I have hit someone's car

[OhNoForever]

Please, talk me down. I was trying to park in a rush today and I have hit someone's car in a car park. I left my details, I scratched one panel. Please someone tell me it's going to be OK because i am devastated 😭

Or tell me about stupid things you have driven into and cheer me up.

A better bodyshop would have been able to match the colours, my car was 13 years old when some pillock keyed it in Skipton, (hope he/she's in the canal)' the lovely Swaffham bodyshop dealt with it with no problem about the colour and he was amazingly cheap too!

I hope you've calmed down by now and realised it's only metal and this is what insurance is for. Good on you for being honest and leaving your details.

If it helps you feel any better someone once ran in the back of me and admitted full responsibility so everything sorted through insurance, nice and straightforward. When I picked my newly shiny car from the bodyshop after being repaired, well I don't know what happened, but I started the engine, the car had been left in gear but I didn't realise, jerked forward and crashed into the garage wall. I panicked, put my handbreak on, then took it off and accelerated again to drive forward into the wall AGAIN. The mechanic hadn't even gone back inside, just stood there speechless. I got out, handed the keys straight back to him and plodded off in the direction of the bus stop again.

OP, I went into the back of someone a few weeks ago. I'm okay about it now but I was shaken and upset at the time. (I do still flinch whenever I'm in the car with my husband and someone ahead of us brakes. I'm also super careful now when I'm driving myself.)

It'll be fine, your insurance will sort it out and you'll just pay the excess. If you've protected your no claims you won't lose your NCD but you may lose the protection, but your insurers will go through it all with you. Just pass it all over to them and let them do their thing. It's been great that I don't have to think about the incident with my car again (except for the rigmarole of buying another car).

Good on you doing the decent thing and leaving your details!! Here are my accident tales.

I reversed into the back of a van a couple of months ago - he had driven in the exit of the car park and gone past my car and up round the end of the row of parking bays; I checked my mirrors before reversing and all seemed clear - except he wanted to go into a space in the same row as me so had reversed as well but, for some reason, rather than go straight backwards he let the car roll back and round the end into my path. Because he was stationary and I was reversing, it was my fault. We exchanged details and took photos - my car had a broken rear light unit and a couple of dents in the bumper and the boot; his had some damage to the bumper and light unit - but he also had other damage, parts held together with gaffer tape and there was far less glass on the ground than was missing from his light! He said he would get a quote for the parts and call me, I said I was using my insurance (glad I did as the repairs came to almost £2000!!)

Found out this week, after receiving a letter from the insurers confirming they had closed the claim as they paid out for his damage, that he actually told my insurers he wasn’t claiming as he didn’t want his vehicle classed as a total loss write off and therefore they didn’t actually pay him anything. He’s never contacted me about it and my insurers have told me to get back in touch with them if he does contact me!

The amusing accident I had was about 20 years ago, driving from Surrey to Wiltshire on a winter’s Friday evening in the rush hour; stop start traffic approaching the M4 and this car goes into the back of me at relatively low speed. Cracks the bumper and damages the boot which also affected the opening mechanism of my not that old at the time Renault Clio; exchanged details, took photos and he gave me his business card - he was a loss adjuster for the same insurance company as I was insured with at the time!! Got very swift resolution and repairs done almost immediately. About a month later I received a hamper and big bunch of flowers from the chap by way of apology!

Last one, similar situation to yours except I was sat in the back of a car with tinted windows waiting in a supermarket car park for some friends. Another car pulled into a space, completely misjudged it and scraped all the way down the side of the car in the next space; took paint off and dented rear wing and both doors. Stopped, got out and took photos; I overheard them tell someone who was walking pst that they were leaving their details - and I watched them write a note and put it under the windscreen. Except, after the people they spoke to walked away, the person removed the note, got back in their car and drove off. I took a couple of photos of the car as it pulled
away, including their number plate. I left a note on the damaged car saying I had the details fo the car that hit them as I saw it happen. Had to write a statement for the insurers as, initially the person denied they were involved!!

Don't beat yourself up. It happens all the time! I accidentally reversed into someone and dented her car when I was trying to park (and she was trying to edge out past me!). I was having a stressful day and I didn't see her. I felt like an absolute idiot and cursed myself for days. Insurance sorted it - that's what it's there for after all.

I scratched a car in a supermarket car park earlier this year and left my details - they called and were nice about it. Tbh I think they were just happy I'd owned up. We went outside of insurance and it only cost £250 to repair (my excess is £300!) so it didn't impact my no claims. There are companies now that will go out to your home/place of work and mix a paint colour there and then! Efficient and not very expensive either.

Thanks everyone, you have made me feel much better! Calmed down today and it doesn't feel like the end of the world any more. Tried to take a sorry gift to them at their hotel today but they had already checked out. So, drank the gift to drown my sorrows and very glad for insurance!

And whoever asked, no the alarm did not go off when I put the note on!

Just remembered a corker

When my sister was 12 she opened the car door into oncoming traffic and a transit van took it clean off the hinges 😂😂😂

Terrifying at the time as it could have caused a serious accident but luckily it was a relatively quiet road. The van driver was mildy amused once he got over the shock and saw it was a dozy child that caused it😂 think he was also happy to get a day off work too as his van wasnt drivable after.

Very expensive mistake though and she she never lived it down

My husband bought a brand new car last year, this car was about 2 weeks old when I reversed it into a boulder coming off a night shift, despite the thing having cameras and sensors. He much prefers me to drive my car these days...

Well done for leaving your details. My car was damaged when someone tried to drive through the gap next to it in a car park. I was in the shop but a man wanted to tell me as he saw it all. Our insurers sorted it as we had their reg. Bloody cheeky driver then claimed to be injured and got compensation from their insurance company!

I Once Reversed into a Motorbike whilst two people were on it, it was a totally stupid thing to do but I just didn't see it due to my child's head in the middle seat.... luckily no damage was done.

I was sat in my parked car in a McDonald’s car park when I jeep reversed into me only a little bump but it made me laugh because the guy got out and said how long have you been there like my car had magically appeared in a parking space.

You've been really nice about it OP and I wouldn't worry, accidents happen and no-one was hurt. If it was the kind of scratch that would T Cut out, it's very silly of them to go through insurance as it'll affect their future premiums too, for the sake of something they could have fixed themselves (unless it is a deep scratch that would require a respray).
I wouldn't expect a note for a light scratch I could fix myself.

I reversed into a parked car, it was a black car, in an unlit industrial estate. I was picking my son up from a lesson on the estate and just did not see it. I had a tow bar on my car which got hooked up under their rear bumper and instead of getting out and checking, I panicked, slammed my foot down and accelerated. The force of the towbar pulling back out cracked his bumper. Had I checked, we couldve got some jacks from the tyre place across the way and jack the other car up enough to release my towbar.

I gave him my details and I started getting harassing texts saying it was £200, then £400 then got another one saying I owed him £700 cash as he wanted a colour match bumper. I referred him back to my insurance but he wasn't interested and wanted cash. I rang my insurance again, who had a good laugh at the fact it was Friday the 13th when it happened 😅, asked if things like this happens often to me lol. I didn't pay my excess as I didn't get my car fixed (dent in the boot), and they paid out to him. I often see him about and the crack is still there 5 years later 🤷‍♀️.

My first car, I was parking it near where I live, and was over quite a sunken drain, my car rolled back into said drain and straight into the back of a van that had a huge metal step on the back. Cracked my bumper. My car was a 52 plate at the time and already scratched, so left it. Went into Aldi the following week and found some gaffa tape that was the same colour as my car 🤣 so taped it up.

Same car, I'd not long passed my test and had not long cracked bumper on the van, I was reversing into a P&C bay in Morrisons. My mum shouts 'watch the pole' and I replied 'what pole CRUNCH. I couldn't see the post/bollard out of my rear view mirror or window as it was only 2.5ft tall or so. I hadn't clocked it but mum obviously had as I was turning to get into the space. Bumper required more gaffa tape.

I reversed my husband’s car into a wall last week! He wasn’t massively impressed, but has got over it. I haven’t - feel like a complete fool. You did the right thing. Someone dented my old car once and left a note. I was so grateful they had owned up and it all got sorted very amicably. The week before someone else had hit it (different panel) so we only had to pay for half the repairs. I think that car was just unlucky. These things happen. The expense is ridiculous which makes it worse, but it is what it is.

At least you left your details.

The guy who rear ended me in July failed to follow me to a safe place, so I gave the footage to the police and he'll have been charged with failing to stop.

I even had a yellow diamond warning sign saying I've dashcams front AND rear!