“Proof beyond a reasonable doubt?”
If you’re going to hit and run someone’s car, maybe don’t park directly across the street from it. This is exactly what appears to have happened to a Hyundai owner.
Upon walking outside, the woman, who posts online as Spirited Lumos (@lavenderhoneybeez) immediately got to work to find the person responsible for the damage she found on her Hyundai.
However, she didn’t need to spend all that much time locating the culprit. Because it would seem that after striking her car, they just pulled a K-turn and left their car parked within a few feet from the scene of the purported crime.
“This is where my car got it,” the Hyundai owner says, showing the scuff damage to the front driver’s side bumper of her vehicle. She then aims her camera’s lens at a blue Toyota RAV4 across the street. “And this is the stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid person that decided not to leave a note,” she says, walking towards the small crossover SUV.
After arriving at the vehicle, she saunters up towards the front of the car. Indeed, there are a series of large paint scuffs on the front passenger bumper of the Toyota. The woman notes that the paint on the RAV4 is a direct match to her Hyundai’s green paint. “Thankfully I’m smart and decided to whip it back around and look. Yeah baby, that’s called paint and it matches,” she says.
Folks who replied to her clip offered suggestions on how to facilitate her claim against the other driver. One person urged her to look up the RAV4’s VIN number to make it easier for her to file a police report.
And while it was unfortunate for Lumos’ car to get hit, someone else pointed out one silver lining: the rarity of her Hyundai’s paint job. Bright green is indeed an uncommon color for a vehicle. So if the paint on the RAV4 matches her car’s, that could go a long way to proving that the driver hit her Hyundai.
In a follow-up video, Lumos said she submitted videos and photos to a local detective. She noted that her case was one of many auto-related vandalism incidents in the area.
According to law firms, paint swaps do play a significant role in investigators settling hit and run claims. For instance, Zanes Law writes that “paint marks on your car,” along with “the general scene” of an accident along with a vehicle’s positioning all come into account. Insurance companies and law enforcement agencies will often also contact auto body and paint shops to inquire about any cars that came in after the time of the accident for paint or body work.
The CR Legal Team writes that when assessing hit-and-run claims, “authorities … use vehicle parts left at the scene, license plate fragments, or paint transfers.”
Lumos’ video is a good example of what you should do after a hit and run. It essentially boils down to gathering as much evidence as possible.
CR Legal Team further suggest trying to get the make, model, and color of the offending car. Of course, if you see the hit-and-run take place, try to get the license plate number. But if you’re like Lumos and didn’t see the collision in real time, then taking photos and video of any leftover debris could help you narrow down what type of car struck your own.
Another person who responded to her clip talked about their own good fortune after a hit-and-run. As it turns out, a piece of the offender’s vehicle was left on the road that contained vital information. “Someone hit my parked car and totaled it. But a piece of their car fell off in the road … just so happened to have their VIN on it. They got held fully liable.”
Motor1 has reached out to Spirited Lumos via TikTok direct message for further information. We’ll update this if she responds.
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