A resident of Virginia Beach, VA, was cut off by a box truck and forced off of Route 13 near princess Anee, Maryland (MD). The truck did not stop after the incident, in which the women said the other vehicle sideswiped her car and knocked off a side mirror, according to delmarvaNOW!.com.
The 70-year-old woman then chased the truck down the highway and called the police. Responding state troopers stopped the truck but said they could not determine who was at fault and did not issue any citations. Instead, the officers wrote a report and informed the woman that her insurer and the company holding the truck driver’s insurance policy would need to fight it out. For his part, the trucker denied causing any damage, which gave the state troopers little evidence for charging the truck driver with leaving an accident scene.
The commander of the troopers told the press that the troopers followed standard procedure for accident reporting, when an accident involved minor damage and no injuries. The procedure was to write a report, verify drivers’ insurance, and have drivers exchange information. The procedure expedited the reporting process in minor damage accidents, preventing cars from obstructing traffic.
Truck do not always know they have made contact with another vehicle. To get a recovery, a car accident victim may need to engage a personal injury lawyer to investigate physical evidence such as transfer of paint from the truck. While insurance companies may figure it out, watch our video on insurance company tricks.
Disputed insurance cases often end up in subrogation. This could happen in this case bcause tthe woman’s insurance company paid her damages, minus a $500 deductible. If her insurer subsequently finds evidence against the truck driver, she may be reimbursed her $500 nd her insurance company could recoup the money it paid her from the trucker’s policy.
To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in a truck accident, check out our case results in this area.
LC