A (potential) car incident

[hahavzv]

Hi mumsnetters,

I'm in a situation and I just don't know what to think about it (not trying to be defensive) and don't know how to handle this situation.

A person has rang up my kids school saying someone has hit their car and if this is not sorted then they will escalate this further.

I was contacted today by the school to say is this your car reg and it was. My car has been caught on cctv (apparently) hitting a car and 'running off'.

Now, I am not aware of hitting a car, well not that I know of. I was given the persons contact details which I was happy to take so I could discuss this further with them. I rang them and they were extremely defensive saying that I am a bad person and who would do such a thing etc. I asked have you personally seen this cctv footage and also if you could send me pictures of the damage done to your car. They also mentioned that there was an eyewitness who left a note with tier number saying that it was a hit and run.

I am not a hit and run type of person so this person has gotten the wrong end of the stick.

I have asked the person to also send me the cctv footage so I can review it too. They have refused to do so. I don't know why. They have said you can contact the school and obtain this your self.
I will be looking to get this done and check out the whole footage.

But what do you think I should do? A part of me is like maybe I did hit a car but unaware. The photos of the damage are scratched as if bumper to bumper scrape kind of thing.

Any advice please.

By the way, I am the only driver of the car and it was at the time that I would've been around at the school.

It’s a scam. Tell them to go through your insurers. It won’t go anywhere, and even if it was for real you won’t get ripped off. Otherwise, they will insist on going to their Cousin Bob’s workshop, and cousin Bob will charge several thousand over what it would actually cost to repair. Do absolutely nothing outside of your insurance with this one.

Another vote for a scam. Tell them you will only go through insurers, give your insurers their details and then block them. It's a no brainer.

Could be a scam but at my work I came back and found similar damage on my back side of the car, next day went and found a car with residue of my paint on their bumper at the right height, but no damage on theirs.
You'd have thought their car would be much more damaged given the paint scuffed off mine.

Left a note and they were quite funny about it but did pay for a smart repair in the end (one of the mobile places). I think he genuinely had no idea he'd done it, only the evidence he saw (and the impossibility of me being able to cause the damage due to the layout) caused him to believe me (grudgingly)

I have read op messages and some at the beginning but not RTFT so apoligise if this has been covered
cctv Is GDPR so no one should be veiwing it besides the police with a request. It’s literally the most basic and standard policy. School should not be showing anyone. It shouldn’t be a case if they’ve shown the other party so you are entitled to see it too … they shouldn’t have shown the other party anyway!

Always go through insurance. Its just not worth the potential scam or future issues with the person.
Insurers will view CCTV if available and make a decision. If the school have given a individual the CCTV footage they will give an insurer the footage. If you didn't even stop your movements (like get out and check etc) then it will be obvious you either didn't do it or didn't have any idea you did anything

What should I do if someone falsely accuses me of hitting their car?

If someone has claimed that you hit them with your car, and you are unaware of any such incident, it's important to handle this situation with care and legality. Here's what you should do:

1. Do Not Admit Fault or Make Statements: It's crucial not to admit fault or make any definitive statements about the incident, especially since you are not aware of it. Any admission can be used against you in legal or insurance proceedings.
2. Contact Your Insurance Company: Inform your auto insurance provider about the claim against you. Provide them with all the details you have about the alleged incident. Insurance companies have experience in dealing with such claims and can offer guidance.
3. Document Everything: Write down everything you remember about your driving at the time the incident supposedly occurred, including your route, speed, traffic conditions, and any other relevant details. If you have a dashcam, save and review the footage.
4. Seek Legal Advice: Consult with a personal injury lawyer or a lawyer specializing in auto accidents. They can provide legal advice on how to proceed, especially if the claim escalates to a lawsuit or if there are significant discrepancies in the claim.
5. Gather Evidence: If possible, collect evidence that supports your case. This can include dashcam footage, GPS data from your car, or statements from witnesses who were with you or saw your driving.
6. Be Prepared for an Investigation: Your insurance company, and possibly the other party's insurance company, will likely conduct an investigation into the claim. Be cooperative but cautious in your interactions. Let your lawyer guide you in how much information to share.
7. Stay Calm and Professional: It's natural to feel stressed or anxious in such situations, but it's important to stay calm and handle everything professionally. Avoid direct confrontations or communications with the other party, as this can complicate matters.
8. Consider Your Legal Options: If you genuinely believe you are not at fault, and the evidence supports you, discuss with your lawyer the possibility of defending against the claim. Your lawyer can advise on the best course of action, whether it's a settlement discussion or preparing for litigation.

Remember, these situations can be complex and the implications serious. It's in your best interest to approach this with a clear, logical mindset and professional legal support. Your priority is to protect your rights while ensuring that the matter is resolved fairly and lawfully.

That must be a very small school with not much else to do if The Head is phoning a load of parents and asking if thats their reg number.
I know of a couple of accidents in our school car park and The school refused to get involved at all.
My advice would be to do nothing

This situation would be cured by a dashcam, front and rear facing cameras. If your car was hit, you would see the car shake a little even at low speed collision. That would give you solid evidence.

Scam!!!! Always go through insurance but the fact they saying they don't want to as you might not have insurance...sounds like they don't and trying to scam you

Think about it. It’s highly unlikely you’d hit a car and not hear/feel it. I’ve bumped a car lightly before and have been bumped and you absolutely know what’s happened.

Maybe they scraped your car, not the other way round.
Ask for the CCTV if school will provide it.
And even if it shows you did cause tge damage do go through the insurance, they can't insist you don't

I hit a car recently in a car park, my bumper scraped along the other car briefly. We both felt it.
Lucky for me he was a decent man and we got it fixed for£300 and he sent me an email saying that that was the end of it.
Looking at the damage on the other car you would have known unless you were incredibly distracted

Nope... wouldn't be engaging with this any further until you have seen the CCTV and you're happy that you were at fault.

I would point blank refuse to engage until you're sent this footage, they could be taking the complete piss. And the fact they don't want this going to insurance is just dodgy.

How do you know they didn't scrape your car? did you get out at any point? GDPR as someone mentioned is not being followed by the school if they have shown CCTV to a random. maybe someone in the school is in on it? very dodgy but what ever you do, don't say you cant remember, say you didn't do it.

@hahavzv doesn’t look like your car could have caused those marks, looks like the marks on your car would be lower. It all sounds very dodgy. The school shouldn’t have given out your reg either - they should have told the person to involve the police who could request the footage. I would not be giving out insurance details until it was proven my car hit theirs - if that were the case I’d get three quotes for the damage and pay for it, or then involve my insurer if it was a large amount of money.

It is not THEIR choice whether YOU go through your insurance. Your insurers will do the investigating, that's what you pay insurance for. It very much begins to sound as though they're just trying to rip you off. Stand your ground.

A dashcam is always good advice, but they do not record damage/movement whilst parked unless hardwired with a battery protection circuit.

Not doing so will rapidly lead to a flat and/or damaged car battery.

Unless your vehicle has bits that stick out at wheel level it is not credible that damage was caused by your vehicle. Think about what shape could create both upper and lower scrapes. (the white on the other car could be primer rather than from the scraping car)

That sort of low level scrape is usually from nudging a bollard/low wall.

(It is likely to be an expensive fix by the way, modern vehicles have all sorts of sensors in the 'bumper' and replacing the whole thing is what they usually do, meaning time to refit & recalibrate sensors etc. is what costs. Hence its attractive to scammers as superficially it looks trivial but when you agree to pay the bill goes to £3-5k)

The damage on the other car is white?? And your car isn't?

OP you have been told by numerous people to go through your insurance. That is all you have to do.

Get their insurance details from them. Give them yours. Contact your insurance company with their details and leave it to them.

If they do not want to get insurance companies involved that's their tough luck. They either go through the insurance company or they dont get it sorted.

I would be more concerned about my child's school giving out CCTV footage to anyone to be quite honest and I think I would be speaking to the governors to find out why they are allowed to do this - it is a data breach surely!

This happened to me! I was accused of scraping a car and driving off, it was a police officer who came to my door after a bystander gave the other driver my reg and they reported it. Police officer could tell I had no clue what was going on, so to let insurance handle it as it clearly wasn't a hit and run, so a civil matter.
My insurer asked for robust evidence that I did not only damage the car, but that I was even at the scene. Other insurer only provided an invoice for costs for fixing the damage. My insurer rejected the claim, so it ended up only affecting the other person's premiums, I guess, not mine.
My advice is no further contact with the other party, tell your insurer, and if they can't provide concrete evidence then there's nothing the other person can do.

She had quoted my reg number to which I said it is my car.
I did say I have no recollection of hitting your car. She said I've done a hit and run. She has cctv of me hitting the car and driving off.
I then asked her if she can send me photos of the damage and if she can share the cctv footage so I know what she has seen. She has said I will send you pictures but not cctv. To this I said, well how do I know if I have hit you if I can't see anything? She said I could go to the school and obtain this myself.

Anyhow, I have contacted the school to ask if I can obtain footage. She doesn't know that I've done this as I am not messaging her until I know what's happened. I don't want her to use anything against me.

I am awaiting a reply regarding the footage. I will take it from there. If there is no evidence of me hitting the car, then that's that. If I did hit her car, it must've been very little because I have minimal marks on my car. Again, I will check to see if the extent of the damage is seen from the cctv because to me, my damage and her damage don't add up. I don't know if she's had those marks from before. So I need to clarify all this.

If I did do all this, then I will clearly say yes it was me and will pay for the cost of repair. That's seems the logical thing to do.

I also checked out my policy last night and it does say that my excess is £810 so I don't think my insurance would even cover this.

Her damage is big enough & you would have felt the impact. She might have only noticed damage at school making assumption it was next to car. Maybe happened night before & she didn’t see. A white vehicle hit her - or she hit it!

Another bit on my car I've noticed