That's annoying: The parked car is damaged and the driver who caused the accident is nowhere to be seen.
This is how it goes for the injured party.
It can happen to any car driver, no matter how cautious: another road user causes an accident or bumps into the parked car - and does not accept responsibility.
Get off, so get away from it.
Or, as it is legally correct: Leaves the scene of the accident without permission.
Of course, without leaving a note under the wiper, which is not necessarily sufficient from a purely legal point of view, but would at least help the victim a little.
Hit and run: who pays for the damage now?
Victims must pay attention to this
What's next for the injured party?
"The victim is often left with the costs," says Johannes Kautenburger, motor vehicle expert at the KÜS expert organization, which is not very comforting: "Neither your own motor vehicle liability insurance nor, in most cases, a partially comprehensive insurance policy will cover the costs.
Only the fully comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by unknown third parties.
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Important after hitting the road: Always notify the police.
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© David Indianlied/dpa/Illustration
However, there will probably be a downgrade in the no-claims bonus, which will increase the insurance premium.
The insurance company calculates whether it is ultimately cheaper to grudgingly bear the damage yourself.
Hit and run: In any case, call the police
However, there are certainly chances of identifying the culprit - even if it doesn't always have to be as weird as in this curious case.
In any case, you should call the police.
In addition, "it is advisable to photograph the scene of the accident and your own vehicle and to look for possible witnesses yourself," explains expert Kautenburger.
Sometimes cameras are also installed.
If they are not dummies and there are no data rights objections (as with Tesla's watchdog function), the recordings may show the accident driver.
Hit and run: Perpetrators face high penalties
If the perpetrator can then be identified, his liability insurance will pay for the damage.
In many cases, the insurance company recovers at least part of the money from the accident escapee.
He is also threatened with fines and driving bans.
In the case of significant property damage of around 1,000 euros - a value that can be reached today with a moderate parking bump - the driver's license can also be revoked.
If people are harmed, the courts can even impose a prison sentence of several years.
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Incidentally, the “unnoticed hit and run” is not punished.
However, "not noticing must be plausible," according to the KÜS man.
This can only happen with minor scratches, accidents that result in dents in the sheet metal of the opposing car can hardly be ignored.
Anyone who leaves the scene of the accident in the first panic should report to the police as soon as possible - this can have a mitigating effect, especially in the case of minor damage.
List of rubrics: © David Inderlied/dpa/Illustration
