Unfortunately, many of us have been in this situation before. You walk out of the grocery store or mall and find that someone has hit and damaged your car!  What should you do?

If possible, go back into the store you were visiting and report the fact that your car has been hit. If you're in a mall with a security service, contact security to report that your car has been damaged in the parking lot. Typically, the local police department will not come to a private property for non-injury losses unless the car is extremely damaged or totaled.

You'll need to establish that someone else damaged your car while it was parked. In most situations, if you can prove that your car was hit while it was parked, if you have broad form collision coverage on your auto policy, then your deductible will be waived and you can have your car repiared at no cost to you.

If you're not sure what kind of coverage you have, or if you'd like more information, contact us at 800-648-0856.

What if a witness saw who hit your car, or you have security footage showing what happened? We'll cover what to do if you know who hit your car in the next installment of Ask an Expert.

Dave Drayton has been with Lyman & Sheets since 1981, and has more than 27 years of risk management, insurance operations and sales experience. Email Dave at davidd@lymansheets.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.