Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Hit and Run People Suck!

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Community » Film-Yak » Hit and Run People Suck!

Author

Topic: Hit and Run People Suck!

Joshua Waaland
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 800
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-30-2007 01:03 PM

I stayed at a Holiday Inn the night before last in Northeast Indiana near Fort Wayne. When I got there it was after midnight and there was only one spot left in the parking lot because of all of the people with trailers attached to their trucks/vans that were parked sideways taking up six spaces.

The spot left was near the end of the lot with an AT&T van on the left and a landscaped area on the right. In front was another car and behind was grass with no curb. Not wanting to turf their property I parked my F250 into this spot by going back and forth several times to get it straight.

Later that morning around 9:30 when I left I noticed that I was one of only five or six cars left in the lot most of which were probably employees. I went to see my customer then drove the five hours back home. Today I was at Nasa here in Cleveland delivering a new machine and I looked down at my driver's side rear of the bed and I saw a huge dent. How I missed it yesterday is beyond me. It had white paint on it and it was higher up like a van or truck. It was obvious the AT&T driver must have hit my truck rather than drive on the grass when he backed up.

After several calls and lots of searching on the AT&T website I finally reached somebody who gave me a number for their claims department. I filed a claim and they are going to investigate it. I hope this jackass gets fired. [Mad]

If he just would have left a note or done the right thing I would understand it was an accident and just had him pay for the damages. Since I had to track his ass down and go through all the hassle of getting a claim filed I am going to do whatever I can to get him in trouble. He should have just been a man about it. Sack up! [Roll Eyes]

[ 08-30-2007, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: Joshua Waaland ]

| IP: Logged

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 08-30-2007 01:21 PM

Any CCTV at the Holiday Inn car park? If so, that should nail the bugger.

| IP: Logged

Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 08-30-2007 02:25 PM

The hotel records should indicate the name and contact info for the ATT guy. Louis

| IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-30-2007 02:57 PM

And I bet he had a Chevy Truck [Wink]

. You sure some NASA robot on the loose didn't do it?

Mark

| IP: Logged

Joshua Waaland
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 800
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-30-2007 05:20 PM

The first thing I did was call the hotel. The owner told me he didn't have their phone number or address (yeah right) but that they were with AT&T. I told him I saw Ameritech on the van. I guess they were bought out by AT&T. Anyhow I think this guy is going to "have some splainin to do".

I was furious when I first saw it this morning. That dent was all I could think about. It is only a year old and I really like this truck. It was my first new vehicle. I have attached a photo for your viewing pleasure. [Wink]

The other reason it made me so mad was that my car in college had the same thing happen to it. I drove it around for years with a big dent in the driver's side quarter panel because I couldn't afford to fix it. A driver was backing up from a spot behind my car and hit my car with their rear bumper. Of course they hit and skipped also so I loathe anyone who is too pussy to stand up and pay for their actions. I understand that accidents happen. Just do the right thing and pay for it. [Roll Eyes]

Here is the dent on my truck. [Frown]

| IP: Logged

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 08-30-2007 05:32 PM

About 18 years ago or so my aunt was involved with a hit and run. The thing is, though, she was a pedestrian in the incident, and the vehicle that hit her took off and has never been caught. She was damaged severely and it took awhile for her to recover. She did recover, though. In fact the entire family is going to help her and her husband move into a new home this weekend. **dread**

| IP: Logged

Joshua Waaland
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 800
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-30-2007 05:39 PM

Joe,

That is a shame. Sorry to hear that.

Did you see that news story last night where a drunk driver pulled in front of a motorcyclist that was going 80mph? The driver kept going even though the guy was half severed and hanging from the car. He died of course and the driver of the car is in deep [bs]

now. The car driver probably would have gotten a serious jail sentence for that but now they are finished since they left the scene and the guy died. The guy was only 17 too I think.

| IP: Logged

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-30-2007 07:53 PM

A guy is backing out of a parking lot and he mis-judges the angle and smashes up the car in the next spot pretty badly, smashing the fender and those $500 plastic headlight lenses. There are lots of people in the lot at the time and they most of them are staring at the young man. He gets out of his car with a pen and paper in hand and leans on his hood while he writes on the paper at length. He then walks over to the damaged car, folds the paper and puts it in the windshield and then drives off.

One of the witnesses says to another how great it is that people are good at heart. The note says: I am very sorry I smashed up your car. There are quite a few people watching me at the moment and they think I am writing down all my contact information and my insurance account number. They are wrong.

Though a little levity might help, Josh

| IP: Logged

Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 08-30-2007 08:23 PM

quote: Joshua Waaland
After several calls and lots of searching on the AT&T website I finally reached somebody who gave me a number for their claims department. I filed a claim and they are going to investigate it. I hope this jackass gets fired.

Shouldn't you also report the incident to the police? Hit and run is a criminal offence, isn't it?

| IP: Logged

Rick Raskin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1100
From: Manassas Virginia
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 08-30-2007 10:17 PM

Not to rain on your parade, but how can you be sure it was the ATT guy? After all, you did go other places and did not see the damage until the next day. Even though, I'd expect they'll settle your claim.

| IP: Logged

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 08-31-2007 01:15 AM

quote: Michael Schaffer
Hit and run is a criminal offence, isn't it?

Obviously I don't know what the law says in Indiana, but here it's purely a civil matter if your vehicle is damaged while on someone else's private property and there are no injuries or deaths involved. Hit-and-run is only a criminal offence if it takes place on the public highway and/or there are deaths or injuries (including to some sorts of animal, e.g. dogs or livestock). It's covered by the law of negligence, which states that (i) the defendant owes a duty of care to the plaintiff [i.e. allowed the plaintiff to park his car on the defendant's property in exchange for money], (ii) that duty was not fulfilled [the car got pranged], and (iii) damage occurred as a result [it costs money to fix the car].

| IP: Logged

Edwin Schwing
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 116
From: Las Vegas NV
Registered: May 2002

posted 08-31-2007 02:32 AM

Funny this subject should come up.

Just last evening as I was going out to help a friend move, I witnessed an accident. A person flew through a red light (it was one of those camera operated intersections, so they have pictures of the vehicle.) I then turned instead of going forward as I wanted to help out if I could. The Red Light/accident guy took off, so I followed him and got his license plate for the police.

Really, it was a pain in the ass and cost me about an hour of my time after all was said and done, but I was glad to help out. The poor lady who got "Hit and Ran" ended up going to the hospital, and because I was able to get the license plate, the guy was caught as well.

Sticking out your neck isn't always good, but it can make you feel good later.

E

| IP: Logged

Joshua Waaland
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 800
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-31-2007 06:56 AM

quote: Michael Schaffer
Shouldn't you also report the incident to the police? Hit and run is a criminal offence, isn't it?

I called the police and they said without my car there they can't do anything. Even if they had the car they could only file a station report and they told me it was pretty much a waste of time.

quote: Rick Raskin
Not to rain on your parade, but how can you be sure it was the ATT guy? After all, you did go other places and did not see the damage until the next day. Even though, I'd expect they'll settle your claim.

Since I didn't see it I guess I can't say for sure but the evidence is overwhelming. I remember how tight of a spot it was and the dent is high up like a truck or van hit it and there is white paint on my truck. After that I went to my customer's place and I was parked on the opposite side of their lot and the nearest car was 200 feet away. I was only there for two hours and then went home. My wife drives a black Honda Pilot and ther are no other cars in our driveway at home. Our driveway is 100 feet or so long and I park by the house so I know nobody turned into our driveway to turn around and hit it. The AT&T van was the only high sitting, white vehicle that I was parked near within those 30 hours or so. Hell, it was the ONLY vehicle I was parked near for those 30 hours.

I had to jimmy my truck back and forth 4-5 times to get straight in the spot without hitting his van so it only stands to reason that he hit my truck while pulling out since there was another AT&T van on his left and my truck on his right. He was already gone when I came out to leave. There is no doubt in my mind that he hit my truck.

I almost considered parking over to the side of the lot near the side of the dumpster but I didn't for fear of getting towed. Now I wish I had.

quote: Frank Angel
Though a little levity might help, Josh

Thanks Frank. [Big Grin]

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.