FO DISCOVERS DENTED GOUGE ON FUSELAGE OF CRJ DURING WALKAROUND.

Narrative

THE CREW ARRIVED EARLY FOR DEP TO MSP. THE FO FOUND ON HIS PREFLT A 4 FT LONG DENT AND SCRATCH ON THE STARBOARD SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE UNDERNEATH WINDOWS 4 TO 8 AND NOTIFIED ME OF THE DENT. I WALKED OUTSIDE AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE A HUGE GOUGE IN THE SIDE OF THE ACFT. I WOULD SAY ABOUT 4 FT LONG AND ABOUT 1 INCH WIDE AND 1 INCH INTO THE SKIN. PAINT CHIPS WERE ALL OVER THE GND NEXT TO THE AIRPLANE. I THEN WENT INTO THE AIRPLANE AND TOLD THE RAMP AND GATE AGENTS THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE; PROBABLY FOR A LONG; LONG TIME. THE PAX WERE DEPLANED AND A WRITE-UP WAS CALLED INTO MAINT CTL. CONTRACT MAINT WAS CALLED IN AND THE STATION MGR WAS CALLED IN. MANY PICTURES WERE TAKEN AND AS THE DAYLIGHT ARRIVED THE GND CREW FOUND PAINT CHIPS ON A TUG THAT WERE USED BY SOMEONE WHO WAS SVCING THE AIRPLANE WITH FRESH DENTS ON THE ROOF OF THE TUG. NO ONE TOLD THE CREW. THE FO DISCOVERED THE DENT DURING HIS PREFLT. THE WX IN ZZZ WAS REALLY LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY SO IF WE WOULD HAVE NOT SEEN THE DENT AND DEPARTED; WE WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME BACK TO ZZZ -- WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO GO TO OUR TKOF ALT AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PROB WITH AN UNPRESSURIZED PLANE TRAVELING A LONG DISTANCE.