those of us in California seemed to get screwed on plenty of things, including insurance!

I'll keep you guys informed on the repair. Thanks.

 

*hamm3r sits on the edge of his seat, anxiously awaiting the photos*

 

hamm3r... Sorry I forgot about the pictures! When I pull the car out of the garage this morning I'll take some close-up shots of the missing bumper and tail lights.

After re-reading your original post though, I'm not sure the pics will help you. My tail lights are still attached fine. However the back left one is cracked. I'll post the pics later this afternoon/evening for you.

 

Not just the tail light...any photo that might show me how to remove the bumper (because after the bumper is removed, tail light should be easy).

I can remove the screws/clips for the bottom of the bumper and the back of the bumper (the two screws that are visible at the back of the car when the trunk is open...except there is a plastic cover over them), but the top of the bumper is still firmly attached...

 

SanDiegoBlue. Do you have the blue ribbon TCH (I'm guessing from your name?)? I saw a blue TCH the other day in my neighborhood turning from regents on to governor dr. My first thought was to get the drivers attention and then it hit me that my TCH was at the body shop and I was driving another car! ahh!

Here are some pics. Noticed on the driverside there is some type of vent I would guess for the fan that cools the battery?

 

and before my poor car was violated;