hit and run accident in NYC?

Question

My fiancee was JUST in a hit and run accident driving home here in NYC (Queens). The person cut him off, went right into his side mirror and pulled off part of his bumper. He is fine (thank God) but the other person did not even stop. Another car sped up got his plate numbers and brought them back to my fiancee. He is currently at the police station filing a report, but what will happen. Can they catch the other person by just the plates? 

We are not from here and heard NYC has a no fault clause or something? We are fully insured.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

He simply reports this to his own insurance company along with a copy of the police report.  His insurance company will make repairs and then try to track the offender down.  

 I would treat some of these complicated and less than honest answers here with a "grain of salt"

Anonymous · Answer

Here's the deal: if he hit and ran, he/she likely has an expired registration, possibly stolen car, likely no insurance. So that means you're going to have to rely on your own insurance.  IF, by some chance, everything is legit and this was just a drunk driver who didn't want to deal with cops and all of his/her insurance is on the up and up AND if the police write a report that places this person at fault and their charged with hit and run, your insurance company will try to recover from their insurance.  

The best case scenario, in this situation and this is purely fantasy because of the hit and run:  You get the other driver's insurance information, the police ticket the other driver, you call THE OTHER DRIVER'S INSURANCE FIRST AND NOT YOURS and tell them you were just involved in an accident with their driver and you want to file through his insurance.  THEY WILL TRY TO TALK YOU OUT OF IT, but tell them he was issued a ticket and you will fax the police report to them when you get it.  When his/her insurance company gets the information and they approve you will be able to ask for a rental car paid for by his/her insurance. Ask for it, you deserve it. Again, go through his/her insurance first.  You don't need to call your insurance.  

I have done this many times in a variety of accident scenarios in New York, New Jersey and Nevada.  If the accident is clearly the other person's fault, that is to say one of the examples:
1. you were parked and they hit you
2. rear end collision
3. any accident where the officer tickets them for a moving violation

You go through their insurance first.  Depending on their insurance the claim could take a couple of days or a month.  State Farm gave me amazing service when I was t-boned by a woman running a red. Geico took forever in another situation.

Good luck, don't let the insurance company push you around and get that police report.  I hope the dude had insurance.

hit and run accident in NYC?

2 Answers