car hit, left note

[rushingjr]

Wife’s car was hit in a parking lot. Driver of Ofer left a note with phone number. Scraped the rear drivers side door and took a very small bit of paint off rear quarter panel.
What should I do first? Call the other party, call my insurance company or get an estimate on my own?

[Shooting-For-800]

gather as much information as possible.

name

address

email

license number 

license plate

google google google

be as polite as humanly possible and get as much information as possible so if they refuse to pay, you have someone to hold responsible.

get two or three estimates

see what they want to do

some people would rather right a check 

some people have something to hide

call your insurance and just let them know what happened

if you have uninsured motorists insurance, you may need to use it if you cant collect.

your insurance can then go after them.

[Gunnerboy]

1. Take photos of the damages.

2. Call their number, get their insurance info, info of car that was involved, contact info, plus info on who was behind the wheel.

3. File a police report. This is in the event that the at-fault gave you fake info, or turns out to be uninsured, or reneges on paying. If this ultimately falls under your Underinsured Motorist Property Damage coverage, then a police report is required.

If you and DW feel comfortable about working with the at-fault in handling the repair and payment, then no need to involve your insurance carrier. If you want assistance, then:

4. Let your insurance carrier know what happened, and everything you’ve done up to that point.