I was rear ended and left the scene. Now I have a letter from police. What do I do?

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

I was rear ended while trying to pass a car two weeks ago, pulled over and the man was acting crazy yelling so I left the scene (plz help I know that was STUPID) pulled over and checked my car and there was no damage so i figured it was no big deal...because he rear ended me!...BIG MISTAKE! I just received a letter from the police that I was involved in a hit and run...I have 2 contact them tomorrow. what can/should i say? again there is no damage 2 my vehicle, not even a scratch! there was no witnesses and no cameras. What are the chances of this going anywhere in the legal system if I claim nothing happened... and if I do attempt to explain this to law enforcement how should I say it?

TamyLove7489 said:

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

I was rear ended while trying to pass a car two weeks ago, pulled over and the man was acting crazy yelling so I left the scene (plz help I know that was STUPID) pulled over and checked my car and there was no damage so i figured it was no big deal...because he rear ended me!...BIG MISTAKE! I just received a letter from the police that I was involved in a hit and run...I have 2 contact them tomorrow. what can/should i say? again there is no damage 2 my vehicle, not even a scratch! there was no witnesses and no cameras. What are the chances of this going anywhere in the legal system if I claim nothing happened... and if I do attempt to explain this to law enforcement how should I say it?

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Please clarify the situation. How EXACTLY did the accident happen?

I was passing him on the far right hand lane on a 5 lane road (2 lanes going north, and 2 south). By the time it was clear I started to merge into the next lane (his lane) and he must have sped up as i put my eyes on the road in front of me, he hit me in the rear causing his front passenger fender to wrinkle and no damage to my vehicle, not even a scratch.

TamyLove7489 said:

I was passing him on the far right hand lane on a 5 lane road (2 lanes going north, and 2 south). By the time it was clear I started to merge into the next lane (his lane) and he must have sped up as i put my eyes on the road in front of me, he hit me in the rear causing his front passenger fender to wrinkle and no damage to my vehicle, not even a scratch.

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Per your post, you are at fault. You entered the other drivers lane. Give your insurance info to the other driver and call your agent to report the accident.

And yeah - you NEED to respond to the cops' letter. I'd talk to a lawyer first, though. A hit & run isn't something to play with.

Also you need to report the accident to your insurance company so they can pay for the other driver's damage.

TamyLove7489 said:

What are the chances of this going anywhere in the legal system if I claim nothing happened...

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"Claiming that nothing happened" means lying to the police and I'm not sure whether anyone here will advice you on how to accomplish that. You don't know if there were any witnesses and frankly I wouldn't risk it!

As it stands, you could be charged with either:
* "failure to exchange insurance information at the scene of the accident" (VC 16025 V C Section 16025 Mandatory Exchange of Information) -an infraction- or
* "leaving the scene of an accident (VC 20002 V C Section 20002 Permissible Action Duty Where Property Damaged) -a misdemeanor-
* in addition to the possibility of being issued a citation for an unsafe lane change, if you are deemed to be at fault based on your statement and that of the other driver/witnesses,
* or all of the above.

... and by claiming that it never happened, you could be adding more charges.

TamyLove7489 said:

... and if I do attempt to explain this to law enforcement how should I say it?

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Get yourself an attorney before speaking to the police!

ecmst12 said:

Also you need to report the accident to your insurance company so they can pay for the other driver's damage.

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Also, if damage to either vehicle is in excess of $750 (and a damaged fender could easily exceed that), you are be required to report the accident to the DMV within 10 days from the date it occurred. (VC section 16000 V C Section 20002 Permissible Action Duty Where Property Damaged)

---Quote (Originally by TamyLove7489)---
I should let everybody know that I intend of claiming no knowledge of a collision whatsoever. Obviously my car will be inspected or impounded for investigation, and after they find no evidence of a collision then there is no case... *am I right*?

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You also need to realize that, while YOU may not have seen any damage, there is likely damage that will be discovered when the car is inspected by a mechanic. There are also witnesses that will have provided your plate number. Lying about it is going to make things worse for you.