Driving & Driving Test Tips: Side Swipe Collision, light surface scratches, side swipe

Question
QUESTION: I was recently involved in a low speed (15-20mph), low impact side collision car accident with another vehicle.  The other vehicle was driving in the left lane and carelessly began to crossover into my lane on the right.  The passenger side of her car briefly came into contact with my driver side door.  The damage to my driver side door consists of some light surface scratches/dents and a black arch-shaped discoloration that, based on it's location, looks as if it rubbed off from one of the offending vehicle's tires.  There didn't appear to be any visible damage to her car.  Based on this type of collision, can you comment on why my car was damaged/marked and her car was not?

ANSWER: the black arched damage is probably the edke of the itre as it was protruding from the wheel well as they were turning even slightly.  there will be corresponding damage to the other car if your car was scratched up.  you would have to look at the location of the damage to your car (height primarily) and look at the other car at the same height along its side.  there will be something even if it is light damage.

some time it takes a trained eye but it will be there.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response.  I do have one follow-up question:  Does the fact that I have more damage to my car speak at all to which car was the offending vehicle and which car was the impacted vehicle?  The woman in the other vehicle is claiming that it was my car that veered into her lane.  This is simply untrue and, in defending my position, I'm trying to understand the physics of a collision like this.

Answer
The definition of a collision is simply two vehicles trying to occupy the same space at the same time.  How they got there is the question, but the damages to the vehicles in this case does not pin point the location of the collision.  Either she came into your lane or you went into her lane.  Without other physical evidence or an independent witness it is your word against hers.