March 4, 2024

Truck Gouges Parked Van, All Caught On Dash Cam

Are you a driver who frequently leaves their car parked in public spaces? If yes, was there an instance wherein you came back to your parked vehicle and noticed dents or scratches? We have experienced it too, and understand how frustrating it is!

Unfortunately, that’s the risk of parking your vehicle and leaving it unattended, and this is why we highly recommend getting a dash cam with features such as parking mode, and multiple channel configurations – so you can catch the perpetrator in your preferred angle, even when you are away. These exact two features are what saved one of our customers, Francisco.

Let us share with you this recent real-life experience from Francisco. One night, he had to leave his SUV, a 2020 Toyota RAV4, parked along the streets of Queens in New York City. However, when he returned to his vehicle, he was shocked to see that the rear passenger side of his RAV4 was absolutely wrecked, including the brake lights, the fender, and the rear bumper, all absolutely ruined.

Since Francisco came to the scene later than the exact incident, the first thing he did was to check the dash cam footage. The good thing is that he had his parking mode function activated, so he could capture the scene even when the RAV4 was off, and even when he was not around the vehicle.

Based on the 1-minute video caught by his dash cam, Francisco found out that a commercial truck had made an improper turn, which hit the right side of his RAV4, scraping all the way along the side. Everything that happened was perfectly captured by Francisco’s dash cam, installed on the right side of the vehicle’s rear. Check out the dash cam footage here.

Here, it showed that the truck driver attempted to flee the scene, almost giving Francisco a hit-and-run case. Francisco said, “The driver left at first but returned 15 minutes later after noticing that there were witnesses to the accident.”

Little did they know, the truck driver had no escape, not just because of the witnesses, but also because Francisco’s multi-channel dash cam could record it in not just one, two, but four various angles!

Francisco installed two separate dual-channel systems in his vehicle, quite a unique setup. He used a Thinkware U1000 dash cam for the rear center, and the secondary rear camera was placed at the left side of the vehicle’s rear. For the front dash cam, he used a BlackVue DR970X, while having its secondary rear camera on the right side of the rear – this is the camera that captured the incident itself.

We were really impressed with how Francisco chose to set up his dash cam as it gave no blind spot of the incident. When we asked him about it, he said:

“The reason I have it that way is so it can record the side view since I had my car hit numerous times from the side.”

This way, even if it happened to him again, Francisco doesn’t have to worry about who is to blame, or who will shoulder the expenses. In this case, the damage to Francisco's Toyota RAV4 totalled $6,800, and thanks to the dash cam footage, the truck driver's insurance agreed to cover all costs.

Here, we learned that the more significant your investment in a dash cam is, the bigger protection you will receive. Francisco didn’t settle for mediocre dash cams that simply record the road ahead, as he knew that accidents might happen at any corner. Most importantly, despite the substantial impact, his Thinkware and BlackVue dash cams have served him without breaking, proving their durability and performance. It worked even when he was away, which gave him total peace of mind that his car will be watched over, any time of the day.

Remember, when you choose a dash cam, you don’t simply purchase an accessory for your car. You are investing on a silent witness and a driving (and parking) companion for you, your family, and your life journeys ahead.

Choose your camera wisely, and above all, stay protected out there.