The reporting officer has asked me to circle back regarding damages. The estimate on the body work is ~$630.00.
I am also concerned about engine hesitancy/rough/stall that has developed since this incident.
Any thoughts on if/how this could be related?
We need transman here.
But I think it’s still transmission internal.
Something’s not free spinning as the trans nears idle.
Torque conveter ?
One way sprag clutches ?
You do need to file a police report. But stopping in the middle of the road wasn’t the best course of action. You’re supposed to pull off to the side of the road (if possible) in the event of a collison. If no shoulder is avaible then you should move as far to the side of the street if possible. If your vehicle was pushed whilst in park it could’ve suffered some transmission damage.
It seems to me if the police have a license plate number they can easily find the van and check the front end for damage. When they find the paint from your bumper on his, they will arrest him for hit and run. You also need to press this through your insurer. No-fault does not mean he has no fault. And unless you have no deductible, you will have part of the repairs covered. Your insurer will also recommend a shop that will evaluate your Jeep for any and all damage that may have been done in this accident. You pay your insurer. Make then earn their keep.
"I wonder if…Once the police have the guy in custody, Could they take you, your truck, that guy, and some police personel over to the repair shop and tell them strait up “evrything that’s wrong with this truck, this guy’s paying for.”
AspieFarm
Please don’t become fixated on Ken’s suggestion, above.
While I am sure that he means well, this concept is…flawed.
Sure, the guy who rear-ended you is probably crazy, but that does not necessarily mean that he is stupid! If the police attempted this type of “frontier justice”, that looney guy just might be smart enough to get his attorney involved with charges against the police for overstepping their legal authority. Unless you live in an area that has no court system, police cannot unilaterally decide that somebody is guilty and then assess the penalty that the person must pay.
And, if he is insured, his insurer is the one to pay–not the lunatic who carried out this motorized assault.
Just go through the legal channels that exist, and give some consideration to hiring an attorney. Many attorneys will take cases like this on a Contingent Fee basis. If you lose (which is unlikely), you pay nothing. If you win, the settlement could include the defendant having to pay your legal fees in addition to your actual damages–and possibly also punitive damages. The worst that could happen is that the attorney would get 1/3 of your settlement, but if you discuss the terms before signing a retainer, that may not necessarily be the case.
@ VDCdriver;
I assumed that Ken’s comment for vigilantism by the po-po was tongue-in-cheek. More of a “gee wouldn’t it be righteous if…” kinda thing.
Wish new readers would read the whole thread before rattling my cage, tho 
Any suggestions to get THEM off my rear?
“Any suggestions to get THEM off my rear?”
If you mean the police, then I believe you misunderstand their intentions or just don’t care. I hope it’s the former. The police see a criminal that needs to be brought to trial. If convicted, he will undoubtedly lose his license and quite possibly go to jail. He attacked you will a lethal weapon - his van. If you don’t care, then I suggest you reconsider. Van Killer will be at it again. He’s done it at least once. As long as he gets away with it he will do it again. He could have pushed you into traffic and made you a target for oncoming traffic from the side street. You need to do your part to get him off the road.
@ jtsanders;
Boy-oh-boy did my comment ever go astray! It was in reference to the line above it about people posting here who keep reaming me out for either not reporting it or not handling the situation “right”.
No worries tho, I took the bull by the horns & added a comment to my original post that may solve this issue.
My impression of Van Killer is that the man is a meth-head (skinny scruffy leathery 50s-ish guy practically foaming at the mouth). He probably beats his wife too. And puppies.
I’m planning on doing everything I can to assist law enforcement with prosecuting this guy. He shouldn’t be on the road. Driving is a privilege that should be revoked when someone’s judgement is obviously that impaired.
Actually, the thought had crossed my mind that this guy might have been hopped up on Meth, or Coke, or some other stimulant that makes one feel omnipotent and invincible. And, if you take someone who is mentally unstable to begin with and then add one of those drugs to the mix–look out!
With any luck, when the police figure out who this creep is, they will score the Daily Double by finding illicit substances in his possession when they arrest him!
"My impression of Van Killer is that the man is a meth-head (skinny scruffy leathery 50s-ish guy practically foaming at the mouth). He probably beats his wife too. And puppies.
I’m planning on doing everything I can to assist law enforcement with prosecuting this guy. He shouldn’t be on the road. Driving is a privilege that should be revoked when someone’s judgement is obviously that impaired."
Good for you! And they won’t need a drug bust (@VDCdriver), especially if they can corroborate your story with anyone that works where the incident occurred. I feel much better now that I know you are a responsible adult that is ready to stick up for herself.
Well I hesitate to add my two cents worth. Yes the guy is nuts and should be locked up. But when encountering a crazy person, the first rule is to get out of his way and distance yourself. I know it is anti-intuitive, but really you just have to avoid people like this if at all possible. They now carry guns and knives whether legally or not. Secondly, is this really the kind of person that you want to know your name, address, phone number, the car you drive, and other personal information? I’d want to know a lot more about this person and have a lot more faith in the local law enforcement before I’d actually pursue it. Not chicken, but do you really want to be looking over your shoulder every time you get in your car on a dark night? You cost a crazy person or druggy his license, job maybe, freedom, maybe more, and you really think he will think about it and see the error of his ways? Just saying lets be practical. Have the car checked and repaired. It was a hit and run-it happens, insurance should pay. I’d get a guy though to find out who he is and do a work up on him though.
I’d suggest taking the vehicle to a dealer for estimates and inspection and tell them you want it repaired using original factory parts not China knock offs. Also be sure to give them all the details about the vehicle being in the park position while he was ramming the back of it. This will make the cost of repairs much higher for the idiot that did the damage and will hopefully make him think before doing this again. My son was in an accident about a year ago and the lady that hit him didn’t have insurance, I took the car to the dealer for estimates then contacted the county attorney where the accident happened and had the driver and her brother who owned the car charged for failure to carry liability insurance as required by state law, then it went before a judge who required them to pay restitution for the damages to my car which totaled about $2800. They were not able to pay the full amount up front so now they have to appear before the judge once a month until the balance is paid in full with a receipt from the court showing they have made a payment for restitution that month and also have to provide proof they are now carrying insurance on the vehicle.
Here’s a suggestion for the next time. Get a cell phone so you can dial 911 for a little extra security and more timely reporting to the police. It does not even need to be an activated cell phone for dialing 911. Alternately you can buy a new prepaid cell phone for 10 bucks and keep it activated with your own number for as little as $20 every three months that will buy you 60 minutes of talk time.
If such a person encounters you again and gets out of his vehicle to personally threaten you, it is possible that you might have 911 on the line even before he gets to your car.
For vehicle repairs, you could also consider small claims court. It must be done without a lawyer and know what the dollar limit is in your state. Instructions for the procedure are available; try online first. Be careful that the entire matter is not automatically legally resolved if you get satisfaction for vehicle damage repairs. I would attempt an initial, usually free consultation with a lawyer to determine if you can get some kind of compensation for being threatened. The fine for illegal behavior goes to others, not entirely fair to you.
Doesn’t matter whether you stopped or not, for all he knows your vehicle may have simply stalled or had a mechanical issue, But he assumes you stopped to piss him off, not because your scared and just wanted him to go around you. Clearly the reason not to stop is because you have a potentially dangerous angry violent person behind you and stopping could have afforded him the opportunity to do you harm, luckily it was only your vehicle that was damaged. Fear can make us do irrational things. Clearly the logical thing to do is get out of the way and report to the police, He most likely saw you stopping as a sign of fighting back even though that was not your intent in his angry brain it was you stopping to purposely irratate him. Be smart!! Be Safe!! Sorry I know no mechanical advice, but working in public safety thought I would chirp in on the other subject. If your being Road Raged just get out of the way and get the information and notify the police. You just don’t know these days, even stopping in a crowded public place does not mean your safe from Assault!
To your original question, yes, you do have mechanical damage to your vehicle.
Now, to all the other comments. I agree that you were OK to slow down, but you should not have stopped. You certainly should not speed up, Speed only adds to the danger here. I do understand that in the heat of the moment, you do what seems right at the time.
As for getting any compensation from this guy, it probably wont happen and that does not matter whether you are in a no fault state or not. From your description of his van, he probably has no assets. No lawyer is going to help you sue someone with no assets on a contingency basis.
The most you can hope for here is that the guy is prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and that will take your cooperation, and your willingness to face this guy in court. Even then, a lot will depend on his record and his sanity. If he does indeed have a mental problem, he will probably be ordered to take his meds and loose his license. Within a month, he will stop taking his meds and start driving without a license, which he may not have even now.
The bottom line is, you have been victimized, and you will continue to be victimized by this incident. I’m sorry this has happened to you, I wish it hadn’t, but if not you, he would have hit someone else shortly after. As a society, we have not figured out how to deal with this type of person.
One of those cop shows that puts out a bait car for people to steal…This one guy was high on meth when he stole this car…All on camera…Man…scary…Completely out of control.
I believe you can at least get this before a judge and be compensated for damages through the county court system. As I said in my previous post the lady that hit my son was charged with not having insurance and is having to pay restitution through the court. I suggest you talk to someone at the police department that took the complaint and ask them for details on who you need to notify. In my case I didn’t have to have a lawyer, the county attorney stepped in and handled it for me. I was at the court hearing, but I wasn’t required to be there or testify. I went because I wanted to know exactly what the judge ruled. I had uninsured/under insured coverage, but even my own insurance wanted to undercut my estimates by nearly $1000. and I wasn’t planning to have that happen. I wanted all the damage paid for not just part of it. This was with Allstate whom I had, insurance with for 20+ years. This showed me I needed to change insurance companies, which I did shortly after the accident. Allstate called me wanting me to come back as a customer, I told them they had tried to undercut my estimates by $1000. and that I was very happy with my decision. If the police are no help in this matter you need to contact your insurance company. Protection from these types of matters is part of what you insurance premiums are for.
I would advise you to not only check the brakes, tranny, etc., but also the differential (the part of the car that distributes the power where it is needed most), the suspension, and the drive shaft.