(300+)The short answer: If someone hits your parked car, check for injuries, call the police, and document the scene before you move anything. If the driver fled, witnesses, nearby security or traffic camera footage, and the police report can help find them, and your own uninsured motorist coverage may cover your injuries when no one identifies the driver. In Pennsylvania, you generally have two years to file an injury claim.
Coming back to a smashed car is upsetting. It’s far worse when you or a passenger were sitting inside, standing beside it, or loading the trunk when another driver slammed into you. Now you’re shaken, maybe hurt, and unsure what’s next. Here’s what happens after someone hit your parked car and how our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Gibbons Legal can help. Your first consultation is free.
In this article, we discuss:
– What to do right after someone hit your parked car
– What to do in a hit-and-run parked car situation
– Whose insurance you call
– How Pennsylvania’s injury law affects your claim
– How long you have to file
What Should You Do Right After Someone Hit Your Parked Car?
Start with people, not paint. Check yourself and anyone with you for injuries first, then call 911. If you, a passenger, or someone standing near the car was injured, tell the dispatcher so they send medical help.
Once everyone is safe, protect your claim. Photograph both vehicles, the damage, and the street. Get the other driver’s name, license, and insurance details if they stayed. Ask nearby witnesses for their contact information, and look for stores, homes, or intersections with cameras. Then call your own insurer.
Visit a doctor that same day, even if nothing hurts yet. Conditions like whiplash or a concussion can stay hidden for hours or days before symptoms surface. A same-day record also links your injuries directly to the crash, which pays off down the road.
What Should You Do In A Hit-and-run Parked Car Situation?
In a hit-and-run involving a parked car, call the police right away and save every piece of evidence you can, because the police report is often the key to finding the driver. A fleeing driver is rarely as anonymous as they think.
Our attorneys at Gibbons Legal help identify drivers by reviewing witness statements, nearby surveillance and traffic camera footage, paint transfer or debris left behind, and the police investigation. A neighbor’s doorbell camera or a shop’s security system can capture the plate that cracks the case. Act fast, because many cameras overwrite footage within days.
Hurt when someone hit your car? Get Gibbons! Call 215-274-0173 for a free consultation.
Someone Hit My Parked Car, Whose Insurance Do I Call?
Call your own insurer first. Because Pennsylvania operates under a choice no-fault system, state law requires every driver to carry liability coverage plus first-party medical benefits, commonly known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP). Those benefits cover your medical bills regardless of who was at fault for the crash. If the police identify the at-fault driver and that person carries insurance, their coverage may cover your other losses.
When no one ever finds the hit-and-run driver, your uninsured motorist coverage can step in and pay for injuries the missing driver should have covered. That’s exactly why you carry it, and our team can help you put it to work.
How Does Pennsylvania’s Injury Law Affect Your Claim?
Two Pennsylvania rules shape what you can recover. First, your coverage election, limited tort or full tort, controls your right to sue (75 Pa. C.S. § 1705). Choosing limited tort generally blocks a claim for pain and suffering unless your injury meets the serious-injury threshold, while full tort leaves that right fully intact. Even under limited tort, don’t count yourself out because exceptions can apply.
Second, the state applies modified comparative negligence (42 Pa. C.S. § 7102). Any blame assigned to you lowers your recovery by that percentage, and crossing the halfway mark bars you from recovering anything. With a parked car, responsibility usually rests squarely on the moving driver, yet insurers will still look for an angle to shift some of it onto you.
How Long Do You Have To File A Claim In Pennsylvania?
From the date of the crash, you generally get two years to bring an injury claim, the window Pennsylvania sets for starting an injury action. Cross the river into New Jersey and the limit is identical. Delay only helps the other side, though. Footage gets overwritten, physical clues disappear, and witness memories blur. Calling sooner keeps your case strong.
Injured When Someone Hit Your Parked Car? Get Gibbons.
You didn’t do anything wrong. You parked your car, and someone else’s carelessness turned your day upside down. You shouldn’t have to battle an insurance company alone while you’re trying to heal.
Our attorneys at Gibbons Legal, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers handle car wrecks, including hit-and-run and parked car cases, across Philadelphia, southeastern Pennsylvania, and southeastern New Jersey. We work on a contingency-fee basis, so you pay no fee unless we win. Your consultation is always free.
Got hurt? Get Gibbons! Call 215-274-0173 today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Parked Car Accidents In Philadelphia
Someone hit my parked car and left. Will my insurance rates go up?
Filing a claim for a hit-and-run you didn’t cause shouldn’t raise your rates the way an at-fault crash can, though policies differ. Report it anyway. Your uninsured motorist coverage may be your only route to recover for your injuries.
What if I were sitting in my car when someone hit it?
If you were inside or right beside your parked car when another driver hit it, you can suffer the same injuries as in any other car wreck. Report it, see a doctor the same day, and keep your records. You may have an injury claim, not just vehicle damage.
Do I need a lawyer if someone hit my parked car?
If no one was hurt, you may handle a minor damage claim yourself. But if you or someone with you was injured or the driver fled, an attorney can protect your claim and handle the insurer. Our consultation is free, so there’s no risk in asking.
How much does it cost to hire Gibbons Legal?
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency basis, meaning no fee unless we recover money for you. Your first consultation is always free.
