So about 2 weeks ago I was hit by a tractor trailer in my 2003 STR, the driver of the semi fled the scene. There was an off duty state trooper who witnessed the accident but he claimed there was nothing they could do since it occurred on "private property". It was a shared driveway between a 7-11 & a local farmers market.

Anyway I survived unscathed, but the car was a little mangled. I threw it into reverse as he was about to tag me, so he only managed to crush the drivers side fender and tear off the bumper cover and misc pieces. I even managed to drive it home! My insurance ruled it as no-fault uninsured motorist and are fixing the car.

 

That sucks! Glad it wasn't any worse.

 

Thanks! Me too, the state trooper said if I hadn't backed up the 10 feet, that I would have been crushed to death. he said the other driver just wasn't paying attention.

 

Maybe he couldn't issue the guy a ticket, but would you would have a case against him for property damage?

 

The cop didn't try to follow him when he took off? Hrmmmm

 

Your laws may be different but here you could sue for the damage (private or public place makes no difference for such a case) and if need be summons the witness (unlikely to be needed).

 

Good to hear youre alright and the car wasnt totaled. That sucks I'd actually think that the trooper was suppose to pull him over and inform him of what he did, maybe even escort him back to the accident scene. The trooper witnessed it no guessing here, regardless if the truck driver realized what he did and kept going or was unaware, to me its still a hit and run. I had an incident 2 weeks ago on I75 where a semi lost its retread a lady that wasnt paying attention ran directly over it with her tires whipped it towards me and its slapped window so hard i thought it came thru. It looked like one of us took the dsc off and nailed it right up the one side of the windshied(hence it was a non Quaife unit STR LOL), it had a rubber mark! later on i looked once i got where i was going and the steel belts actually very lightly grazed the hood leaving white marks on a black car, and also took the clip off of the windshield wiper. The next day i took it to the collision shop i deal with and in 15 minutes of me in the office i came out and it looked like nothing happened to the hood. Its stratched the clear! Sweeewh close call

 

He would have lost his CDL for something like that. I would have chased him down on foot!

 

Thanks everyone. The off duty state trooper told me that since the shared driveway was on private property that it was a non reportable accident, meaning there wasn't anything he could do. To be perfectly honest I was surprised he didn't tear *** after the guy, VA state troopers love a good chase.

 

Hmmmm...trooper didn't want to chase the perp.
Conspiracy theory here.....is it possible the cop knew the perp and didn't want to chase him...

 

Off duty may be all it is.

 

The off duty cop could have at least gotten his plate or his name out of courtesy by showing his badge. I would look up your local statutes to verify if there is such a law. I wouldn't let this one go...

 

I'm a retired NJ Trooper and I gotta tell ya, the trooper did the right thing - he reported himself as a witness. On your day off, you don't chase down crappy drivers who commit minor motor vehicle offenses. You witness it, you report it, you make sure no one is injured, and you let the system run its course. Now, had the Trooper witnessed a murder or some other capital offense he'd have given chase for sure, off-duty or not. Cut the trooper some slack - he was off-duty and has a life just like the rest of us.

 

Glad to hear you are ok and no one was injured.
Steve

 

I guess the key word here is OFF DUTY, didnt read the original post in detail. Thanks for the clarification

 

On with the show, the car is still in the shop. Evidently the shop cannot locate the mesh grille & black surround for my car, and the headlight is damaged so they're replacing it.

But they seem to be having a hard time getting the parts at all, strange.

 

Well the journey is almost over, the car is back home and back on the road, new driver side fender, new bumper cover & absorbers, new drivers side headlight. The body shop could not locate the mesh grille & black painted surround, so they installed a standard chrome one with the painted bars.
It sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe I can find a new mesh grille on my own. Anyone have one of those lying around for an 03 STR? Do the later model years 2004-2008 fit as well?

In other news I need some new O2 sensors, and a rear parking brake actuator.

 

Good to hear. I think the grille can be bought on ebay fairly cheaply. Or Mina, but not so cheap.

 

Most of the ones I've seen on ebay are the wrong color or need modification in order to work. I'll keep my eyes open

 

Wreckers will have them. Look for a car that's right then email asking for the part(s) you want.