I went to a post office today, in my hometown... I parked behind a van.
(we were both parallel parked, to the curb, with room in front of both
vehicles.) As I drove up, a large family was hanging out by this van.
When I returned to my car... they were still standing around, many
checking about my Triumph TR 4A...
I got into my car... and started reading some mail, in my TR... with my
stuff spread out across the tonneau cover... Finally, the family
started to pile into the van... the van started up... and, for some
reason... just started backing up... and kept backing up... When I
realized they weren't stopping... I switched on my ignition, and hit the
horn... but it was too late...
Their trailer hitch crushed in my lower valance, bent my grill,
shattered my front headlamp, and their big chrome bumper bent my bonnet
a tad...
They all jumped out. I'll just say this, they were not americans.
They stood around, looking at the damage. The driver was a young girl.
The driver looked emphathetic to the damage she had just done to the car
they had all admired just prior... then someone ran into a nearby
building... and brought out the patriarch of the family...
He came out, in his fine sunday suit, and stared the damage... I had to
point out exactly what they did... I pointed at the damage to the
bonnet... and they denied it... then I pointed out the green scuff on
their bumper, at the height of my bonnet.... and the shape of their
hitch, now struck into my car...
the patriach said, in a sharp accent: "How much?"
I looked it over... My car needs a paint job, so it's not like they
devastated a finished car... so I asked for $300.00... I figured they'd
offer $250.00, and we'd be done with it. Then he said, NO, we'll do
this by insurance.
I said that $300.00 will probably be cheaper, in the long run, than
bringing the insurance companies into it, but that it was his choice.
(I was thinking what this is going to do to their auto insurance with a
teenage daughter!)
So I got out some paper, and he started writing a few details... name of
insurance company, license of van...
I asked for the driver's license... He refused. I said I wanted to see
it to write the info down. He refused. I said I had to see it. He
refused, saying he did not want me to know his daughter's address... I
said fine, just cover up the address... but I want to SEE the license...
he refused...
I explained that he was required to share this information. That I had
to confirm her identity and that he was writing the proper
information... he hid the license from my sight... and then yelled...
"You get NOTHING... You get NOTHING now..."
I'm like, "What are you talking about?"
"You get NOTHING... YOU HIT ME!!!! ..You get nothing now!" And then he
ordered his family (not in english) to get in the van and leave...
I told him, "if she leaves, that is hit and run!"..."It's against the
law for her to leave without sharing her information."
He said, "No, you get nothing now... you hit me!"...
I said, "Yeah right, This has been my hometown for 36 years... do you
really think they're going to take your word over mine??"
"you get nothing!" ...and he orders them to drive away...
I said, "that's hit and run"... and I whipped out my cellular phone...
He said, "fine, call the police... I'll be in there when they come...
come and get me when they're here! You get nothing.... you hit me...
blah blah blah..."
Two police cars came. The officer came to me... I told him the story...
the guy came out... the policeman says "Where's your daughter???" "GET
HER BACK HERE NOW!" "This is hit-and-run"... etc. etc. etc..
Then the officer and i proceed to talk about the former chief, that was
a friend of our family... and are laughing together as if we had been
old pals for years... (though I've never met this officer before...)
(I'm sure this guy is thinking it's an issue of race, rather than the
fact that he is in the wrong... and that it is, afterall, my hometown,
as I had told him!)
The guy asks that he be punished, not his daughter, for driving away...
because he had ordered her to... The officer just lectures the guy
more... as he stands there with weakened knees...
As the officer starts to fill out the report... he noticed my
aeroscreens weren't exactly legal... but I told him I'm going to try to
make the wipers work on them... and that this may make them legal... he
thinks the idea is good...
Well... finally, we get a full report written...
this guy never ONCE apologized for the damage his daughter had done.
What an example he has set for his family! And now there is a police
report... so now both of our insurance companies will probably raise our
insurance... especially HIS... since he has teenage children...
I never once raised my voice... did not swear... etc. etc... I was a
gentleman from the start... and he played out this ridiculous denial
game...
He chose the wrong guy, and the wrong town to do it in!
Well... hopefully... His insurance company will follow through and he
won't try to dispute anything.
there's something to be said for Cellular phones... and I would have
liked having a disposable camera in the glove box....
Now I have to get estimates for repairs... and go through all these
hassles... Just when you start to have faith in mankind... you're hit
with this sort of mentality!
all I can say is... ug!
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