Rare1

I would do whatever I could to bring legal action against this guy. You won't know what's possible till you try it. Consult a lawyer and see what you're options are.

CLRH2O

The first day it happened the regional manager of Circle K said he was already contacted by the responding officer's office to prepare and mail in hard copies of the digital video from the store my car was hit at. He also said during a phone conversation with me that same afternoon that it should not be a problem getting the Debit Card name from the transaction via their credit card processing company. And since we (the manager in the store and I) were already able to track down the receipt from that transaction (without the name of course) the day that it happened by matching the time on the tape to the person in the video - I have no doubt this should be possible. What's more, I run a small record label myself and have my own merchant account and credit card processing vendor - and I know that I'm able to get this information about my customers just the same. The data is there - and the only way it isn't going to make it into the hands of the police is if the company Circle K decides to make that a problem themselves - in which case they enter obstruction of Justice territory.... and you really think they want that hassle? Somehow, for something this small - I highly doubt it.

That said, it takes 1 week for a case to be assigned to a hit and run detective here in Tampa (I would assume the same amount of time anywhere really), so today is the very first day I can speak with anyone (maybe) at the police department about this.

Today is the official 1 week mark.

As for getting myself a lawyer, I do absolutely plan on it if needed - but not before at least consulting with the police detective assigned to my case. Ya know?

Basically it comes down to this - it's all chess, and the moment I start making the police's job more difficult or appear to be showing signs that I outright don't think they are going to do anything for me.... well, they wont.

And I don't know about you, but I'm willing to bet that an in uniform officer knocking on this guys door will have MUCH MORE of an impact on him than a letter in the mail telling we'd found him from some unknown lawyers office. Not to mention the fact that you cant (easily) run from a physical police officer - and you can from a letter.

I've already contacted the Florida Bar referral service and been assigned an attorney correct for this type of inquiry. But I wont be getting that ball rolling until it's apparent that the police wont be effective.

So, to close up what I'm saying right now and just so I'm clear.. if it's another week from now and I'm no closer - I'm on the road to lawyer Valhalla!

sc30015

i had some one hit me in a best buy parking lot, luckily someone got his tag, but since he did hit and run you will be able to get him good luck

CLRH2O

sc30015 - I take it that you found your hit and run culprit correct? Can you give me your story and how it all worked out? Did you go the police route, the lawyer route or both? How long did it all take? How did the other sides' insurance company deal with your car having to be in a shop and you needing wheels - I'd assume that insurance company also provided a rental car for the duration of the repairs process. How long did it take the police or the lawyer to track down the person. Was there anything specific you did during that process for either the police or the lawyer that helped the process along? Did you press charges (or as the police term it "Pursue") against the person in order for get the fixes to happen.....

Obviously if you went through this I'd VERY much like to hear all the details. It will give me useful knowledge into all this that I'm obviously going to have to deal with. And the better educated I am at the outset, the more I stand to gain / less chance I have of getting hosed in the end.

I appreciate your time if you can spare it

lxsdude

Contacting a lawyer and asking questions won't do anything with your case or with the cops. But everyone's already been telling you that. Also, it's late and I'm going to be getting to bed soon.

What record label do you own? Do you do your own printing and distribution and that's why you have an 18 foot truck to haul stuff around? It sounds like a lot of stuff to micro-manage. Woudl I have heard of any of your bands?

Well, I'm off to sleep for a while. Good luck with getting your car fixed.

CLRH2O

The Panel truck here is actually for moving Printed Materials from our Heidelberg Quickmaster DI Pro around to the die-cutter and coaters building. That truck isn't mine. Long story condensed, my friend Brian (Bamboo) and I started FORCE Recordings togther in 1998/1999. He left the music industry around 2004 and got serious into putting ink on paper. I stuck by the label on my own with a handful of the original artist and grew it to the point where I could also pursue other things along side managing it (such as producing and traveling to DJ again). It's crazy but I've got two artists in Russia, one in Arizona, one in Seattle, two in NYC, on in LA, on in Toronto... it just grew and grew and grew But growth in the form of music I do is an entirely different scale compared to commercial music. Our music is called Drum n Bass.. years ago it was referred to as Jungle and it's an underground dance music based on speeded breakbeats and half step basslines. A name people not involved in this music might recognize would likely be Goldie. But he's not one of my artists. And I say artist or artists instead of band or bands because there aren't so much *bands* in this msuci. It's more groups of producers and djs as it's all production and DJ performance based for the most part.

As a side effect of having situated the label into a manageable space in terms of time per day my old partner (Bamboo) who now owned a print company (Flyer Faucet) asked me if I wanted to come work with on a new project. He wanted to consolidate a number of associated print business into one corporation (collective industries, flyer faucet, same day flyers, postcard marketing secrets, resell printing... and more).

So, I know how to do that in terms of branding and php based website design which is integral to todays print ordering market..... and I did. We are now SONICPRINT www.sonicprint.com and I work in the days over here with my old label partner friend in the print world. Then go back to music in the nights and weekends.

It's crazy actually the schedule I have to keep in order to do all of this. And I don't make anywhere near the amount of money you would expect a person doing what I do to make (hence why getting my car fixed NOT on my own dime is important to me)... but I love it all - so I do it.

And that is the answer (in a round about way) to our panel truck.

CLRH2O

The police spoke with me today. They are dismissing the Hit and Run because they say that the video evidence provided to them doesn't definitively indicate that it was in fact the truck on the tape causing the damage. The detective stated to me that because the rear of my car was partially in "shadow" (it's 10:45am outdoors in florida.... not a whole lot of shadowing going on let me just say) it's difficult to tell if the damage was there before the front bumper of the truck made it's way past the rear drivers side quarter panel of my car. And, since the truck did not stop or show any sign of being slowed by impacting with my car that they believe it did not hit me.

I say *they* because she (the detective) said that herself and 4 other detectives (they work in an office of 5 so at least her numbers are right) once having viewed the tape eveidence all apparently agreed on these points.

She did however say that they will use the other information (she didn't say if it was the Debit info or not - but I would have to guess that it would be...) they have to locate the truck and the driver. At which point she said they would check the bumper of the truck for paint matching my car. And ask the driver if he hit my car.

The caveat here is that if he (the driver) says he didn't know he hit me...... HE'S OFF THE HOOK in regard to the police! Those were her words. "If he didn't know that he hit you then it is not a Hit & Run and it stays out of the equation". THAT IS WHACK!

Using this set of rules then, if I don't *know* I ran over a school girl..... I guess I'm not liable under the law. F'n GREAT!

Naw... that wont work - people can talk, cars cant.

Silent victims: all cars in Florida.

So - yeah, I'm calling the referred attorney now. I'm getting this sinking feeling about the outcome of all this after speaking with that detective. Because the evidence available to us is the evidence available.... and if the cops think this - wont an attorney, wont an insurance company investigator, anyone but me maybe?

Rude

suprfly

I'd worry less about the hit and run, and more about being compensated for the actual damage done.

chuggernot

what town do you live in where the cops are so lazy they won't even go after what appears to be a simple case? have you made a name for yourself in that town as a anti-cop kinda guy or do you just have the worlds worst luck? are the people at the circle k going to cough up the name of the douche bag that hit your car? wouldnt it be cheaper to fix your car than hire a attorney? maybe you could pull in front of someone else in traffic and let them hit your car in the same spot and blame it on them. why would god let someone hit a lexus and get away with it? i need a beer and i'd buy clrh20 a beer too if he were in the lone star state.

asta la nacho....

CLRH2O

And brother I'd take that beer anytime!

I live in Tampa, Florida. And it's all beat up here....seriously. Florida in general is just a damn mess.

As for me being known as a problem for the police - not in the slightest. The police force and myself don't even live on the same plane of existence. I think the last interaction I've had with the police would have been like 1992 :/

Just a spot of bad luck really.

And suprfly - oh absolutely. I'm not focusing on the Hit & Run only by any means. But as a method to push home me getting my car fixed I was willing to run that path as far as it could go. Ultimately I just need the repairs done not on my own dime.....

And that does beg the question of if the repairs will be more or less than attorney fees. (and I cant forget the hidden costs like the total for a week or more of a rental car, the days off of work I wont be getting paid for dealing with the body shop ect).

Where's that beer again?!

chuggernot

whats the latest on your hit and run? did you ever see if it was cheaper to fix it yourself than to pay for a attorney?

whenever you're in texas you let me know, i got your beer all nice and cold for you.

carson_ny

seems like a whole big headache for you! i can sympathize..

CLRH2O

Currently, the police are still able to locate either the driver or the truck in the video. But that might change by weeks end when they finally start USING THE EVIDENCE PROVIDED TO THEM (ie, the Debit Card info from the cc processing company).... Just got the call from the detective assigned to my case this morning on that tidbit there.

I'm meeting with a local autobody shop (same place that repaired my girlfriends MX-6 last year) to see what he things the total cost would be on the repair on Friday (earliest he can have me in).

As for the attorney, no word there yet because they cant speak to me on the phone for a consultation (50 bones to say hi is this even possible) and my work schedule is ridiculous right now between all the many different strings attached to my life... meaning I haven't been able to spare the time out to have a sit down with them (him). So no progress on that as of today either.

When there is more to know I'll post it. But I don't see this being quick, or easy in any way. So updates here trickle in for months :/ (by which time I will have likely have saved up the money I planed to spend on coilovers - and might just drop it on the repair myself...... who knows.... we'll see how fed up I am at that point)