Somebody Clipped My Car; Unsure What To Do
Hey all,
I've never been in an accident before and I'm unsure how to proceed at this point – any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Last night around 11:30pm, I was turning off a major street onto a residential street to stop at a gas station. I turned right onto the side street, then paused before starting to turn left into the station. As I began to turn, somebody came around the corner at a very high rate of speed, tried to drive around my turning car, and our cars clipped each other. I checked my mirrors before I began turning, which speaks to how fast this guy was coming around this blind corner.
We stopped and both got out and I expected him to apologize, but instead he immediately launched into, "Don't you check your mirrors? This is a brand new car!"
There was no damage to my vehicle, aside from some rubber left on my bumper, and I couldn't see any real damage to his either – simply that the built-up dirt on his door had been rubbed away by my wheel. He was insistent that there was damage, that it was my fault, and that I needed to pay for it. I asked if we could clean the dirt off his door to see if there was any actual damage, but he refused.
We ended up exchanging numbers, drivers license information and insurance information. We both took a number of pictures of both cars. The whole time I was in a daze. He said he would visit a body shop and call me. We did not call the police – I could see no damage to either car – but I am unsure if this was a mistake, in retrospect.
One complicating factor is that the vehicle I was driving (an older model minivan) belongs to my partner's parents. I should note: it is insured and I'm also insured, however we don't own a vehicle as we live in the city and commute for work, so I'm insured through my family's insurance.
So at this point I'm unsure what to do. I don't believe I'm at fault, and I'm certainly not interested in paying for some phantom repairs to this guy's car. My expectation is that the invisible damage will turn into a $900 body shop estimate, at which point it might be in my best interest to suggest he put it through his insurance. I'm unsure if there will be significant repercussions to that for me. I'm also unsure whether I should contact the police at this point, and whether there is some risk in doing that.
I would love any thoughts that people have. I'm still pretty shaken up and can't get this out of my mind.
Thanks!