How to handle car damage repair

Questioner

A young man knocked over a mini container against our car on Monday. We have been in contact with his father, but they are not insured and the damage to the bumper amounts to 850 euros. The parents are divorced and the mother also appears not to have insurance. The father offers to pay 400 euros and the rest later, but does not know how much each time he can pay. We have not yet filed a report because we wanted to settle it properly with the father. We only have a first name and telephone number for the father and an address for the mother. Of course we would like to receive the entire amount from these people. What would be the best thing to do in this situation? Yours sincerely,

Lawyer

What an annoying situation. I can imagine that you want it to be arranged properly. Filing a report does not always have added value if there is mainly financial damage. A criminal case can take a very long time in total and also have consequences for the young person. It can sometimes take 1-2 years for the case to be dealt with by a judge or the Public Prosecution Service. If you have requested compensation, this will only be determined once the case has been definitively concluded (if an appeal and/or cassation is lodged, the entire process can take a few more years). You can draw up an agreement with the father in which liability is acknowledged and stated that they will compensate the damage, whereby the first 400e is paid in one go. You can also agree on a maximum term or a payment arrangement. Such an agreement is valid and a report can also be filed later. Please feel free to contact me through my profile if you have any questions.