Straight truck backed into my hood and scrammed

I've been delivering the same material to the same customer over the last month. It's a construction type crew and I'm getting on good with one of the foremen. He always asks the shipper if I can deliver the loads (flatbed to weird locations like parking lots and stuff).

Today, I arrived at their "yard" which is basically a gravel lot next to the hotel they are staying at and I pulled my curtains and unstrapped. One of their crew arrived and started forking off the pallets. After about 45 minutes, three of their other trucks arrived. One of their straight trucks was backing in next to my truck and trailer while I was helping the forklift driver near the rear of my trailer (pulling the posts on the curtainside).

I thought I heard something from the front of the truck but it wasn't loud. He had the *beep beep beep back up alarm going. And I was busy moving curtains and stuff for the forklift operator. A few minutes later and the straight truck was gone.

Long story short: I got home (200 miles away) and was doing a post-trip when I noticed a gash in my hood. Put two and two together and realized the straight truck hit my truck.

I tried to call my contact at this company but he did not pick up.

I called the hotel and asked if the lot had a camera on it and they said they did and I can call Monday for footage.

I then called the local police and gave a report. They stated that I need to bring my truck back to their town and file a report. They have to verify the damage due to past insurance fraud, etc.

My contact called me back (same company as the guy who hit me) and I told him what happened. He was at dinner with the driver who hit me and he asked the guy. The guy said, Yeah, I hit him." I was then given a name and number for their corporate office and told to call them Monday morning.

Called my mechanic who is also a body shop guy and sent him pictures. He gave me an estimate of $1500 damage.

I will call corporate Monday morning but if I get any run around, I will drive down and retrieve the camera footage and file a hit and run incident. I do not want to do that but I do not want to get jerked around either.

What do you guys think?

 

The cop told me it is a hit and run and that they could not file unless they see my truck. So, it is in the wind until Monday.

 

Yeah. To be honest, it is a little tear in the hood but it is damaged. If the guy would have said, "hey man, I hit your truck," I most likely would have worked something out with him or his foreman. But since he ran, I'm pissed off but also sympathetic to a young kid scared for his job.

But, you know, this is what insurance is for. It's why I pay thousands of dollars every year to be able to drive my truck.

I don't know.