Every time somebody loses their lives due to drunk driving, this sparks Malaysia’s interest. The statistics don’t seem encouraging since more than 1,100 people lost their lives due to drunk driving from 2011 to 2018. Fortunately, it is more often than a person driving under the influence causes car and property damage. What should you do when your automobile gets hit by a drunk driver? Here is a detailed guide on how to act in these situations.
The Better Scenario: The Driver Is There and Ready to Admit Guilt
Nobody likes to participate in an accident, and especially not to get hit by a drunk driver. The best scenario that could happen is that the incident is minor and that the other car’s driver is at the scene. That might mean they hit you from behind while you stopped at an intersection. We will assume that it is their fault. The first thing you want to confirm is that no one is injured. If the only damage is the one to your car, try to communicate with the other party. Are they too drunk and not capable of communicating properly? If they seem impolite, do not hesitate to call the police right away. It will be far easier if the driver knows that they caused the accident and is willing to blame the damage. Always insist on making an incident report, and don’t forget to take photos of the scene. That way, you will have proof about who caused the damage. It could prove useful if the other party changes their story and refuses to accept the blame later.
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The Worse Scenario: The Driver Is Not There
Here is a hypothetical situation – you park your car in a parking spot to go for a walk. Once you return to the vehicle, you realize someone hit you. They ran away from the scene, which is an automatic sign that they refuse to take the blame. You can look for a note on the vehicle to see if the driver left the contact information. If that is not the case, here is what you need to do:
- Contact the police immediately. You want to report the incident, and the police can also assist you in filing everything properly. The police will try to find the car owner by looking at the surveillance cameras at the spot.
- You can help the police by asking around to look for potential witnesses. If anyone saw what happened, ask them to give a statement to the police. It could help in finding the person that caused the accident.
- Use your smartphone to take photos of the accident. Make sure not to move your vehicle before the police arrive. Take multiple images from different angles to get an accurate portrayal of the damage.
Once you have the other driver’s information, it is time to file a report against their insurance company. To do that, you should first get a car to the workshop to get an appraisal and fix the damage. Based on the paperwork provided by the mechanic, you will now the compensation sum to demand. The claim must be as detailed as possible. Contact the company to find out everything that they require for filing a claim. Make sure to file it within the specified timeframe. If you don’t have the information about the other party, you can try filing a claim with your insurance company. The claim might be approved if you have the option to claim a No-Fault OwnDamage (NFOC) claim.
