Auto Insurance Claims: tagged a parked car, nieghborhood, insurance co

Question
last week, while running an errand in my nieghborhood I backed out of someone's driveway and bumped a car parked on the street (it was difficult to see when backing because i was backing up hill and then the narrow street sinks on the far side). The bump was witnessed, but no owner for the car could be found. Hours later I tracked down the name of the owner, she was out of town. I left my name and a short note. Her car had a spot of my bumper rubber on it and a slight dent in the wheel well. When she called she stated she did not intend to call police and was going to get estimates. I have not called my insurance co - it seemed very minor. Now I wonder whether I should call them and insist she make a report. My deductible is $500. I have no idea what her estimated cost will be.  

Answer
Hi Sonja,

You should wait to file a claim until she presents you with an estimate. Your deductible only applies to damage to your car not to damage you cause to other peoples cars. If you make the claim on your insurance, it will be considered an at fault accident and will increase your premiums for the next 3 yaers. So you will need to decide based on the repair costs if it is worth makeing a claim or just paying it out of pocket.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh