TL; DR- girl I went to high school with, and later college, hit three transit buses broadside, same intersection, three different incidents. Third incident her dad tried to blame on me, although I was not involved at all except as a witness. Dad tries to kill me.
I went to high school in an area with many good Universities within commuting distance, so first year was spent driving to class. Many of my classmates did the same. I had a class with this girl I knew for years, and we left school for the day at the same time. Early in the semester, right after last class of the day, I pulled up to the main exit from school to find that my friend had just broadsided a transit bus- the big full size buses like a Greyhound bus. She was in tears and claimed she never saw it. Not a huge amount of damage, but we arranged to have it towed just in case. She got it back 1-2 weeks later.
About 1/2 way into the semester, the exact same thing happened- she hit a bus in the same intersection. This time I witnessed it. Again it was her fault, car had to be towed. Her dad had the car fixed, but refused to let her drive anymore, so she started hitching rides with various students including me. Many weeks go by, and we are now into finals, and her dad finally let her drive the car again. I think this was the last week of school. We sat next to each other in the last class of the day. As we are leaving class, I winked at her and told her to be careful. I get to the same intersection, only to find her frantically running around her car, having just hit a bus, and it was the same bus driver from the first incident. The car seemed mostly drivable but leaking coolant badly, and the bus had a long gouge down the side. As with every incident, the police arrive and give her some sort of ticket, so I wait around and try to help as best I could.
I call her later that night for an update, and she asks for a ride to school the next day. No problem, I feel pretty sorry for her, contact a few of our classmates and arrange for the rest of the week. After the first incident, none of us really went out of our way to help, as it was more just a slight detour to pick her up and she was happy to study in the library if the commute schedule was crazy. In other words, picking her up for school was not a hardship, and she helped with gas money. So I stopped by to pick her up the next morning, and the wrecked car was in her driveway. Her dad was out waiting for me, and he waves me over all friendly to come meet him. I get out and walk over, and he grabs me by the throat and threatens to kick my [censored] for causing his "little girl" to keep wrecking her car. He was a huge man, and it took a lot of kicks to the groin to even get his attention. He kept screaming "tell me why I should not kill you !!". The girl and the mom come running out screaming at him to stop, and he finally releases me, and much yelling results. Mom and girl apologize to me- nowhere had anybody even implied that I had anything to do with the car wrecks. I have no idea why this guy went off on me, but he finally apologized and said he will make it up to me next time I stopped by. We go off to school for the day, she meets me at the end of classes and we head home. I drop her off, dad is not there which is perfectly fine by me, mom apologizes again and blurts out "he cute, you should go out with him". Girls eyes flutter and she mutters how "he has been so helpful, I owe him a million favors".
Now- keep in mind that this group of friends started off in elementary school together, and we all had known each other for like 15+ years, so you get this sort of bond where one is willing to do more for each other than just a casual friend. The average person would have given up long ago and avoided that sort of drama, but she was smart, personable and in good standing with my group of friends. I knew her for a really long time, I knew her mother in passing but had no knowledge of her dad, and my understanding before college was that she was divorced or widowed.
Later that evening I run into one of my friends who is in our carpool to school, but he did not have class that day and did not realize what happened earlier. I told him the story and he told me "man, stay away from her dad. He has a terrible temper, is a neighborhood bully, and he did a stint in prison a few years ago. Rumor is he is going back to prison soon. You should call the cops because it sounds like he did try to kill you !".
Girl calls me later that night to apologize, mom apologizes too. She asks for a ride for the last day of finals, and I tell her to meet us at the McDonalds around the corner, because I am not picking her up at her house. I swapped cars with my mom and drove a different car that day. Next semester she gets a dorm or apartment and they do not allow first semester residents to have a car. We hung out now and then to study. A few times there was a invitation to hang out with her "just the two of us", but there was NO way I was going to get caught alone with her.
Her dad did go back to prison, and 25 years later I still chat with her on occasion. I never really found out why she was such a terrible driver.
I went to high school in an area with many good Universities within commuting distance, so first year was spent driving to class. Many of my classmates did the same. I had a class with this girl I knew for years, and we left school for the day at the same time. Early in the semester, right after last class of the day, I pulled up to the main exit from school to find that my friend had just broadsided a transit bus- the big full size buses like a Greyhound bus. She was in tears and claimed she never saw it. Not a huge amount of damage, but we arranged to have it towed just in case. She got it back 1-2 weeks later.
About 1/2 way into the semester, the exact same thing happened- she hit a bus in the same intersection. This time I witnessed it. Again it was her fault, car had to be towed. Her dad had the car fixed, but refused to let her drive anymore, so she started hitching rides with various students including me. Many weeks go by, and we are now into finals, and her dad finally let her drive the car again. I think this was the last week of school. We sat next to each other in the last class of the day. As we are leaving class, I winked at her and told her to be careful. I get to the same intersection, only to find her frantically running around her car, having just hit a bus, and it was the same bus driver from the first incident. The car seemed mostly drivable but leaking coolant badly, and the bus had a long gouge down the side. As with every incident, the police arrive and give her some sort of ticket, so I wait around and try to help as best I could.
I call her later that night for an update, and she asks for a ride to school the next day. No problem, I feel pretty sorry for her, contact a few of our classmates and arrange for the rest of the week. After the first incident, none of us really went out of our way to help, as it was more just a slight detour to pick her up and she was happy to study in the library if the commute schedule was crazy. In other words, picking her up for school was not a hardship, and she helped with gas money. So I stopped by to pick her up the next morning, and the wrecked car was in her driveway. Her dad was out waiting for me, and he waves me over all friendly to come meet him. I get out and walk over, and he grabs me by the throat and threatens to kick my [censored] for causing his "little girl" to keep wrecking her car. He was a huge man, and it took a lot of kicks to the groin to even get his attention. He kept screaming "tell me why I should not kill you !!". The girl and the mom come running out screaming at him to stop, and he finally releases me, and much yelling results. Mom and girl apologize to me- nowhere had anybody even implied that I had anything to do with the car wrecks. I have no idea why this guy went off on me, but he finally apologized and said he will make it up to me next time I stopped by. We go off to school for the day, she meets me at the end of classes and we head home. I drop her off, dad is not there which is perfectly fine by me, mom apologizes again and blurts out "he cute, you should go out with him". Girls eyes flutter and she mutters how "he has been so helpful, I owe him a million favors".
Now- keep in mind that this group of friends started off in elementary school together, and we all had known each other for like 15+ years, so you get this sort of bond where one is willing to do more for each other than just a casual friend. The average person would have given up long ago and avoided that sort of drama, but she was smart, personable and in good standing with my group of friends. I knew her for a really long time, I knew her mother in passing but had no knowledge of her dad, and my understanding before college was that she was divorced or widowed.
Later that evening I run into one of my friends who is in our carpool to school, but he did not have class that day and did not realize what happened earlier. I told him the story and he told me "man, stay away from her dad. He has a terrible temper, is a neighborhood bully, and he did a stint in prison a few years ago. Rumor is he is going back to prison soon. You should call the cops because it sounds like he did try to kill you !".
Girl calls me later that night to apologize, mom apologizes too. She asks for a ride for the last day of finals, and I tell her to meet us at the McDonalds around the corner, because I am not picking her up at her house. I swapped cars with my mom and drove a different car that day. Next semester she gets a dorm or apartment and they do not allow first semester residents to have a car. We hung out now and then to study. A few times there was a invitation to hang out with her "just the two of us", but there was NO way I was going to get caught alone with her.
Her dad did go back to prison, and 25 years later I still chat with her on occasion. I never really found out why she was such a terrible driver.
