Hit & Run

[4X4]

Well, it's been a week so time for another vehicle rant from yours truly.

Two weeks ago my truck got hit and ran. They hit it pretty hard because my rear bumper is fairly mangled and underneath they squashed the steel pretty good. It doesn't look that bad, but it'll be over a grand to fix and of course, I'm on the hook for the $250 deductible.

Last week, my truck got broken in to as well as my uncle's truck. I left my truck at his house over night and they both got raided. Probably made off with $20 or $30 between the two vehicles, plus they stole a screwdriver and a mini pry bar from my truck. I guess my act of charity by leaving my doors unlocked was not enough and my hand tools were probably used to break in to more cars. Like my uncle's.
I'm starting to wonder if there's a master key for my truck. This is the third time in the last year my truck has been entered without signs of forced entry even though I'm a total lock nazi. Especially after my $1,000 golf clubs got ganked last summer. The f'ers even raided the mini cooler I had in the back and took some left over beers. Either someone has a key for my truck or else the only three times I've actually forgotten to lock the damn thing, thieves were in wait.

Now my neighbour just knocked on my door to ask me if one of my friends maybe hit his car in the parking lot. His car has a nice dent on it on the side adjacent to my spot. Luckily, it's obvious that it wasn't my truck that his his car, so the guy knows it wasn't me. But someone must have used my spot while I was out yesterday and hit his car. WTF?

Then, while we're in the parking lot chatting about hit and runs, he tells me that last weekend some chick smashed her car into two cars in front of our building and then grabbed her purse and ran.

To hell in a handbasket, I tells ya. This city. I'm almost reluctant to buy my new truck. At least I don't really care too much when my current ride gets dinged in a parking lot. My doors have their scars. My front end got smashed last year (another hit and run) and I had to fix my headlight.

If it's not getting hit and ran or broken in to, the cord gets stolen in the winter (right, Jolinar?). I've taken to opening my hood when I plug in and leaving the connection inside the engine compartment so that the cord can't get stolen. Two times it has been yanked out and destroyed and once it was just unplugged, likely out of spite (if I can't plug my car in, neither can you).

Then there was that freak snowstorm a few months ago. I saw a guy hit my neighbour's car and then try to drive off, but it was so slippery, he couldn't get away in time as I casually walked up and stared at his license plate until he stopped and then agreed to go and tell my neighbour that he hit his beautiful new mustang.

F'n people.

Oh, and here's a little piece of wisdom for anyone that has had their cds stolen. Only keep burnt copies in your car. At least then you're only out $20 for the cd case and a few hours time to re-burn your traveling music. The guys last week didn't even bother taking my cd case this time. I guess they're not fans of Gunners, Gordon Lightfoot and 90s grunge.

[Dan02]

Personally I can't believe how many people will leave after dinging someones car, and i'm not talking a small rub that left a mark where they might not have noticed.

I ding'd a car in a parking lot last weekend(one of my buddies convinced me to try and park my truck in a single spot, epic fail), left my card and when the guy called, he told me he said he was suprised I left him a note because it's happened to him in the past and they just disappeared.

Then of course earlier this week i noticed that someone had hit the back end of my truck and ding'd it, now its small and didn't break the paint but i noticed it from over 50 feet away, hard to imagine someone didn't notice they did that.

But geez take some responsibility, yeah i know more then anyone it sucks, but it sucks more when it happens to you and the culprit disappears.

[Resolute 14]

Someone backed into my car on Tuesday, likely with a trailer hitch, as the bumper has a small crack in it now below the license plate. As mentioned above, there is really no way the person didn't notice they hit me, and no note was left. The bumper already has a crack, so I'm not worried about it, but even a simple "sorry" note would have been nice...

[Ice]

I backed into a car leaving a hockey game a few years back. I sat in that parking lot for an hour and a half waiting for the guy who owned the car to show up. I didn't want to leave a note and leave, because I didn't have a camera to take pictures of damage and I didn't want it to end up worse than it was. (some people take advantage) But I also couldn't leave because I backed into this guys car and he deserved to know I did it. He was so amazed that I sat in my car waiting for him that he told me to forget about it. I'm sure I didn't do a lot of damage, I was moving slowly and newer car bumpers can take it, but his car was midnight blue and the parking lot at midnight is really dark, he may have regretted letting me leave the next morning. I tried to give him my contact info but he insisted whatever damage done would probably wash off. Its not that complicated of a decision to do the right thing. My old car used to get hit and dinged and scratched all the time, its became a joke to walk up to it and laugh "Oh, the note must have blown off the windshield." Its really frustrating, especially when the damage costs 3000.00 to repair. I try to be really careful with my new car, but its probably just a matter of time before some drags a shopping cart down the length of my car and acts like they don't know it.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Dan02

But geez take some responsibility, yeah i know more then anyone it sucks, but it sucks more when it happens to you and the culprit disappears.

It's crazy, isn't it? I'm grateful every day for the values my parents imparted to me--and one of them is to always take responsibility for your mistakes and make amends for the damage you cause. It's not just because it's right--it helps us to build a better community. Sadly, it only takes a few to wreck it, and it seems like we have way too many people willing to just walk away from damage that they've caused without taking responsibility.

For me, it's a civic pride issue. You may not know the person whose car you hit--but you're both members of this community, and you have a connection whether you like it or not. It astounds me when I hear these stories, and it makes me wonder what we're doing wrong as a society that these people just aren't being taught the right values.

[onetwo_threefour]

I got hit and run while in my car leaving the chucks a couple of weeks ago, I got the guys plate and everything, but I wasn't about to to a high speed chase through Ramsay at 12:15 once the guy pinned it so I left it to the cops. Unfortunately the cops seem to be doing sweet FA with the case at this point despite verifying that the plate number I got matches the make, model, colour and approximate age of the vehicle I described in my statement.

On the flipside, I slipped in to the back end of a jeep in my work parking lot on an ice patch last winter, left my card and never heard a peep, even though I clearly busted the guy's taillight.

[PowerPlayoffs06]

My cousin has had his truck hit & run twice, one time WHILE DRIVING. Some ###### takes a dual turn too tight, bumps him, then peels away down the next turn. There are some real ######bags out there.

I bumped a guy in a parking lot when I first started driving. I hadn't had my truck a month and pulled in too tight trying to park and put a big dent in the side and dented the bumper of some beat up old Ford next to me. I was expecting the guy to be a dink and want me to pay for a brand new bumper on this old p.o.s. but when he called me after I left a note for him, he was cool about it and said he wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't actually left a note and didn't want to pursue anything. There's some good folks out there too.

And just a question, but what's the point of an insurance deductable anyway? Why wont they just pay for the whole thing?

[Aeneas]

That really sucks, I feel very sorry for you 4x4...how many beers did you say went missing?

[Russic]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

I got hit and run while in my car leaving the chucks a couple of weeks ago, I got the guys plate and everything, but I wasn't about to to a high speed chase through Ramsay at 12:15 once the guy pinned it so I left it to the cops. Unfortunately the cops seem to be doing sweet FA with the case at this point despite verifying that the plate number I got matches the make, model, colour and approximate age of the vehicle I described in my statement.

On the flipside, I slipped in to the back end of a jeep in my work parking lot on an ice patch last winter, left my card and never heard a peep, even though I clearly busted the guy's taillight.

A buddy of mine had his work truck rear-ended a couple years ago. Unfortunately he's a little too trusting and neglected to take down the guys plate before arranging a parking lot to meet in and talk it over. The guy took off. When he tried to report it the cops said they needed a witness, the plate # and a piece of the offenders car.

Probably why so many losers are willing to take off ... it's damn near impossible to get caught.

[jolinar of malkshor]

What a piss off. I feel for ya. I just get more and more jaded with people the older I get. No respect and no values. After the extension cord incident I was about to set up camera's all around my house (probably wouldn't help but). Now that I am in the country I am way more relaxed about that kind of stuff.

I have been luckier than you 4X4 with regards to vehicle incidents. Only happened twice to me in Calgary. Once, someone tried to pry open my truck door and ######ed up the handle so I couldn't use the key in the lock, and someone took out my passanger side mirror in a parking lot and didn't leave a note. The mirror was about $350 to replace and haven't fixed the truck yet.

It is absolute BS that victims have to pay for the damages. And then when these punks get caught, they get 30 day conditional sentence. They need to increase these victim surcharges they have on criminal fines so people like you could make an application to cover the deductable costs when crap like this happens.

[Superflyer]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

I got hit and run while in my car leaving the chucks a couple of weeks ago, I got the guys plate and everything, but I wasn't about to to a high speed chase through Ramsay at 12:15 once the guy pinned it so I left it to the cops. Unfortunately the cops seem to be doing sweet FA with the case at this point despite verifying that the plate number I got matches the make, model, colour and approximate age of the vehicle I described in my statement.

On the flipside, I slipped in to the back end of a jeep in my work parking lot on an ice patch last winter, left my card and never heard a peep, even though I clearly busted the guy's taillight.

Thats funny the exact same thing happened to me about a week and a half ago. We were sitting at a light downtown and the guy hind us decided to go into the other lane and he hit our rear bumper. There was not a lot of damage just a few scratches. So I hop out and tell the guy that he hit me and he denied it. I said he did and that there are scratches on my bumper and on his front one, then I asked for his info. He then says that he does not have to give it and backs up a little and takes off missing me by an inch or so and takes off.
I got his plate and everything and gave it to the cops and so far they have done nothing about it. That is making me so mad cause how hard can it be to get the guy, I gave them the plate, make, model and a discription of the guy.

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

I got his plate and everything and gave it to the cops and so far they have done nothing about it. That is making me so mad cause how hard can it be to get the guy, I gave them the plate, make, model and a discription of the guy.

Probably because you had no witnesses.

My brother got side-swiped at a time-operated dual turn a few years ago. The guy denied he hit my brother and said all the damage had previously been there. Since nobody would stop to be a witness, my brother had a hell of a time getting this guys insurance to pay up. He had to get documents from the city stating that the turn was, in fact, a dual turn at the time of the accident. (After he got that, the guy then said that the accident actually happened at a different time than his original report... wtf?) Had to go get measurements and stuff done at a body shop to prove that the damage was from this guys car, which was also a huge hassle because the guy kept intentionally "missing" their appointments at the body shop.

So folks, if you do see an accident happen, stop and witness. You don't have to stay until the cops show up, just give your info to the drivers and you can be on your way again in 5 minutes.

[Dion]

A few years ago some punks broke into my vehicle at 3 in the morning. I heard glass breaking and managed to catch them in the act. They had a nice jacket of mine and a few CD's and were in the process of taking my expensive golf clubs. They saw me coming with my louisville slugger and ran. I chased in hot pursuit but couldn't catch them - dam housecoat slowed me down. Although one little begger ran into a telephone pole and still managed to get away. He must have broke his nose or something as there was a trail of blood as he ran off.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Dion

A few years ago some punks broke into my vehicle at 3 in the morning. I heard glass breaking and managed to catch them in the act. They had a nice jacket of mine and a few CD's and were in the process of taking my expensive golf clubs. They saw me coming with my louisville slugger and ran. I chased in hot pursuit but couldn't catch them - dam housecoat slowed me down. Although one little begger ran into a telephone pole and still managed to get away. He must have broke his nose or something as there was a trail of blood as he ran off.

Damn long rifle registry and its cramping of using a sniper rifle for home defense.

You wouldn't have had to chase em with a baseball bat in your housecoat. You could have sat in the comfort of your own home and reached out and touched them from 500 yards away.

[Machiavelli]

I was sitting in a movie theatre parking lot talking on the phone about to leave when a dude with his wife and kids pulls up next to me and opens his door smack into my passenger side mirror. The guy says nothing at all even though I clearly heard it, looked over, and the door was STILL resting on my mirror.

It didn't leave a mark and my car is already dinged up quite a bit so I didn't go after him, but wouldn't you in that situation at least apologize to the person whose car you hit? Just out of common courtesy?

The funny thing is, when I was leaving he must have seen the same movie because we walked back to our vehicles at exactly the same time. I kept waiting for him to say something but he never did. If the dude hadn't been with his kids I would have cursed him out, even though that's not my style at all.

[coaster]

Maybe one of the many people you like to terrorize on the highway has found out where you live.

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by PowerPlayoffs06

Probably because you had no witnesses.

My brother got side-swiped at a time-operated dual turn a few years ago. The guy denied he hit my brother and said all the damage had previously been there. Since nobody would stop to be a witness, my brother had a hell of a time getting this guys insurance to pay up. He had to get documents from the city stating that the turn was, in fact, a dual turn at the time of the accident. (After he got that, the guy then said that the accident actually happened at a different time than his original report... wtf?) Had to go get measurements and stuff done at a body shop to prove that the damage was from this guys car, which was also a huge hassle because the guy kept intentionally "missing" their appointments at the body shop.

So folks, if you do see an accident happen, stop and witness. You don't have to stay until the cops show up, just give your info to the drivers and you can be on your way again in 5 minutes.

Nah, I had four witnesses in my vehicle including a lawyer and two paralegals and the cop can't even be bothered to return my phone calls.

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

Nah, I had four witnesses in my vehicle including a lawyer and two paralegals and the cop can't even be bothered to return my phone calls.

Wow... Well that throws my theory right out the window.

[Smoldering_Puckster]

I had to replace a nice $700 dent in my passenger door last year that somebody left me in the Southcenter parking lot during Christmas shopping. Not only was there a dent but a big streak of green paint and no note on the windshield. Obviously I was furious but there is really nothing you can do.

[jammies]

I had someone back into me about 3 weeks ago in a mall parking lot, and the only reason I knew was because someone ELSE had a left a note saying, "Just so you know, someone backed into your rear bumper."

I didn't really see any damage other than paint being rubbed off, but it made me wonder what the point was of leaving a note if you don't leave your phone number, or at the very least the licence plate number of the guy who did the hit & run...