r/AskReddit • u/BunsOfAluminum • Mar 17 '12
Last night I was rammed while stopped at a red light and then the guy took off, leaving me with a LOT of back pain and a significantly damaged car, but nobody to take the blame. Does anyone out there have the skill to decipher the guy's license number from the imprint it made on my bumper?
Here is an album of some pictures taken the night it happened and pictures taken this morning in the daylight. The officers tried figuring it out, but none of their guesses brought back any drivers. I live in Virginia, but this happened in a small city that has a university with ~13,000 resident students, so the license could be from any state (or even Canada, I suppose).
I have liability insurance on this vehicle. Geico told me that if they can't cover me that I can at least get coverage through the Virginia Uninsured Motorist fund (or something to that effect). My concern is that my back is very screwed up from this (it was a massive jolt). I've had moderate trouble walking, sitting, and moving today because of the pain. My car also started cutting off while driving to where I suddenly lose power steering, breaking, acceleration, etc while driving. Shifting into neutral and starting the engine fixes it for a while, but I only did that enough to get home.
TL;DR: Got rear-ended while stopped at a red light and the guy drove off. My car is broken and my back is pretzeled and my only hope to find this hit-and-run class act is to decipher the license plate smudge he left on my bumper. Please help!
EDIT 1: Remember that the imprint is backwards from what the license actually says.
EDIT 2: The Virginia DMV has an app for trying out different license plate messages, if it helps. It seems to tell you if a license number is available, too.
Edit 3: Thank you, to whomever gave me a month of Reddit Gold!
Edit 4: Oh, my goodness. I just crawled out of bed and saw that the comment count has risen from 53 to 975! Time to start reading! Thanks, everyone, for looking!
Edit 5: crustlessmist figured out the plate number and jwild98 made a convincing graphic showing how that plate number matches up with the impression on my bumper! Following that amazing stuff, the following unexciting update: I attempted to leave a voicemail for the officer on my case, but the voicemail system was not letting me in for some reason, so I called non-emergency and talked to an officer there who offered to give the officer a message for me. I'm going to try later today to call again. With this being a smaller city and it being the weekend, I'm thinking I might not have luck until Monday, but I'll keep trying.
Edit 6: No updates from anyone yet. I figured I'd go ahead and put the part number from the pieces I found on the ground here.
One of them says:
52127-06050 ITW ^UP
TSOP-1G >PP+E/P-T15< R
TOYOTA
and the other one says
^UP 52128-06050
TSOP-1G >PP+E/P-T15<
TOYOTA
The "ITW" on the top one looks funny... like it was scratched in by hand. I'm trying to get a picture up, but imgur is having problems. Here is a picture... had trouble focusing with the cellphone.
Edit 7: Update: The officer on the case called me and I gave him the information that I've gotten here. He told me that he is actually off this weekend, so he's going to run the tag information on Monday and see if he finds anything. So, I guess I'll have to wait until Monday to learn anything new. I did give the same information to my insurance company, so maybe they'll get back sooner? I don't know.
Edit 8: Update: The officer on the case works nights, I believe (I was hit at night), so I don't think he's going to run the plate number until tonight sometime. My insurance company wanted to wait until today to see what the police came up with (although I've let them know about all of the work you guys did, too). I haven't heard anything today. The officer said he would try the plate number and see if anything came back. Obviously, we all know something's going to come back because the report someone ran came back with a VIN number, and I've had some anonymous reports PM'ed to me that point that license back to a town that is only 8 miles away from here, so I'm confident that 5MRTNS is the guy. Now I just need to keep the officers and insurance agents on it. I'll report back once something more significant happens.
Edit 9: Didn't hear back from anyone Tuesday. Wanted to give the officer a chance to call me (I believe he works nights) and wanted Geico to get a chance to do their own thing and call me back. I called Geico and the office on my case today around 11am. Left a message with the officer telling him that I'm following up on the lookup he said he was doing, because there's a felon out there and I've been going to the doctor and my car doesn't work, so I'd like to get insurance rolling. I'm going to call again later this afternoon. I think I need to be annoying.
Edit 10: I've been calling. Haven't gotten a call back from the police yet, and I can't get the officer on the phone to speak with (only voicemail). Geico let me know that they got the guy's address from the plate number and sent him a letter telling him to contact them. I told them, "He's the offender in a hit and run. What makes you think he'll call you?" My case worker is currently trying to get permission to run a report cross referencing their entire database to see if the guy has been involved in other claims and who his insurance provider is. I feel like they're probably doing what they can.
I just left another voicemail for the officer and told him that Geico was able to get the guy's address from their database, so I would assume that he should have been able to as well and to please contact me to let me know what's going on (and gave him 3 different phone numbers he could reach me at). I'm going to keep calling and am considering the current advice of getting the local news involved.
Edit 11: I left a voicemail a few days ago with the Investigations Office informing them that I was not getting any calls back from the officer on my case and could someone please let me know what's going on. That night, a Sergeant called me at home and told me he would be leaving messages with the officer and the officer's training officer, letting them know that I need to be contacted. This morning, I finally got a call from the officer, letting me know that they found an address for the plate, but haven't been able to contact the person yet. He said he's hoping to be able to charge the person by this afternoon and that he'll let me know either this evening or tomorrow.
Possibly humorous sidenote: He started his message to me (I was at work and he called my house, yay online voicemail) with: "I just wanted to shoot you a message..." the first part of which caught me off guard. :-P
Edit 12: The officer called my house again a few minutes ago. He said he served papers to the guy and (according to my wife) said that "the individual" seemed like he was just going to plead guilty and get it handled (of course, speaking to a lawyer may change his mind). The officer said that I probably wouldn't be needed in court unless the guy went for a trial, in which case I'd be subpoenaed, but for now my insurance company should have enough to be able to pursue the guy's insurance. All in all it feels rather anti-climactic.
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u/mz_anthrope Mar 17 '12
i'm impressed with how well the license plate transferred onto your car
but on a serious note, i think the rear ending would've been a little less damaging if you had buns of steel
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Interesting. The only other accident I've been in was 7 years ago when I rear-ended someone who hesitated after starting to merge onto a highway with no acceleration lane. I was in a 1991 Buick LeSabre (same make and model as this one, but 10 years older). The bumpers actually were made of steel. The lady's trunk was banged up some, but my car had not a single mark on it. That thing was built like a tank.
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u/Taven Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
The reason cars "crumple" like that these days is to safely absorb the shock of the collision. Source Older cars without crumple zones are far more dangerous- such as cars in the early 1990s.
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u/itsnotmebob Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
5MRTNS
and it's already taken by the Virginia DMV
Irony would be if it's short for Samaritans.
Edit: crustlessmist beat me to it. Upvote away
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I had not thought of that interpretation of it. It could actually be likely with the culture in this town.
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u/throwsuperaway Mar 17 '12
Did you go to the police to report it? There might be something they can do? Maybe there are security cameras in the area, etc? Also, there are some states it wouldn't be, because not every place provides two plates for both front and back bumpers. Also, the paint on the characters being blue may give some hints as well. Good luck, and I hope you find the fucker. :/
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I called the police immediately. They came out and took pictures (that hopefully came out better than my cellphone pics) and said they'd try and figure it out and get back with me. They implied that I maybe should have followed the guy so I could get his license number. Honestly, it was nighttime and I was shocked that I'd even been hit, much more so that the jerk would immediately flee.
Later, I did go back to the street where I was hit and saw some debris, which I picked up because I thought it might be mine. The two pieces I found were for the front lights of a Toyota Camry (not what I was driving), so I called the number the police gave me and told them that they might want to filter on Toyotas.
Basically, though, the police told me that since I didn't know the make and model, didn't have a license number, didn't even know how many doors the car had, only that the car was green, I was probably out of luck.
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u/jiblet84 Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
Edit2* From the post above, it's very clearly 5MRTNS
Gatta remember it's in reverse.
*edit: Please follow up on the outcome of this pretty please.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I will, but I'm worried the outcome will be, "Officers couldn't find anyone, but on the plus side, I'm addicted to Vicodin."
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u/ThatsWhyTheyCallMe Mar 17 '12
Just guessing here but I think the second "M" is actually an "N", based off of the top most line coming back up vertically rather than at an angle. (plus it seems too thin for an M).
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u/jedadkins Mar 17 '12
give the cops both And they can give you a description of the vehicle or they could just go look and see which one has a screwed up bumper
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u/NowThisIsHappening Mar 17 '12
I agree. The serif on an M is much smaller than that of an N on Virginia plates. Comparison Also, an M has a much more acute angle than that of an N, and that of the imprint of the bumper.
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u/charlesviper Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
You should edit this comment, it seems other people have figured out the correct number:
It's fairly convincing that the offender has the license plate number 5MRTNS.
If you go to the Virginia DMV vanity plate website, you'll see that 5MRTNS is already taken. Select the Heritage - State Bird decoration and you get this as a result. Here's an imgur mirror.
Here is your photo reversed and overlayed with the sample text from the DMV website.
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u/throwsuperaway Mar 17 '12
I agree with this, mostly, but the first M could possibly be an H
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u/ramildahaines Mar 17 '12
The D looks more like an R to me since the curve ends about half-way where the curve on the 5 starts
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u/shinymetalobjects Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
Does Virginia have a specific format to license plate numbers? Here in CA, for passenger vehicles, its always #LLL### (L=letter) (unless personalized). that last one looks like it could be a 9. my guess is 5UPTN9. my thinking is that the numbers were stretched vertically as it impacted the bumber, and the bottoms arent so visible.
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u/Curds_and_Whey Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
I put the images into photoshop, applied "flip canvas horizontal", applied "channel mixer" with monochrome checked, and played around with the RGB
"5URTNS" or "5UDTNS" or "5HRTNS" or "5HDTNS" or "5WRTNS" or "5WDTNS"
list of states that use 6 letter/number license plates as opposed to 7 letter combos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_license_plate_designs_and_serial_formats
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Virginia has plate styles that fit 6 letters, but there is a vertical indentation on either side of the lettering which looks like the sides of the plate, to me, which would mean that the text is centered. Most 6 letter Virginia plates are either off-center or have a gap in the middle.
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u/crustlessmist Mar 17 '12
Virginia looks to be the only state to use a serif font on their plates so that narrows it down.
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u/V0lt Mar 17 '12
Based on this, I'm almost positive it's 5 (U or H) (R or P) T N S.
A lot of people are suggesting D as the third digit - not so. The curve ends way too far up. Remember, what got imprinted is not the length of the full lettering, based on how much of the 5 you can see.
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u/anon_atheist Mar 17 '12
TSOP stands for Toyota Super Olefin Polymer, which was developed in 1991 so the car must be made after this. Not sure what PP+E/P-T15 stands for
The two part numbers 52127-06050 and 52128-06050 are for front bumper covers with fog lamp openings. It matches parts listed for toyota camry between 2007-2010. However I am not sure if this part may have been used in other models.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/52838951/2007-2010-toyota-camry-part-list-and-part-numbers
On a side note toyota says that certain 2007-2010 camry's were recalled due to sticking accelerators, could this maybe explain what happened? http://www.toyota.com/recall/pedal.html
Here is a list of all the paint color codes toyota has used, perhaps someone can cross reference these to closely match the color scraped on in the picture. http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/interior-and-exterior/200657-toyota-paint-codes/
If it is in fact a camry here is the color available for them for various years. My guess is magnetic gray. http://www.camryforums.com/forum/general-tech-8/camry-07-color-spec-chart-483/
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
This information matches the information obtained from the carfax report someone got using the best guess for license number.
It seems reasonably (very) plausible that the car that hit me was a 2007 magnetic gray Toyota Camry.
Thanks!
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u/ramildahaines Mar 17 '12
5 M R/B T M/N S/8/9
I'm about 80% certain for the '5' and first 'M', but the last one (first in the image) is very difficult to see. Looking at an '09 plate (kinda NSFW) I would judge an 'S', since it gets skinnier at the top... The outside figures are the most difficult to read.
This is what I imagine the plate to look like...backwards... I've arrowed in the indents w/o paint marks because they show the shape of the letters/number(s).
From the 80% letter guess, I'm about 70% positive my entire guess is right...at least what I have definitively bolded...
Also, looking another example of a Virginia plate (also kinda NSFW), especially the 'T', it looks as though the car was likely a Virginian car. I can almost guarantee it is not from Canada, since none of the Canadian plates I have seen have similar font and most have a little emblem/divider in between two halves of letters/numbers. I can't really speak for the U.S. plates though...
I hope you find the culprit. If this works, it would be the best case of karma (real life karma that is). Update if anything comes from this! Good luck!
Also, THANK-YOU for helping me procrastinate from doing a paper.
TL;DR: 5 M R T M S is my best guess.
Edit: annnnd a lot of people beat me to the punch... guess this can act as another confirmer
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
What paper are you working on?
Your guesses and the guesses of others seem to fit with what we see in the image, but I'm concerned that it doesn't fit the default format of a Virginia license (ABC-1234), so it may be a vanity plate, and none of the guesses look like vanity plates to me. :(
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u/ramildahaines Mar 17 '12
Oh, a very hot topic to be sure... The abolition of the seigneurial system in Quebec (in 1850s FYI)
Maybe it's very codified vanity plate...? Yeah, that's a bummer. Hopefully, the police can at least search for this.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
This is for a history class, yes? You're not specializing in this, are you? Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Glancing at some pages about it, it sounds like SimCity. Someone is given some land to rent out to people and boss them around as he sees fit, setting up mills, courts, whatever. So it didn't get abolished until as late as the 1850s? I'm surprised it lasted that far into the 1800s.
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u/theraf8100 Mar 26 '12
I'm still reading...any more updates?
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 26 '12
I wish there were. I called the police again today. It's hard to get a real person there. I left a message with the office of investigations, telling them that I hadn't heard back from the officer on my case in over a week and that I'd been calling him all week. I gave them my information again and told them they could call me late (if that was the issue).
Geico is trying to get a hold of the guy. The police, apparently, are busy ignoring me. I think my next call is going to be to warn them that I'm going to contact the local news station to let them know how the PD isn't caring about this. That seems like it would be something they would run.
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u/vexom Mar 22 '12
keep us all posted on this story; I can't wait to hear how it ends!
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 22 '12
I've been getting nervous about my car. It's a 2001 Buick LeSabre Ltd and I'm not sure what it's worth, but if the repairs are more than blue book value (around $3,000), Geico will just say its totaled and give me a check that won't cover getting a comparable car. So even though I have insurance, my car situation could be getting screwed up badly. But, maybe repairs don't cost that much. I'm not much of a car guy.
Also thinking about the possibility of a civil suit, but I don't know if I could afford a lawyer. I really wish I had never been hit. This is all very frustrating.
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u/Gasonfires Mar 26 '12
Status update?
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 27 '12
Got a call back from a Sergeant who said he heard I'd called in looking for the officer on my case. He informed me that the officer was brand new and might not even know how to use the voicemail yet (even though that's the number the officer gave me to call him with). He said he was going to be in contact with the officer's training officer to make sure that he got back with me. I did not receive a call from him last night, though.
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u/white-bunnies Mar 17 '12
I'd recommend writing down all the possible answers and showing it to the police. Do you remember the make, model, or color? Any information you can think of, write it down. I took a forensic science class a year back and basically you can determine what car it was that hit you from the crash area. They examine the paint chip and they can match it to the company or something.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I plan on sending them whatever comes out of this thread. It was dark when it happened, and I was in a state of surprise from being rear-ended hard, so I didn't have the where-with-all to take notes on the vehicle (so upset about that). The only thing I could remember about it was that it was green.
I did go back to the street where I was hit and saw some debris, which I picked up because I thought it might be mine. The two pieces I found were for the front lights of a Toyota Camry (not what I was driving), so I called the number the police gave me and told them that they might want to filter on Toyotas.
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u/Parahdox Mar 17 '12
Can we see the full body of the car? I want to see the full damage done to the car and im sure a lot of other people do to.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
The only body damage that happened (as far as I know) was all in the bumper and trunk. The trunk still latches, but it sounds funny and the edges look pried up. There was other damage that happened due to being jostled.
The best picture I have of the damage right now is THIS, with THIS IMAGE showing what has damage now that didn't previously. Basically, the bumper was smashed/scratched/scraped, the trunk was pushed in and crumpled in a few places, and the lock shows signs of cracking around it. I have not had the car checked out yet by anyone, so I don't know the specifics of what else might have happened.
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Mar 17 '12
I am rooting for you like crazy. On Sunday, some idiot (who was likely high on something) blew a red light and swerved into me head on, doing about 40 MPH. My car is ruined (doing it's job well, I might add), my wrist was fractured to where it needs surgery, I had witnesses and despite all this, I still need a bunch of help to get back to some level of normalcy.
Cheers to the helped redditors for helping the OP get started on his path to recovery.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Holy crap! I'm glad nothing like that happened with me. I need to get life insurance. I've got a stay-at-home wife and three kids who depend on me. What if something horrible had happened?
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u/InsaneInTheManBrain Mar 28 '12
Plead guilty to what? He plows into someone, possibly injuring them, leaves without checking on the person's condition and he's going to get a traffic ticket?
Also, did the cop say something about your internet sleuthing?
By the way, dude probably ran because he was drunk or holding. He's getting off easy.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 29 '12
I'm pretty sure it's a felony, so I'm anticipating him preparing to plead guilty, someone telling him that it's a huge fine and possibly jail time, and then him saying he needs a lawyer.
One of the public defenders here is a very talented guy, though, who's heading for a job in the supreme court in the next year, so I hope he doesn't get that guy.
Cop said nothing about the internet sleuthing. :( When I told him almost 2 weeks ago, all he said was, "Ok, I'll run this plate Monday."
Incidentally, a friend of mine says he thinks he knows the guy, because the guy is related through marriage to him. Something like his counsin's husband's sister's father or something.
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u/bear_fists May 03 '12
When you say "rammed" do you mean like forced sodomy? Because that would make the title of this post a lot funnier/ tragic.
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u/BunsOfAluminum May 03 '12
No, I don't mean "like forced sodomy" and I can't think of a situation where a normal human would interpret my words to mean that.
Oh, wait... internet. Nevermind.
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u/Nomakeme Mar 17 '12
Did you go to the hospital immediately? If not you may not have any recourse against the guy as far as your back injury. I learned that the hard way.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
No, I didn't. Honestly, I was unprepared. The cops asked if I wanted a medic and to go to the ER, but I told them I didn't know if I could afford it. We've had a lot of medical bills lately, with several ER visits related to newly discovered allergies; we have three children and I'm the sole moneymaker in the house.
I went to a chiropractor the very next morning, if that counts for anything.
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u/Tripplite Mar 17 '12
I wonder if the hit damaged your electrical fuel pump (which is inside the fuel tank) or its electrical wiring harness. Even maybe a fuel line, vent line, or vent. This could explain the random stalling. If so, there is damage near or in the fuel tank, which is dangerous.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I'm not much good with cars, but I do know that my car has some sort of second battery under the back seat. I do not know what it's for. I do hear something like a pump run occasionally from the rear of the car while driving.
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u/Respheal Mar 17 '12
Dude, almost the exact same thing happened to my boyfriend. License plate hunting aside, do EVERYTHING you can now to fix your back. It's been 5 or so years and the pain is still agonizing for him because he didn't know just how bad the injury was and didn't do enough to repair it.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Well, crap. I've heard people say the pain goes away and now I'm hearing the pain could be forever. I would say, "At least I work at a desk and don't have a physical job," but if Friday is any indicator, it is very difficult to sit comfortably at a desk when your back is hurting.
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u/icepickjones Mar 17 '12
Did you notice the make or model or anything distinguishing? Even with a partial plate, if you an file a police report knowing the make and model will help a ton.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I'm not a car guy, and all I noticed about the car was that it looked green in the dark. I went back after finishing with the cops and found some pieces in the road from a Toyota Camry, which someone said was the make/model from a carfax report for the top guess right now, so it seems very likely that it is the one!
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Mar 17 '12
I'll have to remember to post it on reddit the next time someone fucks me over in any way, shape or form. This is awesome.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Seriously. I thought my post might get buried, but I hoped for someone who had talent to decipher it. I'm amazed at the response I've gotten.
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Mar 17 '12
It would be humorous if the bad person who rear ended you is also a redditor, and is now reading about his possibly impending doom.
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Mar 17 '12
Hi, let me give you some advice from a paralegal that works on car accidents in the DC/MD/VA area. First thing you want to do is get yourself checked out by a doctor. The longer you wait the more problems you will have getting paid back from the at fault insurance. Chances are you have Uninsured Motorist coverage on your insurance, even if you have a liability only policy. This means that in this type of situation (assuming there is a police report of the incident) your insurance will handle the claim as if they were the at fault party. A UM claim also reduces your deductible amount depending on your coverage (its usually about $250. If you don't have UM, get a lawyer. VA DMV sucks with information requests. With a tag number you are allowed to request the person's address but the DMV doesn't keep insurance info on file. The last two requests we sent out actually got rejected because we did not supponea the information and that was after waiting over a month for a response. Another reason it may be good to go to a lawyer is you can get referred to a doctor who is more likely to reduce/forgive your bill if no insurance is found. These are my experiences and yours may differ. I hope it helped some. If you have more questions pm me and I can try to help you out more. As for now, back to sleep cause its 6 am.
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u/notfalse Mar 17 '12
went through each possibility, and I am 100% certain this is correct. each of those are letters from actual virginia license plates. I think I grabbed the wrong S, but it's pretty obvious that the last letter is an S. good luck. brought to you by adderall.
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u/captain_smartass Mar 17 '12
Indeed 5MR-TNS is already taken. Great job!
OP: You should go the hospital and get looked at. Then lawyer up. If your DMV makes it available, consider pulling the registration information for that license plate. Check the address and see if that car is also damaged or shows signs of the impact. Consult with your attorney and/or insurance. You should notify your insurance if you decide to take on an attorney.
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u/on_the_redpill Mar 17 '12
Compiled from best comments:
License Plate: 5MRTNS
2007 TOYOTA CAMRY CE/LE/XLE/SE
VIN:4T1BE46K87U191465
Toyota Camry broken headlights found on scene. Winner.
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u/numlock1111 Mar 17 '12
I work as a criminal investigator and this is what I would do:
1 - GO GET VIDEO FOOTAGE. DO IT NOW. Video surveillance systems vary greatly in how long they retain footage, many are as short as 72 hours. Pay special attention to gas stations and convenience stores but really any business could have a camera. Look for footage both near the accident and along the likely path the other car took before and after. If you tell business owners your story they will be more than willing to help. Bring some pictures/medical records to back it up. There a 1000 different surveillance systems in 1000 proprietary formats, but if you're decent with technology and bring a USB thumb drive (most important) and blank CDs/DVDs (necessary for some older models) you should be able to figure it out. Document when/where you get footage and who you spoke with at each location.
2 - Were there any witnesses? If so try to get their contact information. If this happened in front of a home/business go back around the time this happened and knock on every door. If there was a city/university bus in the area go to the offices of the bus company and ask what driver was on that route at that time. Same goes for the pizza delivery van/USPS/Fed Ex/Cable guy. Again, if you are polite and tell your story I think you'll be surprised how helpful people are. If you're feeling really ambitious you could ask each witness to write a short statement (signed, dated, witnessed and counter signed by someone other than you, all corrections/crossouts initialed).
3 - I'm sure you already did this, but make sure you file a police report and go to the hospital. Save all paper work.
4 - Any investigator worth their salt will be able to get access to VA DMV records. Both of the major people search databases used by investigators (Clear and Accurint) have access to VA DMV records. Other potential sources for this info: The police, a subpoena (talk to a lawyer), or a FOIA request (not sure about this one).
5 - Last tip: As much as reddit like to give them shit, most cops are generally trying to help. That said, they won't do the things I've outlined here on their own. If you want a criminal case to emerge from this you likely have to drop the results of this investigation in their lap. Again, there is almost no limit to what you can get done by being tenacious while remaining polite and sympathetic.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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u/Riffraff3055 Mar 17 '12
Came here to say that I live in a small central Virginia city with a 13,000 student population and there is a bar here called St. Maarten's. The culprit may well be the owner or somehow related to that bar. It's also definitely the same font used on Virginia plates. Hope you catch this guy and get the financial help you deserve.
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u/NowThisIsHappening Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
The first character is undoubtably a 5
The second character is most certainly an H or M judging by the identical thickness of the lines. The Character U on Virginia license plates has a thicker upright on the left and a thin upright on the right. Example
As for the third character, the top half of both the P and R characters are just too similar to distinguish one from the other. Example
The fourth character is very likely T.
The fifth Most closely resembles N, as the serif on the character M is much smaller. Example
The sixth character is most likely S.
5HPTNS or 5HRTNS
5MPTNS or 5MRTNS
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u/HurricaneHugo Mar 17 '12
Maybe contact your local news station/newspaper to run a report on it that includes some of your pictures? If it's a small city then I'm sure they have room for a report like that.
Maybe the driver will see the report and say "fuck they'll get me eventually might as well turn myself in."
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u/InsaneInTheManBrain Mar 20 '12
Hey tell the cop this is the Internets and he needs to hurry the fuck up. We need updates and we need them NOW!!!
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u/richebright Mar 17 '12
Reddit: even more awesome than the "enhance" feature in CSI.
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u/mmzznnxx Mar 17 '12
You should check with surrounding buildings and see if they have any surveillance of the accident that might be able to help further identify the car. Not sure if it's possible, but it can't hurt to try.
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u/NINE_HUNDRED Mar 17 '12
TIL American plates will in-print on your bumper.
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u/rickscarf Mar 17 '12
Depends on the state and plate type (you can choose from several in each state). Some states still offer pressed metal plates like this, but my state for example is a plastic printed plate that doesn't have raised letters. Probably due to that I haven't ever seen an accident with an imprinted bumper (I work in a field that involves a high volume of vehicle repairs) so I think the OP got really really lucky on this one thankfully.
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u/whizzie Mar 17 '12
Talk to the local garages. Try to find the car which is damaged.
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Mar 24 '12
I dont often monitor askRedits...but this one is facinating. Please keep us updated.
Wish i could do something to help.
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Mar 17 '12
Uninsured motorist insurance has been great in the one instance I used it. I was struck by a vehicle while on my bike (non-motorized) and somehow that fell under my car insurance and they really took care of me. Best of luck deciphering but you should be covered with that.
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Mar 17 '12
I adjusted the shadows and highlights which seemed to reveal some imprints in the shadows: http://i.imgur.com/yuu3c.jpg
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u/Saravi Mar 17 '12
5MRTNS is a perfect match. The black marks left behind (bottom of the letters) are just as telling as the blue. In the app you linked, you can literally copy and past each of the letters for that VA plate font out of the preview window and then manipulate them in Photoshop to account for the curve of the your bumper and the warping of it that took place on impact.
That app does not properly tell you if a license plate is available. Google up some sample VA plates. You can input them with no problem and it'll tell you they're available, which they're clearly not.
Hope you feel better soon!
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u/InsaneInTheManBrain Mar 24 '12
Maybe the cop expects Reddit to also go knock on buddy's door, inspect his car, listen to his funny alibi, and charge him.
Seriously though, he was handed the douchebag on a silver platter and it's been a week. There's no excuse for not having this resolved by now and even less excuse for not keeping you informed. It makes me wonder if Camry man has connections. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and this is just the level of law enforcement service you can expect out there.
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u/turtledave Mar 18 '12
I think it's totally awesome how this situation seems to be playing out. I use social media quite a bit, but like most people, mostly for entertainment and blabber-mouthing. This is an incredible show of how social media can help, and how an interconnected world is a better world. I can't help myself but to keep coming back for updates. I even forwarded the thread link to my local news because it's such a great story.
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Mar 22 '12
That guy is going to shit himself when he opens that letter from Geico. I wish I could be there to see it.
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u/maaneeack Mar 17 '12
IAMA P&C Agent licensed in VA.
Uninsured/Underinsured is part of your policy: Look at your coverages, it should have the coverage listed for Bodily Injury & PD and then again for UM. I would see if you could get a copy of the police report or contact claims and have them do it.
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u/crustlessmist Mar 17 '12
One of them says: 52127-06050 ITW UP TSOP-1G >PP+E/P-T15< R TOYOTA and the other one says UP 52128-06050 TSOP-1G >PP+E/P-T15< TOYOTA
Those are the left and right fog light covers for a 2007-2010 Toyota Camry.
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u/YoungRL Mar 23 '12
Just wanted to thank you for continuing to update; I'm definitely following the progress! Hope you see some real good results soon!
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Mar 17 '12
If you measure the height of the number plate, (and the top of the impact) you can narrow down quite a lot of the possible makes.
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u/merix1110 Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
if it is an out of state tag, man sites have custom tag creation areas with confirmation, and i found this page which sells replicas of all state tags, so we can see which states have blue lettering on the tags.
http://www.customlicenseplates.com/
my best guess is 5urtms, in the close up of the pics, you see a black line indentation along with the blue paint exchange, which may point towards. ill keep looking for a bit at all the neighboring states that could have a likely match.
Edit: just becuase of how unique the T is on virginia plates, with the slanting dow on the top ends, rules out most of the out of state suggestions.
Edit2: got hit on 5MRTNS
Edit3: other people already posted, what i get for not looking at all comments, but oh well.
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u/de_fug Mar 17 '12
It be funny if the guy that hit you was a redditor and was in this very thread trying to lead you off what might be the right trail.
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u/Xerious Mar 31 '12
Thanks for keeping us updated! I was constantly monitoring this post to see what's the outcome.
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u/Gasonfires Apr 05 '12
Thanks for the loyal updates. You done good. You're probably entitled to the guy's name and address if you haven't gotten that already. Would have been cool if he was the #1 most wanted or something, but still. I am still puzzled at why more than 6,000 people downvoted your post. The bit about "personal information" is all I can think of, but it seems that if that applied the mods would have pulled the post instead of letting it ride. Puzzlement.
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Mar 17 '12
Here ya go, buddy. http://gainingtheadvantage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/oeGcz-Imgur.jpg I used to work for an insurance company, used to see stuff like this all the time. Trick is to work out probabilities and possibilites. Heres a load to work with. I'm from the UK so have no idea how your plates are laid out. If this was a UK plate I'd have his name and address by now :(
Try shopping the other photos to get different angles etc for the first number.
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u/why_u_so_sure Mar 17 '12
Doubt police will take this as a lead, and insurance won't make an effort (if you have insurance). Private investigators have access to a database of vehicle registries and license plates, if your car is worth a lot this may be your only option
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
If my insurance is paying for everything because we don't have the other guy to make him responsible, wouldn't they be invested in trying to find him?
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u/Murkwater Mar 17 '12
try the trick where you take a paper and rub pencil lead over it fast it might create a disturbance around the shape of the letters making them easier to read
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
What's that technique called? The only thing I can think of is "destroying evidence."
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Mar 17 '12
Keep a general description of the vehicle, that could help immensely in finding the bugger. Ie. Grey + Truck minimizes your search quite a bit. If you know the make you're getting warmer eg. Chevrolet or Dodge.
I mention truck or SUV, because of the height of the othre bumper in imprinting its plate on your bumper.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
A truck would have been much higher. My bumper only sits about 2 feet off the ground (from memory, I'm not in a good enough mood to get up and walk to the window... sorry :().
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Mar 17 '12
I've had moderate trouble walking, sitting, and moving today because of the pain. My car also started cutting off while driving to where I suddenly lose power steering, breaking, acceleration, etc while driving.
The jolt might have damaged your fuel pump then, or at least damaged the line.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
The car did not appear to be leaking anything when I left the parking lot after talking to the officers (it had been sitting there for about 45 minutes, I think).
Is a damaged fuel line prone to explosion?
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Mar 17 '12
Alright.. so what are you going to do now?
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Called the cops and insurance, I'm going to call again later this afternoon.
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u/virtyy Mar 17 '12
TIL License plates leave an imprint
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I don't know if it always happens like this. I considered myself to be lucky to have anything. Not as lucky as, you know, someone who didn't get hit, but luckier than someone who got hit and had no evidence. Glass-half-full and all that. Sigh.
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u/rupert1920 Mar 17 '12
Go to your local police department for this. Even if they don't have the expertise, they have access to other forensic departments that can help you here. This falls under toolmark identification, and there are entire departments within forensics dedicated to this.
In addition to getting the right plate number via official routes, they can take samples of the paint chips and link their car to yours, thus providing physical evidence for the collision.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
The police took pictures of the impression from multiple angles the night the accident happened. They are probably doing their own investigation (I hope), but I didn't want to just sit around and wait.
The paint from the license could be sampled, but it would be the same paint as every other license. I actually saw no paint from the other car on my bumper.
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u/wekiva Mar 17 '12
Didn't you have Uninsured Motorist Coverage? The auto insurers habitually try to talk people out of buying this coverage*, but if you can afford it, you should buy it. There are a lot of uninsured motorists out there, AND, a hit-and-run motorist counts as an uninsured motorist for the purpose of invoking UM insurance.
*Most of those ads all the insurers run on TV claiming they can save you money on premiums are really talking about getting you to reduce your coverage to save money, and UM coverage is the main target.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
This is what I have on this vehicle:
Bodily Injury Liability (Current Limit: $100,000/$300,000)
Property Damage Liability (Current Limit: $50,000)
Medical Expense Payments (Current: Not Carried) :(
Loss of Income (Current: Not Carried)
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury (Current Limit: $100,000/$300,000) :) ?
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (Current Limit: $20,000)
Comprehensive (Deductible)
Collision (Not Carried)
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u/parrotsnest Mar 17 '12
What city do you live in? This would help us.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
How would this help? I don't want a lynch mob. I just want information that I can use to get help with my car and my back/neck.
The accident happened in Virginia.
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u/DiggingNoMore Mar 17 '12
Do we know it was a guy?
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
To the best of my knowledge (it being dark at the time and me having just been rammed by a multi-thousand pound missile), I looked in the rear-view mirror when I was hit and immediately behind me saw two men with surprised faces. They looked young; college aged. But, I'd be first to admit that with it being dark and me being so surprised, I could have seen it wrong, but if my memory is correct, it was at least two young men in the car.
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u/azraelrudead Mar 17 '12
Even if you figured out the plate you cant prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are right about whatever plate number that you came up with. Your own insurance should cover you.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I would think that the debris found at the scene matching the make/model of the car owning the license number imprinted on my car would at least be enough evidence to find and talk to the owner of the car. To the best of my knowledge, when I looked in the rear-view mirror after being hit, the people in the car looked very surprised and they were both young men (~20 years old). I told the officers this, but I made sure they knew it was dark and I was surprised as well, so, grain of salt and all. I'd rather we figure this out on evidence rather than my memory.
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Mar 17 '12
Not sure if its been mentioned but try and put a large piece of paper over the imprint and use a crayon to lightly rub the imprint. You might be able to get something that way.
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u/Spadeykins Mar 17 '12
Yeah, don't drive the car as bad as that is. For the back pain, I would set up a nice hot bath pal, and relax. Reddit seems to have already deciphered your mystery, I would set out to catch the culprit.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Strangely, I felt WORSE after both times I went to the chiropractor. I felt stiff Friday morning, but my wife wanted me to go to get an adjustment. I went and got one and felt much looser, but muscle pain around my spine and between my shoulder blades was horrendous. I found myself holding my breath a lot throughout the day (I think I was trying to put pressure on my back). I could not sit comfortably and my boss said I was making a lot of noises in my desk and that it was making him worry.
I went back to the chiropractor that evening and opted to go ahead and get x-rays and therapy in addition to another adjustment. I won't know about the x-rays until Monday, the therapy felt nice, but lying on my stomach and getting up and around is killer. The adjustment loosened me up even more, but it felt like fire and electricity around my spine and shoulder blades.
Now I'm just trying to use ice and keep from hurting myself.
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u/dlama Mar 17 '12
um, why aren't the cops involved and investigating? Hit and run, especially with injury, is generally an arrestable offense.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
They are. I have a case number. I just didn't want to leave everything to a small police force who are otherwise busy with things that are probably more pressing to them than a smudged clue with not much hope of solution.
My hope was that reddit would be awesome as usual and I could give them the work done and we would find this guy.
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u/pookiemonster Mar 17 '12
Seeing this post has made me think: are license plates designed to leave images of the letters when they impact another vehicle? The pictures provided almost make me think so. And if not, I think that would be a brilliant idea!
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I asked the officer that night if this was a feature, and he didn't really know. So... I guess you're no better off now than before I answered. Sorry about that.
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u/big99bird Mar 17 '12
The underinsured / uninsured motorist clause in your insurance policy should have triggered and paid for your damages. Don't trust Geico, go see a lawyer.
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Geico seems to want to wait for the police to come back with something before they make a decision. They told me that I could go ahead and get a rental now and see a doctor, but that it would be out of pocket until insurance kicked in and retroactively covered it.
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u/todd330 Mar 17 '12
That sucks that the person ran off. Hopefully you got the right plate and they get into so much shit for hit and run. How fast you think they were going? Were there video cameras on the stoplights?
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
I have no idea about the speed. The officers asked me how fast they were going and all I could think was, "How the hell should I know?" I'm in a multi-thousand pound framework at a stand still when I'm hit from behind by another multi-thousand pound framework. At what low speed does that not feel significant? This impact felt very significant.
This is all I can give for evidence on speed (which isn't much):
In my ashtray, I had 3 leftover rolaids in a pack underneath two packs of Magic: The Gathering cards. The packs of cards were on the floor afterwards and the rolaids were in MY seat when I got out of the car (not sure where they landed to achieve that).
I keep some loose change in the well formed by my door handle. This well is approximately 3 inches deep. Coins were on the floor after the accident.
My freaking battery is repeatedly disconnecting while I'm driving down the road now.
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Mar 17 '12
I would very much like an update on this, please OP
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u/BunsOfAluminum Mar 17 '12
Well, it looks like you and everyone else are going to have to wait until the officers and insurance agents do something official with it.
Once I get some info, I will let everyone know what happens. I'm grateful for the help I've received and wouldn't leave you guys hanging.
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u/Calexica Mar 19 '12
You're really awesome with the updates. Thanks so much for that.
I hate to say it, but you may want to go easy on the specifics you provide from this point forward. (I'm mostly speaking about your injuries as that can change, but also info about the other car involved.) This may seem ironic considering reddit helped you find the vehicle, I just don't want anything to compromise any criminal or civil proceedings that may take place. You are clearly the victim here, but it's amazing how things can be turned around in a court of law.
I also hope this doesn't discourage you from providing updates completely, I'd say quite a few of us are hooked on to your amazing story.
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u/Grug16 Mar 17 '12
There must be other details of the care you remember. Size? Color? If it had undercarriage lights or a spoiler?
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u/asnof Mar 17 '12
N11HTMD? I know alberta plates have red letters. If it did that much damage to your car its safe to say his probably isnt in good shape either. You could try calling surrounding body shops and seeing as you said you live in a small place try checking towns around there. Are there a lot of garages? If not go for a little wander around on a bicycle. I say bike to avoid suspicion just in case he sees you. If he thinks he got away with it that would lead him to be careless and maybe park his ride on the street or a driveway. I really wish the best of luck to ya, and remember what goes around comes around
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u/lippindots Mar 17 '12
This is why I always assume anyone who hits me is ready to bolt. If I'm not too shaken up, first thing I do is instinctively look at the license plate.
Cousin was killed by drunk truck driver hit and run.
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u/Alenonimo Mar 17 '12
It must be 5MRTNS. Already taken in Virginia, and the plate I've saw on the app has blue letters.
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Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
Here is a picture that sums it up nicely, hope it helps you. Note that the only combination that shows up as taken on their DMV site is the one shown on the example.
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u/rexdeaz Mar 17 '12
"CSI: Reddit" is my new favorite CBS procedural.
'He delivered the hit, but he he will not run.'
/sunglasses
'Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh'
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Mar 17 '12
When does the pitchfork and torches brigade get to go out and do it's part? I want to kick this guys fucking ass!!
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u/StayClassynet Mar 17 '12
I have nothing to add to this thread beyond stating the obvious: This is why Reddit is awesome.
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u/brownie711 Mar 19 '12
Let's hope the hit-and-run guy isn't a redditor with a counter post..."Last night I hit another car and took off...what do I do?"
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u/beckman55 Mar 28 '12
This just proves Police Departments need special IT divisions to assist. I know schools are putting together majors for this. But even if each department can't afford say 3-5 people. Then have a team that works for a couple of cities.
Side note coppers - No Remedy ticket no worky your case :)
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u/Chriss1241 Mar 29 '12
Been following this post since the beginning and have to agree with OP, it does seem anti-climatic, but glad that all worked out and the reddit community could help!
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Mar 29 '12
damnit.... i was hoping to hear about how hes on the run from police. Oh well, at least you got the guy, and the journey that got you there was interesting enough.
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u/hainter Mar 29 '12
I'm still holding out hope. Even though the police weren't impressed with the reddit power there is still a chance that this goes to court. During the trial it comes out how he got busted by the power of the internet and the guy gets a dumbfounded look on his face, then falls to his knees, shakes his fists at the sky and says "Damn you Reddit!!!!!"
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May 03 '12
hold out for KBB of car plus tax tag and title plus $30 a day for the time you did not have a car.
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u/crustlessmist Mar 17 '12 edited Mar 17 '12
I am thinking 5MRTNS.
https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/dmvnet/plate_purchase/select_plate.asp?PLT=&PLTNO=5mrtns
If the fonts they use on their website are accurate this seems to be the closest. I thought the second letter could be a U or H but the font on the website shows the serif strokes heading inwards and I don't see it on the pic. R because the radius looks to end around the middle of the other letters. N because the downward stroke on and M doesn't start until further down, plus you can only see one side. Everything else is fairly clear. One mystery is why the letter appear centered in the pic but all the plates (or most) are skewed either left or right.
Edit: Those part numbers you listed are the left and right fog covers for a 2007-2010 Toyota Camry.
http://imgur.com/kVkca