Auto Insurance Claims: Not At Fault incident, property damage coverage, uninsured motorist property damage

Question
My girlfriend was recently, as in less an hour ago, involved where she discovered a large dent and scratches on her back quarter panel in front of the wheel.  We called the insurance company and already have filed a claim.  The driver left no insurance information, this happened while she was not in or near the car, and my question is will she have to pay anything to get the car fixed and what will happen from this point forward?? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Sid,

In most cases this will be filed as a collision claim. Your insurance company will pay for the cost of repairs less your collision deductible, which you would then pay to the body shop. If you live in a state that has Uninsured Motorist Property Damage coverage, you may be able to file the claim under that coverage which may have a lower deductible. However, many insurance companies will not allow a claim to be filed as an uninsured motorist claim unless there is a known at-fault party that can be verified to have caused the damage such as through a witness or a police report, etc.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh