Hit & Run In the Storage Lot

[Bigbeartroop122]

Hussieskunk I’m with you hit and run leaving the scene of an accident the guy is a dirtbag and should be held responsible for his actions. To make a mistake and leave someone else holding the bag is totally unacceptable.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by repacs0103

I certainly hope you don’t decide to prosecute for a felony. This guy should absolutely see some punishment in the form of a misdemeanor but there’s no reason to ruin someone’s life and that of his family members over a bent piece of trim.


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Seriously? The guy needs the book thrown at him, both to hopefully discourage him from ever doing it again and to serve as an example to those who also lack integrity like this clown. If he didn't want to ruin his and his family's lives, he should have grown a backbone and 'fessed up" while it was just an accident.

[MrJackSprat]

Not to polarize the subject, but I think everyone should be accountable for their actions - especially if they know what they are doing is wrong. The world is turning gray and so many are looking for an easy out or blaming others for their 'misfortunes'. Teach this guy a lesson on felony crime... Book-em' Danno!

[repacs0103]

Sorry, guess we’ll have to agree to disagree, but that’s what makes this country great.

I hate big over-reaching government and the thought of our tax dollars covering the insane cost of a felony prosecution plus the potential cost of incarceration and ongoing probation and/or parole is insane. This guy would then lose the ability to get most jobs, be able to own a firearm, etc etc. the reality is that he’s going to plead a felony down to a 4th degree 30 day or less sentence anyway which is similar to a misdemeanor conviction in terms of consequences, so why saddle him for life with a felony conviction.


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[wags999]

Lets face it, if the guy has a clean record he will most likely get a fine...if he has a habit of doing this, then he does need to be punished. HE made the choice the moment he got out, looked at what he did and decided to pull away without taking any responsibility, and then lied to the police about it. Would you feel different if he had a number of similar incidents. Interesting he had a rental box truck? Was he taking stuff from his own RV or removing items from his own RV or ?

Lots of things we don't know...but I know it was totally HIS decision, no one else's to leave the scene of an accident and then lie about it. Anything that happened after that is totally HIS responsibility.. when confronted by the police he could of said I didn't realize I did any damage, still a lie, but at least admitting he was there and COULD of done damage...he didn't do that it appears.

I'm sorry but when YOU make a conscious decision to do the wrong thing, than any repercussions are your own fault.

He was willing to make the owner of the vehicle he hit take the hit for a deductible expense... to me, he is the last person I would be concerned about.

If I'm made whole, and the police don't want to pursue a charge, because of priors, then I may choose not to prosecute... but if it cost me even a $1 I would do whatever I had to...the guy could choose to pay for the damage to show good faith....has he ?

[che57vy]

Evidently the guy does not know how to maneuver a box truck, looks like a Budget Rental truck cut corner too soon as seen. That is why I put up a carport for our Class C these storage lots are here are too close trying to get every RV in they can more $$$$. Had several broken into even with a fence and cameras.

[nunyadamn]

I had a similar problem on my trailer at the storage lot. They took out the top near the roof and pushed in the metal side a little - https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...age-50046.html

It was $5300 and a couple of months for the dealer to fix. I didn't push the dealer to work on it, but getting the long piece of metal for the side near the roof took the longest time for the repair.

[hussieskunk]

repacs0103,
The decision of felony or misdemeanor is not up to me. The decision to pursue a police report is mine. How the police classify the charge is up to them. The difference between the charges was up to the perpetrator:

Knowingly Hitting the RV + Failure to Report = Felony
Unknowingly Hitting the RV + Failure to Report = Misdemeanor
Knowingly Hitting the RV + Reporting to the Owner, Lot = Accident
Unknowingly Hitting the RV, but Reporting to the Owner, Lot = Accident

Lying to the authorities probably does not help his case.

He chose his above path, not me.

In the end, I am hopeful that this is an insurance matter. The police will keep the investigation open in the event that the insurance does not work out. His insurance could refuse coverage if he missed a payment, if he doesn't appear as the insured (if his company is insured, but not him as a driver), if he does not return contact by his declared agency* or if it is phony altogether. Pressing charges protects me by documenting who is at fault, so that my insurance company can pursue him directly to recoup their losses.

*He has the right to refuse contact. If his insurance reaches out to him (phone, email, mail) he could just refuse to respond. Without a statement of guilt or non-guilt by him, his insurance could say "The victim made it all up, there is no admission of guilt, despite the evidence to the contrary." How's that for government meddling - the insurance companies lobbied Congress for this work around.

For me to have this repaired, my deductible is $400. I will have to shell that out after the repairs are complete; but as you know parts are slow to arrive and scheduling work is not always convenient. Depending on the litigation between insurance companies, or at worst from him, it may take months before I get that back along with all the other costs I have incurred (lost time at work, gas to and from the repair facility (60 miles away), lost use of the RV).

So in short, the criminal investigation, charges and conviction protects me - the victim.

[hussieskunk]

Thanks for the info nunyadamn...now I have an idea of what I might be getting into.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by repacs0103

Sorry, guess we’ll have to agree to disagree, but that’s what makes this country great.

I hate big over-reaching government and the thought of our tax dollars covering the insane cost of a felony prosecution plus the potential cost of incarceration and ongoing probation and/or parole is insane. This guy would then lose the ability to get most jobs, be able to own a firearm, etc etc. the reality is that he’s going to plead a felony down to a 4th degree 30 day or less sentence anyway which is similar to a misdemeanor conviction in terms of consequences, so why saddle him for life with a felony conviction.


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Why saddle him for life with a felony conviction? How about because he willing committed several? How about to help ensure the victim will get some recompense from insurance? How about to impress on the guy (and serve as an example to others) that irresponsible behavior like his will not be tolerated by society? The guy made his own bed; now he gets to lie in it.

[hussieskunk]

UPDATE: The county sheriff deputy responded with the following comments about the investigation and possible criminal charges:

"Under the circumstances of this case it would be rather difficult to charge the driver of the other vehicle. The charge that is present in this case would be a class 4 misdemeanor (lowest charge) as opposed to the class 1 misdemeanor for hit and run. This is because the collision happened on private property and the RV was unattended."

I am still going through insurance as the best course of action. I will have to pay my deductible to get it fixed. The offender has still not responded to his insurance company, I am doubting that he will admit guilt, and so his insurance company has not offered to cover any cost. My insurance company is collecting all the costs (mine, theirs) and will work to get reimbursed from the offender's company. I'm told that it could take months to get reimbursed for anything I have to put out to get this fixed.

I spoke with the repair shop, they said that insurance claims go first through their shop, but that does not mean much if the parts are long lead time items. The shop is currently on a 6 week schedule for repairs. I am hopeful that the trim is the only damage, that there is no paint work that needs done, and that the trim is in stock at the repair facility. Otherwise, it will be several weeks before I get my RV back.

On a brighter note, the dirt bags that hit me, failed to report it and lied to everyone about it are gone from the storage lot. It took about a week for them to be evicted from the lot. A small victory, but not one that I will relish in, because I would much rather have an undamaged RV than to have them evicted.

[hussieskunk]

UPDATE: The offender's insurance finally responded, they will cover everything. If I can complain about it one more time, it did take them 3 weeks to respond after my insurance company filed a claim with them.

We drove the RV to the repair facility this weekend, currently awaiting the news as to how long to complete the repairs. The hope is that it is cosmetic only - no paint or finish work.

I'll provide a final update when all is back to normal.

[Magnolia Tom]

Great news!


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[hussieskunk]

UPDATE: Picked the RV up from the repair facility this past Monday, March 12. Looks great! Dixie RV in Newport News, VA did the work and I could not be happier. I've been watching too many episodes of RV Life - it had me anxious to get ours back!

Next step: sit back and wait for the insurance companies to battle out returning all my costs to repair: gas, mileage, diminished value, lost time off work, lost time at the storage facility, etc etc. I'm told it could be months before I see reimbursement for all the collateral losses.

[Jagiven]

Glad they did a good job.