About 2 years ago, my dad got in a fender-bender car accident when a truck rear-ended his car. No one in either car was hurt, and the accident was relatively minor, but my dad still likes to recount how he was hit "out of nowhere" and how the word "bam" sometimes triggers PTSD-like night terrors. He even jokes that as his life was flashing before his eyes, the scenes were interrupted by the sight of all his loose change flying in slow motion up from its little cubby.
Well, we're one up on you, dad. (Or two up, rather.)
A few weeks ago the baby/I wanted a drink from Sonic, so Jeffrey, being the obliging husband of a pregnant wife, drove me to get one. As he responsibly and cautiously backed out of the ordering slot, and man came flying around the corner and hit the back of our car, not in one place, but three. (Dad, it sounded like "Bam...bam...bam!")
While Jeffrey got out to start the insurance exchange and make sure the other driver was ok, I called the police to see if they would come to make a report.
Side note: I dialed 9-1-1 (because that's what my 1st grade teacher told me to do) intending to immediately say, "This is a non-emergency traffic accident--please transfer me to the police department" so that I wouldn't tie up the line, but clearly other people aren't doing this because I was put on hold. On HOLD! When I dialed 9-1-1. Does anyone else see the problem with this? Example:
Caller: [dials 911]
911: [automated voice] Thank you for calling emergency services. We appreciate your call.
Caller: Please help me! Someone's trying to break into my house!
911: Your call is important to us, please hold while we transfer you to the next available representative.
Caller: Oh no! They're inside the house! Please hurry. They're armed.
911: Your call is important to us, please hold while we transfer you to the next available representative.
Caller: I hear them coming up the stairs...
911: There are 12 callers in line ahead of you. Thank you for your patience.
Caller: They just broke into my room!
911: Your call is important to us, please hold while we transfer you to the next available representative.
Anyway, once I finally got my turn to speak with a representative, the man told me that they don't send officers to private property for traffic accidents unless there are injuries.
I got out of the car to tell Jeffrey and the other driver that the police wouldn't come, and the other driver said, "Yeah, on private property they won't come. I already knew that."
Wow, dude--have traffic accidents much? Might want slow it down.
12 simple calls to insurance companies, 1 estimate, and 2 trips to the garage later, the car's still broken (but the parts have been ordered and will be in any day now).
Here's the damage. Please note that the car managed to hit us on three separate panels of our car--meaning that instead of just replacing the fender, we get to replace all three panels that were damaged. Thanks, bro. We appreciate you being thorough.
