Wife had a mishap today.

C

Chris142

Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
30,380
Location
Apple Valley, California
She took someone to court. When that person got out of the car they did not have a good hold of the door. The wind blew the door into the cars door that was parked next to her.

The other driver didn't want to file a claim but demanded $500 instead which my wife sent him electronically. I just found all this out a few minutes ago.

Seems like the bad luck keeps coming and coming.
 
Chris142 said:
She took someone to court. When that person got out of the car they did not have a good hold of the door. The wind blew the door into the cars door that was parked next to her.

The other driver didn't want to file a claim but demanded $500 instead which my wife sent him electronically. I just found all this out a few minutes ago.

Seems like the bad luck keeps coming and coming.
Click to expand...
Hello Car54, if the other driver did not want to file a claim, something is up. The other driver maybe had no Insurance, no Driver's License, or the car was Stolen. Was there Insurance Information exchanged, probably not. Did your wife get the driver's name?
 
Some years ago we were on holiday, and my wife pulled into a hotel parking lot. I had already been nagging her a bit about her driving (typically following too closely), and didn't want to instigate a spat by suggesting that she pull ahead into a spot with no one beside us (as I would have done).

A strong wind caught one of the rear (hinged, not sliding) doors of our van, which slammed hard into the car next to us, breaking the paint and leaving a dent.

I took down the plate number, and had the people at the desk call the owner. I showed her the damage, apologized, and gave her my contact information.

She mailed an estimate from a body shop in her town (C$487, IIRC) and I mailed her a cheque for the amount.

These things happen.
 
Sorry that happened to your wife.

Kudos on your wife for decisiveness. The best military leaders in the world make seven to eight decisions out of ten right. Those that claim to make ten out ten decisions right never made e decision.

I speculate based on the information provided your wife made the right decision/did the right thing. As @AZjeff posted, it is done and behind you.

What would the time and mental cost to challenge this?

Smart move by your wife.
 
Brian123 said:
Hello Car54, if the other driver did not want to file a claim, something is up. The other driver maybe had no Insurance, no Driver's License, or the car was Stolen. Was there Insurance Information exchanged, probably not. Did your wife get the driver's name?
Click to expand...
Driving a stolen car to a court house is BOLD.
 
I would not pay anyone like that. My coworker did many years ago, he said he went out to lunch and gave someone a love tap at a stop light. Same thing, the other driver demanded payment. Years later he was sued and the payment was used against him.

Let insurance handle mishaps. They have no feelings, remove emotion, and don't treat parties like humans. This is to one's advantage imho when one is at fault.

my .02 ymmv, I just hate having things come out of nowhere years later because someone planned it that way
 
clinebarger said:
I've told my wife & 3 daughters to never give someone money over a vehicle accident/damage.

To many people on the road with no drivers license & no insurance....Meaning they shouldn't be driving but have the audacity to ask for a cash payout!
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Agree 100%. In Phila one doesn't need those things to drive. And when caught, they are let go--the only exception is if they have a warrant. Until here, I've never heard of being stopped, having no license no registration, and simply driving away and law enforcement is OK with it.

But also that payment is an admission of guilt. I get we all want to do the right thing, but years later when we're sued and that's used as evidence, imho let the system handle it.
 
Leo99 said:
Why didn't the other person who allowed the door to hit the other car pay for the damages?
Click to expand...
I think I know the answer. It's the same reason why my wife has 4 friends, who let her drive them all around, every time, without fail, because she had a 7 passenger SUV. It's human nature. Now that we don't have a 7 passenger SUV, I guess they'll have to drive their own cars.
 
Brian123 said:
Hello Car54, if the other driver did not want to file a claim, something is up. The other driver maybe had no Insurance, no Driver's License, or the car was Stolen. Was there Insurance Information exchanged, probably not. Did your wife get the driver's name?
Click to expand...
She said the guy did have ins.

I doubt a person would drive a stolen car to court. The problem is finding an ins company to insure a car in California. Many won't and trying to find a new company after you got dropped is a major deal here.

The rest of the story is that they were trying to get a 3 yr old into a car seat in the rear of our FJ with its suicide doors and the wind caught the door while it was open.

I'm going to go to Lowe's in a couple hrs and buy some pipe foam to stick on the door on the FJ in hopes that will protect the next car that the door hits cause it will happen again.
 
Chris142 said:
She said the guy did have ins.

I doubt a person would drive a stolen car to court. The problem is finding an ins company to insure a car in California. Many won't and trying to find a new company after you got dropped is a major deal here.

The rest of the story is that they were trying to get a 3 yr old into a car seat in the rear of our FJ with its suicide doors and the wind caught the door while it was open.

I'm going to go to Lowe's in a couple hrs and buy some pipe foam to stick on the door on the FJ in hopes that will protect the next car that the door hits cause it will happen again.
Click to expand...
Chris, I concur with your Wife's actions, and big thumbs up to her for decisiveness.

Sometimes one has to lose to win. $500, and the problem is gone and done with. This thread could read very different if she didn't solve the issue on the spot the way she did.

If this was a moving accident, the course of action may have been different. But this scenario was two parked vehicles.
 
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When my son was a new driver - he rubbed bumpers getting out of a tight spot. Folks stopped him and called the police. They traded info - and he came home. You could see a tiny amount of paint we buffed out.
Went to see them - my lawyer drafted an agreement to pay them cash.
(knowing they’d also just compound the rub) Their car was a beater.
Thought I was done until trade in time - got totally hosed on trade value bcs of the police report - “vehicle has been in wreck” … 😡
 
Don't get pipe foam, it's way too bulky. Look at what Enterprise uses on its rental cars. Or something like this maybe.

Minivans with sliding doors are great for kids for this reason alone. I used to cringe so hard when mine were five and they'd fling their doors open, so proud that they were able to reach the handle then.
 
On a windy day a year ago I came out from the gym and found a huge dent on our Honda's drivers door, and the mirror broken off and hanging by the wires. Our Honda is old, but is clean, shiny and rust free. Obviously cared for.
Probably a minivan or large SUV door did the damage. I sure would have appreciated a note with contact info. I was almost more upset with some jerk's total lack of consideration or accountability, than the damage itself.
I would have accepted cash, or paid cash if the situation was reversed, with some kind of signed receipt acknowledging the payment.
 
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