An Edinburgh motorist is asking the public for help in tracking down the driver of a car that smashed into his rented vehicle before making off without stopping.
Darren Paterson, who works in Sighthill, was renting an Enterprise car as his motor was off the road at the time.
The incident took place on Sighthill View on February 16 shortly before 5.00pm with Darren calling in the cops to investigate.
In the footage shared exclusively with Edinburgh Live, a Citroen C3 appears to reverse into his stationary black Enterprise car before driving off.
READ MORE: Edinburgh teenager arrested after fire tears through home in quiet street
As a result of the driver making off, Darren has been left with a £750 fee from Enterprise, despite the fact he showed them footage of the incident.
Darren said: “It happened on February 16 just before 5:00pm on Sighthill View. I think it’s a Citroen C3.
“I gave the start of the licence plate to the police but have been informed that they couldn’t find the car because I could not give the full licence plate number.
“Now I’m being charged £750 for repairs. That’s why I have shared the video as it was a hire car as my car was off the road.
“I sent the video to Enterprise too and they wanted the ref number to claim against it but obviously cause it’s not all there they are trying to get payment from me.
“Obviously we don’t know what state the driver was in or if they were drunk.
“What is most frustrating is they are now trying to take the money off of me when it is clearly not my fault.
“That’s a rare car in the video with a white body and red roof.
“Apparently the police went to a nearby shop where I got the video from but they were too late as it had deleted over itself.
“If you watch the video, they drive over the pavement too, it’s mental how bad it is.”
Edinburgh Live has seen an invoice sent to Darren, apparently from Enterprise, detailing a request for the £750 in damages to be paid.
It is understood that police were given new details on Wednesday June 8 that will help with their enquiry.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers received a report of a crash involving a vehicle and a parked car on Sighthill View, Edinburgh around 4.40pm on Wednesday, 16 February, 2022.
"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances."
A spokesperson for Enterprise said: "It is entirely unacceptable for a driver to collide with a vehicle and leave the scene without accepting responsibility, as has happened in this case.
"Enterprise Car Club members have the benefit of collision damage waiver which has an excess of £750. This gives a degree of protection against incidents such as this one. The driver of the Enterprise car is liable to pay the excess should the vehicle they are using be damaged, but we will refund this if there is an at fault party who we have been able to reclaim the full cost of the damage from. Such excess charges are a standard part of all motor coverage products.
"Car Club members can reduce the £750 damage waiver to £100 for a one-off fee of £90 a year or £10 a month. They can also reduce the excess on a per booking basis. This is charged at £1.50 per hour with a daily cap of £12.
"We sympathise with Mr. Patterson and if the driver of the other vehicle can be traced and the cost of the damage reclaimed from them, we would refund the excess.
"Details of the coverage are set out for Car Club members on our website.”
