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What happens if my parked car was hit by a FedEx truck?

I had parallel parked my car and was waiting to exit, (I had the door open a few inches) when a FedEx truck drove by and hit my door. I had my car parked close to the curb and my driver's door open just a few inches. The truck struck the top corner of my door with its mirror and the bottom of my door with the step on the truck causing major damage to the outside of the door. What happens now?

Jun 23, 2018 Austin, TX

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Ava Lynch

Insurance Analyst

Ava joined The Zebra as a writer and licensed insurance agent in 2016. She now works as a senior insurance contributor, providing insights and data a…

Credentials
  • 7+ years of Experience in the Insurance Industry

I'm sorry you had this happen, I can imagine how frustrating the situation is! The short answer for what happens next is that it depends. Usually, the moving vehicle is found at fault for damage to a stationary vehicle, as you're required to be in control of your vehicle at all times. However, the insurance company will decide who is at fault in the accident. Ideally, the truck driver would've stopped to provide you with their information or the police would've been called to handle the situation. Since we don't know all the circumstances, it's hard to say exactly what will happen now.

One scenario is that the FedEx driver doesn't claim responsibility. If this is the case, then you should contact your insurance company. If you have collision coverage, you can file a claim with your insurance carrier. If you do file a claim be aware that you can be found responsible and will also be responsible for your deductible. If found responsible, it will also go against you as an at-fault accident that will affect your rate. At-fault accidents will stay on your record for up to five years. You can also refer to our claims calculator and article on how to file claims for more help when it comes to filing a claim.

If you haven't called your local police and the driver didn't take responsibility, then you might want to do this to see what kind of time limitation you have to file a police report. There may be legal options you can pursue, but it's important to check with local law enforcement or an attorney if you decide to go this direction.

Another thing to consider is to get an estimate for the damage to your door and see if it even makes sense to file a claim or police report. This is a decision you have to make for yourself, but it may help you to compare costs (as well as your time and stress). If the door repair costs are fairly low, and your deductible is much higher it may not be worth filing a claim anyway. Best of luck!

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