Is it illegal to not report an auto accident?

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curlyred

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About two weeks ago, I was driving and a guy made a left turn from another road onto the road i was on, crossing halfway through my lane, but then stopped in my lane instead of continuing. I didn't have enough room to avoid hitting him, so I swerved and hit his back left bumper with my left front fender. He stopped and said he would pay for it, so we didn't report it and left. I've been in contact with him since then with details about how much it would cost, but recently he's stopped answering his phone, and I'm worried that he's trying to give me the slip. I have his name and license plate number, but I am not sure if it would be okay to go to the police or my insurance company with this, as I don't want to be facing any charges of leaving the scene or failure to report. What would be the best course of action?
 
If you have full coverage and the damage is over 1000, I recommend turning it in to your insurance carrier. Usually your deductible is 500 anyway.

If not get two estimates to repair and send him a demand letter CRRR. If no reply you can sue in small claims but all you will get is a judgment which is probably worthless unless he has insurance. You can also sue in small claims for your deductible. If he has insurance your company will track it down.
 
i only have coverage to pay for damage to the other party's vehicle if i was at fault in an accident. also, it has been a while since the accident, won't my insurance company be reluctant to help after such a long time, or even raise my rates? the damage was only $500, do you think that it would be worth it for me to try to track this guy down, or just pay for the damage myself?
 
How much damage did it do to your car? Have you gotten an estimate yet? What state are you in? A lot of the rules vary by state.
 
it is not illegal in some situations. for example, i crashed into a tree and did no report it to my insurance company so that my premium would not go up.
 
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