What would you do if...

[Shaka_Khan]

...you see that your car is dented and there were two fallen bricks next to it? That happened today. The top edge of my car was dented, the glass was scratched, the molding was dented, and the door was scratched. I went to the house where the bricks fell from. There is a tall brick wall next to my parking area. The other side of the wall had four bricks on the ground. Last winter, I remember seeing two bricks placed on the wall. I had forgotten about it after the vines covered it until the day it fell. The owners of the house said that they would pay for it. But after seeing the cost, they refused. In fact, they were quite loud when they said that they didn't appreciate being shown such a high cost when it wasn't their fault. I asked them if they had any idea why the bricks fell, but they said that it was their privacy. Since this has to do with my car and my safety, I don't understand why the fallen bricks would be their privacy. What if this happens again, and I happen to be under it?

Anyway, I was wondering what you people would do in this situation. I'm new to this, and I don't think what they said made sense. Should I just have my insurance pay for it?

[Mikeus Caesar]

...you see that your car is dented and there were two fallen bricks next to it? That happened today. The top edge of my car was dented, the glass was scratched, the molding was dented, and the door was scratched. I went to the house where the bricks fell from. There is a tall brick wall next to my parking area. The other side of the wall had four bricks on the ground. Last winter, I remember seeing two bricks placed on the wall. I had forgotten about it after the vines covered it until the day it fell. The owners of the house said that they would pay for it. But after seeing the cost, they refused. In fact, they were quite loud when they said that they didn't appreciate being shown such a high cost when it wasn't their fault. I asked them if they had any idea why the bricks fell, but they said that it was their privacy. Since this has to do with my car and my safety, I don't understand why the fallen bricks would be their privacy.

Anyway, I was wondering what you people would do in this situation. I'm new to this, and I don't think what they said made sense. Should I just have my insurance pay for it?

Lawyers!

It's obviously their fault, so you have a legitimate reason to sue for damages, i think.

[Shaka_Khan]

Although I wouldn't want to have a bad relationship with my neighbors, I really want to hire a lawyer. Unfortunately, I'm too young to afford one.

[Lemur]

Do you live in a place that has small claims courts? No lawyer is required to file in such a court, and there is no jury. Sounds like the perfect venue for your claim.

[Shaka_Khan]

That would be a good choice but this city doesn't have that.
Someone suggested that I lower the cost by having the dent straightened instead of changing the whole part. But he said that a vague mark would still be visible.

[HoreTore]

Lawyers!

It's obviously their fault, so you have a legitimate reason to sue for damages, i think.

There really is no reason at all to do that. If you simply call your insurance company, I'm very sure that they will sort things out. They'll probably make their insurance company pay for it, thus passing the bill over to them...

EDIT: whether you should change the part itself or merely straighten it out would depend on the car. If it's old and shabby already, it's more than enough to straighten it out. If it's quite new, on the other hand...

Also, changing it yourself and searching scrapyards for the part cuts the cost down to almost nothing...

[Shaka_Khan]

Does insurance apply only in a car-car accident? I'm not sure, so I'll ask my insurance company.

By the way, I appreciate your comments. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks what I'm thinking now.

EDIT: whether you should change the part itself or merely straighten it out would depend on the car. If it's old and shabby already, it's more than enough to straighten it out. If it's quite new, on the other hand...

I bought the car three years ago, and it's (or was) quite clean.

(I'm in an internet cafe. I'll be back when I get home).

[KukriKhan]

... The top edge of my car was dented, the glass was scratched, the molding was dented, and the door was scratched....

So, a dented roof, a scratched door, and scratched windshield.

Roof & door can be fixed fairly easily; the windshield is the most serious damage, it sounds like. If it's actually cracked, that crack will spread over time, eventually failing altogether.

Insurance should cover the cost (minus whatever deductable you agreed to), and they'll handle pursuing your neighbor's homeowner's insurance for compensation.

Whatever you do, insurance, court, etc. take good, dated photo's of the damage, the bricks and the offending wall. Those will come in handy down the road.

[HoreTore]

Does insurance apply only in a car-car accident? I'm not sure, so I'll ask my insurance company.

That would depend entirely on your insurance... My insurance, for example, doesn't cover any damage to me, only to those I hit...

So yeah, asking the insurance company would be a good thing.

[Shaka_Khan]

Good news: the neighbor agreed to pay 50%. I'll have my insurance company pay the other 50%.

I added images in case you're interested:


The fallen bricks are on the ground. To be honest, I'm surprised at how the damage wasn't severe.


You can see from here that the wall is very high.

[naut]

The fallen bricks are on the ground. To be honest, I'm surprised at how the damage wasn't severe.

I think your lucky it didn't do more.

[Samurai Waki]

If its something that worries you, maybe you should try to nudge your neighbor into either taking down the Brick Wall, or redo the grout work on it. Either Way, it could end saving both of you quite a bit of money.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

If they've agreed to pay half of the amount, haven't they admitted liability? You might be able to take them for all of it if that's the case.