Someone damaged your parked car and left in Canada

Take photographs, note the location and contact your insurer. If someone is hurt or in immediate danger, call 911. If you discover damage after the other driver has gone, preserve what you can before leaving the scene.

The next steps depend on the province, the evidence and your insurance policy. A report made to a contact app is not a police report or an insurance claim.

Build a useful record

Photograph the whole car, the damaged area and the surrounding parking space. Save any note or dashcam recording. Write down the time you found the damage and when you last saw the car undamaged.

If you have another vehicle’s plate, keep its province or territory with the serial. Include a description of the car and explain whether you saw the collision yourself. Do not turn a witness’s guess into your own eyewitness account.

Ask nearby businesses or property staff whether they can preserve camera recordings. Give them a specific location and time window. They may need to release footage to police rather than directly to you.

British Columbia: use ICBC’s hit-and-run instructions

ICBC’s hit-and-run guide asks for a police report when there is a suspect or someone was injured and says to try to make that report within 24 hours. It also explains its claim process and the cover that may apply.

Follow those instructions for the relevant ICBC claim. Do not assume that they describe an Ontario, Quebec or Alberta policy. If another insurer covers your vehicle, ask that insurer which reports and evidence it needs.

Ask before repairs remove evidence

Tell the insurer if the vehicle is unsafe to drive or needs urgent work. Ask whether it needs photographs, an estimate or an inspection before repairs. Keep receipts for any action taken to prevent further damage.

Do not assume that a hit-and-run automatically means a particular deductible, payment or finding of fault. Your insurer needs the facts and policy details.

A private reply can help, but cannot replace a report

If the other party left a number or contact code, use it to request an exchange of details. Keep the message factual and save the response.

A Canadian plate address needs Canada, the issuing province or territory and the complete plate.

The current Google Play app does not support plate contact for US, Canadian or Australian plates.

For supported plates, Replyte keeps phone numbers out of the conversation and requires the sender to use the app. Eligible messages to supported, unclaimed plates wait up to 30 days and expire unless claimed. Never delay police or insurance steps while waiting for a reply.

For help addressing a follow-up request, see contacting a driver in Canada.

Replyte is available on Google Play. The iOS app is not available yet.