What an Inconvenience

On the 20th, right before we were leaving to pick up Byron and Kristal in San Fransisco, our van got hit in the Foods Co. parking lot. It was really quite a silly incident. I was parked and ready to pull out, when a big SUV pulled in beside me. I thought he was parked, but then he decided pull out and park behind me. Okay, what are you doing buddy?....so then I waited and then saw that he had put his vehicle in park. I started to back out slowly and when I was fully out and ready to put the van into drive, the SUV decided to move for a second time and backed right into my side. ARG! My heart sank as I heard the sound of metal crunching which to me means only one thing...losing time and money. Now I'm familiar with what to do in this situation in Canada (not like I'm in accidents on a regular basis), but I was a bit unsure of what to do here with private insurance etc. Well, I guess now was the time to learn.

I got out of the van; and of course it was raining hard, go figure for Fresno...and stood there waiting for Mr. FenderBender to get out of his SUV. He apologized and tried to give me $100 so I wouldn't report it. I looked at the van and knew it was more than $100 of damage and so I said, "Sorry buddy, but I can't take your money for that. It won't cover it". I didn't want to be a jerk, since it was just a few days before Christmas. And then he told me he didn't have a license and that he would pay for the damages when I took it to a shop. He didn't want to go through insurance because his Dad's insurance would skyrocket and it was his fault, not his Dad's. So I got as much of his information as I could, and feeling quite peeved with the situation, went home. I called the guy and told him I'd be in touch with him in a few days. I'd have to deal with this once we got back from San Fransisco.

After the 25th, Kristal came with me to an autobody shop to get the damages assessed and a quote written up. Well, when I tried to get in touch with Mr. FenderBender, he didn't pick up his phone anymore. I guess he decided not to honor his word and morphed into Mr. NastyPooHead. Now I was really peeved. Here I was left with a damaged van, not enough information on this guy or his dad, and a $250 deductible if I made a claim. Double ARG!

Not to be a total downer, I was treated very well by the insurance company, and was fitted with a lovely rental vehicle while mine is still in the shop getting repaired. But because the damages were over $1000, I need to fill out a DMV report and I'll also be calling the police to make an accident report. What a hassle, eh?

I think what really gets my goat is the fact that I was lied to and taken advantage of. I'm usually a person that thinks the best of everyone. I didn't want to be a scrooge with the guy and I felt sorry for him. Here he was stuck with a bill for hundreds of dollars of damage, right before Christmas, just because he's a bad driver ( maybe that's why he doesn't have a license).

But now this situation has tarnished my view of people. I'm tempted not to give them the benefit of the doubt. How can I do that when it cost me? How can I protect myself from being taken advantage of without turning into a suspicious, unmerciful person? How many times have I wronged people and they still forgave me; how many times have I been given a second chance? Oh what's a girl to do.