You could save yourself a lot of hassle if you put a stop payment on original check & just sent another check - $35.00 fee or not. Again your decision.
It's always best to report any accident to your own ins. co. no matter who you believe is at fault - the ins. cos. will determine fault for ins. purposes.
If the check hasn't been received/cashed, no the person has not been paid. If you were waiting for a check & it wasn't received, would you consider yourself paid -- most likely not.
You need to talk to a personal injury attorney. Keep in mind accidents do happen & if you can't reach something, you really should ask for help. There "might" be negligence on the stores behalf - we can't say.
You can go to the store(s) & explain the situation & see what they say. However, they "might" still keep a watch on you since this activity of yours is suspicious.