Unpleasant altercation - who was the most unreasonable?

[zerofeeling]

Took my dogs out today and was trying to park in a small space between two cars on a country lane. As I was inching back to fit into the space I heard a loud crunch 😖

The two men from the car behind had just set off on their walk, as I got out of my car one of them was heading back towards me shouting why did I try to park in such a small space. I said sorry and inspected the front of his car - couldn't see any damage at all, and apart from a tiny paint scuff nothing on my car. I said to him 'i can't see any damage, it doesn't look like I hit you'
Man just glanced over at his car then asked me for my details, I asked is that necessary and said again there's no damage. He said that's not the point you have to give your details if you've been in a collision. He was much taller than me and sort of fronting up to me repeating that he wanted my details and me refusing, saying I don't think it was a collision, I think I might have hit something underneath my car. (For info my Mum and a friend have both been scammed on their insurance by people who claimed all kinds of things after very minor prangs)

Then he took an ID wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open to show a photo and badge and said he's Police. I couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. He held his phone up and said he's filming me refusing to comply with the law.
By this time the other man had come back and also filming me and I started to worry - I'm in a secluded area, with two men who are much bigger than me. I told them I felt intimidated and are they trying to scam me?

I got in my car and tried to shut the door but 1st man held onto it to prevent me. I asked if he's trying to detain me and he said no but I will if you don't give me your details, I've identified myself to you as a police officer. I said you've got no right to detain me. Eventually he let go of the door and I had to turn the car round as the lane is a dead end. Once I turned round he said again that I'm breaking the law by refusing to give my details after a collision and he started to recite the Caution they give when you're arrested! I drove away very shaken up, no idea what consequences to expect.

I agree, but as she didn’t exchange details at the scene and didn’t report to the police at the earliest practicable opportunity, she has already committed the offence.

Agree. And also one persons “shouting” is another person’s calling over as they’re some distance away from the car/other person and are simply wanting to make sure the other person isn’t going to scuttle off. But of course that gets framed as angry shouting.

im sure OP will soon believe it all herself in order to ease her conscience when really she knows she hasn’t been honest or fair.

People really are gullible on here.

Again. This is nonsense 😂😂😂 insurers paying out for ‘whiplash’ from someone reversing slowly into a parked car. Really?!!

Why would she bother posting on MN If that's the case?

I think you were unreasonable to try to park in a too small space in the first place. You do need to provide contact details but I can understand you driving away if you didn't feel safe. Having done that though, I'd have gone to the police station and reported it and recorded why I drove away, and reported it to my insurance company.

In the place of the guy, with you driving away, I'd have gone straight to the police station myself, with your plate number and details, and reported you for refusing to provide details and driving away. (Another reason it's important for you to have reported it to police, to show you're not avoiding taking responsibility but drove away because you felt unsafe).

Sometimes damage isn't seen straight away, so it's reasonable he wanted your details.

If it happened as OP described, she would have reported it to the police.

Complete over reaction by everyone involved, OP assuming she's getting scammed and the other driver assuming that OP will drive off without providing insurance details, which she's legally obliged to do.

Only one of those assumptions turned into a reality didn't it.

I might’ve given my details initially, but he still shouldn’t have reacted that way. It sounds horrific. I don’t think they’re allowed to use their warrant cards in that way, and certainly shouldn’t be grabbing your door. Anyone willing to intimidate that way needs reporting.. especially a police officer. I think you really need to make a complaint.

Next thing OP receives a bill from his insurance company for $3K. He used her to pay for a paint job. Attempted Insurance fraud is a thing.I would not exchange insurance information with him if there was no accident, You don't exchange insurance information with people you haven't had an accident with - ergo, exchanging insurance information is an admission there was an accident. If he wants to play hard, tell him to get his witness over and call for a police report. Take video of both cars and don't give a thing. People are ALWAYS trying to game the system.

And an accident is an accident, your premiums are going up regardless of what or who you crashed into.

Because she puts such a spin on it with saying the guy was shouting and she was scared that some people agree she did the right thing and she feels vindicated.

The insurance will only agree to a paint job if they’ve inspected the car and deems it needs one. OP could have swapped details and then told her insurance company she disputed there was any damage, etc.

The OP should have pulled her phone out and made a video of her car, his car, the 'alleged damage' and the man with the "police ID" that way she can show it to her insurance in case there's a claim. I would also file a police report stating said man was threatening you with a police ID and you're concerned it's a fake one.

He has details of your car though (number plate, licence plate, whatever you call it in the UK!) so he could still scam his insurance company if he wanted to.

Erm, if you can drive a car properly you will see these things in advance, they don't just throw themselves in front/to the back of your car. She was squeezing in/out of a parking space that was too small for her vehicle - when parking you tend to notice debris in the way. And if you don't then frankly you shouldn't be in control of a car.

I have reported it to the Police.

Because she wants validation for her behaviour. Most people on here are sensible and can see that no matter which way she spins it - she damaged someone else's vehicle and wanted to leave without consequence. It is that simple. All this stuff around it and him being/not being a police officer is fluff.

There was no damage to any vehicle.

There was paint on one vehicle, besides damage doesn't have to be visible - modern cars have crumple zones that spring back. OP herself said she hadn't bothered to check the underside of the bumper. I am sure she convinced herself of the fact that there was no damage because it served her. But a crunching sound doesn't mean nothing happened - the opposite in fact!

I am getting lots of: "I drove into a car in a supermarket car park but there wasn't a visible sign so it wasn't really a thing" vibe from people on this thread. Take some responsibility. My car skidded on ice into the side of a van and there was no visible damage but I still left a note because I am a responsible driver. It's not hard to do the right thing.

Because they put something on the road that OP hit. Sounds like a scam to me.
Theres a type of scam where people engineer a crash so they can extort money out of you. I was in an incident on the motorway where a car cut in front of me and braked heavily, it was fucking scary.

He's correct though, neither of you could sufficiently tell if there was damage, just because there is no surface damage doesn't mean there's no damage underneath or with fasteners etc, what is to gain by just looking at it?

I had someone reverse into my car outside my house, we both looked and there was a hairline crack on the corner of my back bumper, I said not to bother about it as it was an old car anyway, but driving down a dual carriageway the week after that whole corner of the bumper snapped off! it must have popped of it's fasteners when he hit it, and then the wind pushing it put all the pressure on the cracked corner, which of course gave way.

It sounds like you wanted him to check, see no visible damage and let you off the hook, but your insistence that you hadn't hit it when you clearly put him on alert, maybe if you had APOLOGISED and offered your details, as a first port of call he may have reacted differently and said not to bother, but you won't know now because you chose to act entitled and suspicious instead.

She was parking her car in a parking space... who doesn't see something directly in front of them if they are in control of their car? Honestly...

Not quite the same is it..

being brake checked on the motorway VS driving into a stationary object.

She was reversing. So seeing things in front of her wouldn’t have helped her!

Maybe she was looking out the front and that's how this whole mess happened.