Late last year, an event occurred which we wouldn’t wish on anyone. It was a minor car accident. Our car has long since been repaired. We don’t know the status of the other car.
Except for some psychological scars such as loss of sleep, there’s not much damage. About the only thing pending is our insurance company’s struggle to collect our “uninsured motorist” deductible from the other party.
What my wife Bonnie and I believe is the unfortunate result of the accident in November was the lesson we received on how some people simply cannot take responsibility for their actions. Worse, when adults compound the lies, we wonder where it all will lead. This column is dedicated to the minority of drivers who choose to blame others and does not apply to caring, responsible drivers.
It was evening when we neared the light on Mills and Grand on our way to pick up our grandson. Going north, we had the green light, and the left-turn arrow was on as well, meaning southbound traffic had to wait. As we crossed the intersection, we slammed into a car full of teens and pre-teens that had cut in front of us.
I had seconds to react and steered to the left and was able to avoid serious damage or injuries by clipping only the rear of the back door. If I hadn’t veered, or if we’d been in our family car instead of the runabout, the other car would have been much worse. As it was, the car we hit needed to be towed; ours had damage to the hood and grill.
What followed was disturbing even to a wizened geezer. As soon as we hit the other car, the fear of being hit in turn by an air bag inflating at 100 mph was frightening. Fortunately the air bags didn’t explode in either car.
I went to the other car to inquired as to whether any of the riders was injured. All of them appeared okay. When I suggested to the driver that we exchange insurance information, a very timid, frightened young woman of high school age said her insurance policy had lapsed.
Even though a lot of people apparently witnessed the accident and reported it, the driver said she was going up the hill, on north Railroad Avenue to report the accident. A minute later, a boy passenger told us the same thing. Soon all the passengers had disappeared “to report the accident.” So panicked were they that they left all four doors open, and a wad of keys in the ignition.
The group never returned. Not one person chose to stick around to face the police. When police arrived, they requested that Bonnie and I be interviewed separately, to guard against colluding about the collision.
Shortly, an irate woman arrived and accused me of ruining her car, as if it were my penchant to destroy a car a day. The police asked her not to hassle us. She explained that while she was at home “someone reported that my car was involved in an accident.”
The car we hit is probably the most common model and color in town. She said that “someone must have stolen the car,” even though the wad of keys, it was later discovered, contained house keys as well. Good thinking. The thief must have made off with her car from her driveway, with keys in the ignition. Yeah, right!
Now we’re being asked to believe that the thief him/herself made a courtesy call: “We stole your car and wrecked it. But the next time we steal it, we’d appreciate it if it had current insurance.”
City police were extremely conscientious, going to the owner’s house and, according to the report, making numerous attempts to contact the driver, who gave a new slant to the driving term “evasive action.” The report said the young driver “avoided contact” with police.
The “uninsured motorist” coverage which we pay for took care of most of the repairs to our car. We later received notice that our insurance company had been unsuccessful in collecting from the responsible party. We don’t know yet whether our rates will go up as we part to secure extra coverage because of those who don’t.
The young girl’s car was a late model, and possibly not yet paid for. If that’s the case, it’s puzzling that any finance company or bank would allow the owner not to carry necessary insurance. A common explanation is that they buy coverage long enough to get license tags, then let it lapse. It’s interesting that in this age of computer technology there doesn’t appear to be a good communications pipeline between police, motor vehicle divisions and insurance companies.
The high school driver of the car, who was cited for four infractions, apparently has successfully completed a required course in defensive driving. That’s encouraging.
But the memory of four or five terrified kids running up Railroad Avenue that night is still troubling. One would think at least one of the crew would have remained there and admitted to police: “We messed up, but I for one would like to make things right because my parents would want me to.”