Automatic damage and stupid people

[soapy]

We had a guy with a jacked up pickup with camper shell try to go through one of our automatics last night. Driving in he tore the clearance bar down but proceeded forward any way. Then he pulls into the automatic wash and knocks the top arm off of the L shaped wash arm. Stays in during the wash until it cycles through. Backs up and gets on his tailgate to finish tearing off the clearance bar so he can back out. Surprised he did not try to drive through the dryers. Then he goes to a SS wash bay and uses his credit card. We not only got his name and plate number but also very good videos of him and his face. Turns out he is from Tellico Plains TN. His insurance company will be getting a call on Monday.

 

[eckert16]

Hitting a stationary object (like a parked car, fence, or tree) and leaving the scene is a hit-and-run accident and is illegal in most jurisdictions. A driver is legally obligated to stop, provide their information, and make reasonable efforts to locate the property owner or notify authorities. You might want to inquire with you local Law Enforcement about filing a report to support your claim.

 

[Blanco]

File a police report. It will be essential in getting your deductible back if you make an insurance claim. The subrogation department will give it back to you but you have to stay on top of it. They will not contact you and tell you they owe you money. You have to be on top of them.

 

[Waxman]

I have had similar damage happen at my wash. Since installing my razor three years ago I put up a solidly built clearance arch ahead of the bay. The best thing I ever did was mount a good Lorex camera right on the top. When people smash it down I get their vehicle with the plate number and I call the police and show them the video. The police make out a report and they also get me the persons insurance information. I directly call the persons insurance company and leave mine out of it. This method has been effective for me the last Two times this has happened.

 

[soapy]

Police report was already filed and a citation issued. That is how I got his insurance company. This happened at the same location 7 years ago and the automatic was destroyed. The guy ended up paying for a $175,000 IBA claim. This guy will get off lucky with about 5K in damages.

 

[washnshine]

Will your claim include lost revenue while the automatic is closed?

 

[soapy]

Claim will not include lost revenue. We got it back up and running. We have 2 side by side automatics and last time when we were down for a few months we found that the working one picked up the slack and maybe we did more overall. Seems like people see a small line and they wanted to stop also. Getting the lost revenue claim from insurance was a long process and in the end we would have been given very little anyway.