Uninsured car hit my parked Jeep, driver was not the owner (friend of owner), I don't have collision insurance. What are my options to get my Jeep repaired?
Location: Brooklyn, NY.
The Incident:
My late 90s Jeep Wrangler was hit while parked on a street in Brooklyn by a car. The driver stayed at the scene until the police arrived. I was not there. My Jeep was towed to a local repair shop. Because I only carry liability coverage, my insurance will not be covering or handling the damage to my Jeep directly.
The Situation & Complications:
Conflicting Vehicle Info: The police report lists the striking vehicle as a 2018. However, the VIN on the police report corresponds to a 2022 car owned by the same individual, which appears to be uninsured. Their insurance company confirmed the owner holds an active policy only for a 2017 car of the same make and model. They seem to own 2 of the same make and model but only 1 is insured and not the one involved in my accident.
Driver vs. Owner:
The driver was not the vehicle owner. I have the driver’s name and address from police report, but my insurance cannot search outside databases to check if the driver has personal insurance elsewhere. (They mentioned if I had his phone number, they could only check if he had an active policy with my insurance company).
Documentation:
I have photos of the striking vehicle and its license plate from the scene, as well as the police report.
Questions & Next Steps:
Are there other ways or databases to determine if this driver or vehicle has active insurance coverage?
Is issuing a formal demand letter to both the owner and driver my best next step? If so, should I include formal repair and towing quotes with it? Do I need to pay for repairs before sending the demand letter?
Any other ideas?
My main goal is to recover my repair and towing costs.