Sorry, but you are they guys I trust with all things related to cars - not just 914's.

My daughter lives in Nashville TN and got hit and run sideswiped on the highway coming home from work last night.

She never saw the car, got hit on the passenger side, spun out, went across 3 lanes and then backwards up an embankment (ok she wasn't going slow, which means the jerk-off was hauling ass).

No one stopped, it took 3 hours for the cops to arrive, and then they just rubber stamped it and tried to get her to drive it home rather than have it towed (presumably because he didn't want to have to wait for the wrecker).

She was obviously shaken up, and he had no way of knowing if the car was safe to drive - the 3 hour delay and telling her to drive the car is really pissing me off to the point I want to complain to the Nashville PD department!

Luckily her boyfriend drove out and stayed with her the entire time.

Even though there is paint and a chunk of the other cars mirror housing stuck on her car, it doesn't seem the cops are going to do anything - should they be?

It is a 6-speed stick and she is concerned that the trans or motor might have been damaged when she went a couple hundred yards backwards - should she be?

The car was hard to start at first, but ran fine after it cleared.

Because of the door damage, the window won't go down all the way (understandable) but some other electrics and the radio were acting up (damaged wiring?).

She is trying to get Liberty Mutual to consider it an accident with a non-insured motorist because that is a lower deductible than collision.

She is concerned about the rear suspension being damaged or other damage not discovered by the body shop - should she be?

I guess this is mostly a rant, but is there anything else she should be doing?

Is anybody in the area and know a great body shop?

I told her to call the mini dealer and ask who they used.

Besides being grateful that she wasn't hurt, getting the car fixed and moving on - is there anything else she should do?

Around here, all the hi-ways have cameras. Maybe there is a way to get footage of the accident... As far as the car is concerned, obviously you will need a skilled reputable repair facility to go to and assess ALL the damage. I'm pretty sure someone here will know of a good shop in your area.
The car is the car, and can be repaired (metal and plastic). Most importantly, your daughter is okay!

Glad no injuries!

I'm happy she's fine.
My experience with finding the idiot that hit her is that she might be hunting a ghost. I would be happy to see him punished but she won't get any material benefit from it, just satisfaction. Best case, she will get her deductible back.
Now think about the amount of time and energy she will spend looking for the other driver. It's sad but I would just fix the car and continue with my life. I would live happier.
Life is not always fair and you need to chose your battles. As long as she's not hurt and all the damage is an insurance deductible, it will be soon forgotten.

I was hit in the same way by an uninsured tourist driver. She stopped and gave me her info of the rental car an address in Ireland and then she flew out home. I know who she is and to claim the deductible from her it will cost me more than the money I can get. Just an example.

Talk to a lawyer. They'll tell you if you have a case or not and at least what your options are. They know how to deal with the insurance companies as well as the police.

Two points:

If this happened last night, why does the damaged metal appear rusted?

I must have missed what year and type of car, my guess is it will be totaled.

I have worked these type of claims on the insurance side.
My statements are from years of daily work experience.
Not to be brash, but my answers will be straight forward and blunt.
I'm glad your daughters OK.

That being said most likely LM will consider it a collision,
as your daughter cannot prove the other driver was uninsured,
and she was in the car when it happened.
The behavior of the police is typical, and they will not attempt to find the other party.
The reason it took 3 hours for them to show was there were no reported injuries when the initial call was made.
In order to get the highway cameras you will most likely need a subpoena.
Again, typical.
It is not within the LM work process to seek out the other driver,
primarily as there are no, or minor injuries.
What that means is there were no fatalities, and their liabilities are minimal.
Its not worth their time since they don't have the information handed to them
on a silver platter to pursue the other driver.

Your daughter should have concerns about the drive train on the Mini.
Start with the engine mounts.
Remember that the vehicle should be repaired at the shop of her choice, not LM's.
I would make sure that the facility has other Mini's on the shop floor.
They have curtain characteristics mechanically that only shops with that background would know.

Best,

Thom

Rust or undercoating? It's a 2012 Mini Cooper S as stated in the post.

The other car was red, you can see a chunk of the red mirror wedged under the Mini's mirror

I'm sure someone saw what happened. The fact that no one stopped even to make a call on their cell phone is what bothers me most. All things considered, it seems she was pretty lucky not to have been badly hurt, besides the mental trauma of being in an accident. Being caromed across three lanes, she could have been hit again pin ball style and severely injured. I'm sorry she had to suffer through this but she'll get over it in time.

A mini is a car that will be totaled from even the most minor accident. Sad but true . It just isnt made for anything more then to survive the wreck . If it were my daughter i would not trust a repaired mini to keep her safe no matter who fixes it
Unless a roll cage is installed

If it were me id drop off the car at pick a parts and buy something
Else

They are cool cars but not what id call durable at all

Thanks Thom,

Yours and others remarks are pretty much what I expected, I just didn't want time to pass only to find out we should have done this or that.

what pisses me off the most, and you didn't address is the cop wanting her to drive the car from the scene. What if a brake line was damaged? What if the exhaust was damaged and leaked CO2 into the car? What if... what if... what if....

She found a Mini Cooper specialty shop in Nashville "Cooper's Garage" that she will query for a body shop familiar with Mini's.

I agree, but it depends on what happened when she went backwards up the hill dragging the underside of the car.

The side swipe itself is a door, mirror and quarter panel....

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/d...6440660051.html


Supposed to be the safest car ever made

I agree, it pissed me off too - who wouldn't stop to at least see if she was ok?

While emotional in the moment, she is a strong (almost 28 y.o.) kid and is already pretty calm and matter of fact today.

FWIW she recently did her own brake job on this car and on her old Focus she did everything including tie rod ends, brakes , exhaust, emission control parts, etc. herself

Yes she is one of us!

Yeah, safe from being stolen!

In "my jurisdiction" the insurer will pay for repairs etc caused by an "unidentified motorist". HOWEVER, it will only do so if the claimant has made various inquiries, including "posting ads seeking any witnesses to the collision". Not sure if that applies in any way to your daughter's insurance particulars....just a possible heads up.

Paul

Glad to hear your kid's OK. Depending on how fired up you are or she is... Driving home from work means same group of cars every day. Put a sign in the window asking for witnesses with a throw-away email. Keep it in the window for a week, maybe you get lucky. I'd lay 5:1 odds she might even see the guy that hit her while driving home some other day. She knows the color and what damage it would have.

So the shop the Mini dealer suggested has lots of bad reviews.

The shop LM suggested had ok reviews, but she feels the reviews don't come from real "car people".

The Mini specialist shop recommended a small independent shop (Rivergate Body Shop) that has nothing but 5 star reviews and was described as a perfectionist by the Mini specialist....

She is covered for OEM parts which made her happy.

I don't think she will go as far as posting signs, but I know she will be looking for it on the highway!

I would also ask about the shop on the mini forum (like this place). I love my 06 S, and they are weird cars to work on that many shops don't understand. Glad she is ok. Surprised if not totaled, though. Having mechanicals inspected by shop?

Good idea, I suggested she look into it.

The Police report should qualify it as a hit and run accident. In Nevada we have No Fault Ins so the Police report is the closest we come to legal responsibility.

You will likely never find the car, but a post on FB and CL has shown to do wonders. But still, to get the deductible back you will likely have to go to Small Claims Court and prove it, usually not worth it. A bat to the windshield or slashed tires feels better -- has to be replaced thus costs money and time immediately.

Don't worry, a body shop will find all the damage and some.

I don't know how old your daughter is but I have two, one in her early twenties and one in her late twenties.

I have an answer that you might not like to the last question:

No.

Consider her in your prayers and that she wasn't hurt. Biggest lesson it seems to me is the value in uninsured motorist ins...in California it's a no fault state so my daughter didn't carry full comprehensive insurance " it costs more"...so the car went un-repaired and she saved her money and bought a new one later.

You are probably a great Dad and I myself struggle sometimes to let them grow and let go.

UPDATE: So she ended up being sore the next day and is going to physical therapy for it - overall she is fine.

The car started out with an estimate $2-3k under total, but as they found damage underneath it has now been declared totaled (rock bent a crossmember, exhaust got shoved forward damaging the cat)

They are giving her the lower deductible for uninsured motorist ($200 vs. $500) even though they did not stop - she only had to supply the police report.

She also had the "newer car replacement" rider on her policy (1 year newer with 15,000 fewer miles) and will end up with $3-4k cash to use as a down payment on another car.

Thanks for your concern and advice,

Scott

Glad she wasn't seriously hurt and getting out of it ok.