School Pick Up Car Mishap. How Would You React?

[Pea-n-Me]

I’m so confused. Then again, I haven’t read all the posts. So 0P, you’re basically saying that a teenager damaged your car and all you’re asking for is an apology? And that there are no names and phone numbers exchanged? Have things really gotten bad crazy in the state since I moved decades ago? Here in Germany everyone basically has some form of liability insurance and so it would’ve been very natural to get that kids phone number and you would’ve called her parents to have them take care of the damages. And of course any normal kid that’s been raised by decent parents would have apologized. I know my daughter probably would’ve started crying being all upset and scared that she damaged someone’s car. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone reading this.

That’s not what she’s saying. Go back and read the OP.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

For a ding in a parking lot most people would just either file a report online or call the non-emergent line around here. Usually though you're just exchanging insurance information and letting them handle it (unless you're trying to not have it go through insurance). I'm sure there are quite a few police departments around the nation where you can just file one online.

I've only been in one accident where the police were called where I was rear-ended twice but it incapacitated my vehicle necessitating a tow, ended up being a 3 car accident, with several thousand in damages to my car. Thankfully the police were called as the driver was cited for following too closely. I went through my insurance got my car fixed and then my insurance company subrogated against the at-fault party to recoup my deductible. I also had loss of use coverage so I had a rental car during the time my car was in the shop getting a new back bumper and paint job (which was quite pricey for that).

As far as more important things IDK around here I think the police love to have things to do lol. There's usually a post a week on Nextdoor about "why are there 10 cars at this house" and it's usually something minor enough. Granted it was a suspected bank robbery (crazy that this still happens these days) but there were 15 police that showed up for a non-armed suspect. Here I was just returning an Amazon package to UPS store and the two workers in the store are just staring out the window gleefully exclaiming "they got 'em", I walk out and can't get to my car because there's so many police cars around. Typically if anything most around here think the police overreact in response but hey it's our tax dollars at work, I'd rather it be that than an under-response "cough cough Sacramento police"

I somewhat agree about small town police, they might welcome something to do, lol. My friend’s son, though, is a small town police officer and she was recently telling me some stories that made me realize there can be more going on in a small town than most of us probably realize!

The situation I described was in Boston. Police were hesitant to come to my little fender bender (or I should say I got flack from the dispatcher), but, to their credit, they did, and it didn’t take them long to get there, either. But in retrospect, I’m sure there were more pressing matters they could’ve been attending to - none more evident than when my son worked security in Boston while in college during Covid. Just in his job alone he was threatened almost daily by homeless in the area and regularly there were drug overdoses and assaults and damage done to buildings, etc. Sometimes police wouldn’t even show up when called, it got to be so frequent, and I worried he was going to get seriously hurt or worse. I was glad when he left that job. I’m not sure in the same situation I’d call again, but it probably would just depend on the amount of damage.

 

[nw6675]

And here all I wanted was to say winner winner chicken dinner as the 100th post, but not in the cards...

I agree @Pea-n-Me about small towns. My car was sidewiped by an uninsured driver while parked on our street. So many neighbors outside that the car actually came back. The police in my small city came, but even they blew it off somewhat.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My hairdresser was telling me yesterday that she got a knock on her apartment door one day when she was sick. It was her neighbor saying she’d hit her car in the parking lot by accident and offering her phone number and insurance information. Hairdresser never followed up and when she was moving, the same neighbor said, “Hey, don’t forget, I still want to fix your car!” I told her she was fortunate to have someone be that honest about it, and she was appreciative, too.

 

[fly girl]

I’m so confused. Then again, I haven’t read all the posts. So 0P, you’re basically saying that a teenager damaged your car and all you’re asking for is an apology? And that there are no names and phone numbers exchanged? Have things really gotten bad crazy in the state since I moved decades ago? Here in Germany everyone basically has some form of liability insurance and so it would’ve been very natural to get that kids phone number and you would’ve called her parents to have them take care of the damages. And of course any normal kid that’s been raised by decent parents would have apologized. I know my daughter probably would’ve started crying being all upset and scared that she damaged someone’s car. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone reading this.

You need to go back and read. It’ll make more sense if you do.

And again, the damage was very minimal. I got lucky.