If a car is hit in a parking lot and there is no mark, was the car even hit at all?
So, a certain
valedictorian posted about a parking lot accident without a dent. I guess that just makes it an acci.
Anyway, it
reminded me of an incident years ago. Maybe just an inci.
My soon to
be ex-wife bumped/non-bumped into a car at a Costco lot and drove away without
checking or saying anything. Someone witnessed
the bump/non-bump and left a note on the car with our license plate number.
The owner
saw the note and called the police to report a hit and run.
A week later
I received a notice to appear in court for a hit and run charge. They chose me, as the car was registered in
my name. I asked the not yet but-on-her-way-to-be
ex-wife if she knew anything about this hit and run. She shrugged her shoulders and
said,
“Oh yeah,
I might have hit someone, I didn’t think anyone saw it.”
“Are you
going to court and defend the hit/might have non-hit?”
“I can’t,
I am going to Boston that week, (to shack up with her future husband) anyway the summons is in your name!”
Have I ever
mentioned that in addition to being a few cards short of a deck, she was (probably
still is) a bitch? Well she was
(probably still is) a bitch!
So, I had to
go to court.
In preparation
I went to the police station to get a copy of the accident report. The report
explained everything including the unnamed witness who left the note, and the
owner who called in the hit and run.
I took
particular notice of a column in the report marked “DAMAGE.” It said in capital
letters “NONE DISCERNIBLE.”
Why I
wondered…actually I wondered,
“Why the
F*CK would anyone report a hit and run accident where there was no discernable
damage, and why the F*CK would the police write a summons on a hit and
run with damage NOT DISCERNABLE based on an unnamed witness?”
Judge Judy
would never allow such a travesty.
So, I went
to court worried about a hit and run charge and curious as to how much I would
have to pay the owner of the undamaged car for the non-damage incurred in the
maybe bump-and-run committed by my soon to be ex-wife bitch. Did I mention she was (and probably still is) a bitch?
I was also
curious to see if the lady whose car was maybe hit resulting in NO DISCERNABLE
DAMAGE would show up at court to press charges, and if she could even press
a charge based on an unknown witness who left a note.
I waited
around three hours to have my minute in court.
The judge
asked me about the accident and I replied I knew nothing. I was at work and it
was my wife who drove the car to Costco.
She then asked why my wife was not here and I said because the summons
is in my name and also because the is a bitch! (OK I left out the bitch part)
I did mention
that the police report said DAMAGE NONE DISCERNABLE and so I did not
know if there was actually a hit and run, or something that looked like a hit to an unnamed witness, but was in fact a no hit and a drive away.
(Based on my
10-year-olds account, there was a bump, a lady was yelling and mommy just
pulled away. Still there was DAMAGE
NONE DISCERNABLE!
Who shows up
at court to fight for such an accident?
Answer –
Nobody.
The case was
thrown out as the non-injured injured party did not show.
Still
unanswered is the question:
If a car
is hit in a parking lot and there is no mark, was the car even hit at all?
I'm no Judge Judy, but here's my two cents. Not ACTUAL cents, because I collect pennies, you know. I agree that the ACCI was just an INCI. The car was hit, but there was no damage. An apology was in order, and perhaps the exchange of information, and I would recommend a picture these days of the non-damage, as it will have a time stamp, and future damage cannot be blamed on the INCI-non-denter.
ReplyDeleteWhile not necessarily warranted, I would recommend a punishment of the INCI-non-denter as follows: The High-Horse Brigade will gallop after the INCI-non-denter as she leaves the scene, staring sternly down their noses at her, until she leaves the parking lot. But only if she's a bitch.
I am surprised it even got to Court. No witness. No damage. What is the claim about?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the claimant not attending should have been fined for wasting police and Court time.
God bless.
If a car is hit in a parking lot and there is no mark, was the car even hit at all?
ReplyDeleteIf a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to see it does it remain upright?
God bless.
This is an interesting case. I do understand the witness writing down your plate number and informing the car owner. If it were me as the witness, I wouldn’t feel it was up to me to decide if there was damage. If anything, I thought that a hit and run would be cited whether there was damage or not.
ReplyDeleteWhat a waste of the courts time. Good grief. The only thing I cam away with here is that your ex-wife is a B**ch.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day, Joe. ☺
You remind me of an inci of my own from a few years ago. . .
ReplyDeleteI was at one of those suburban strip-malls, because it had a bread shop that we really liked. Bought my bread and came back to my car. Opened the driver's door, when a gust of wind grabbed the door and swung it open. I couldn't tell if it had hit the car next to me, so I bent over to see if it had. There was a small scuff-mark, so I rubbed on it to see if it was actual damage. When I rubbed on it, the scuff-mark disappeared, so I figured, no harm, no foul, and went to get back in my car and leave. At that moment, the presumptive owner of the car comes running up, screaming, "I saw that! You dinged my car!" and she pointed at an honest-to-goodness dent about three inches from my non-scuff-mark. I told her that mark wasn't mine and showed her the missing dust where I had rubbed. She went absolutely nuts, and started screaming at me about "people like you," etc, etc. It was clear enough to me that she was just trying to hang blame on me for a dent that I didn't cause, so I just left. (I probably should have stayed, since it would have been a simple matter to demonstrate that the ding she was so upset about couldn't have been caused by me.)
I half-expected to get a call from the local peace officers, but it never came. . .
Still smiling over "acci and inci:)" I agree, that was a huge waste of time for all and the claimant should be charged court costs anyway. Phew, are you ever lucky to have gotten out of that marriage.
ReplyDeleteMy state requires an accident report if the damage exceeds certain level. If there is no damage I would argue did the accident actually occur at all?
ReplyDeleteTwo objects can touch and not damage or leave a mark. While I would argue that your ex-bitch should have stopped and made sure there was no damage the fact that the police report indicated 'no discernible damage' should have put an end to the situation at the outset. Perhaps the other car owner was one of those 'Karens' who just cannot stand it if someone does not follow the 'rules'. That would explain the police complaint.....
In any event, the proper thing to do is to stop and check to see if you did do anything. That is the responsible and caring thing to do. Unfortunately, bitchy ex wives or husbands tend to do what they want to anyways.....
Goodness, for a moment I thought the bloom was off the rose with Mrs C ~ then I re-read it and realized it was a former spouse, haha.
ReplyDeleteHaven't we all had acci's like this? I had someone bump me as I sat at a red light, same sort of issue, except my excellent vision detected a teeny tiny scratch, haha.
What does your ex-wife bitch say since she was there? You don't talk? Oh, well !
ReplyDeleteIf you hit a car, you stop and check. If there's no damage, leave. If there is damage, leave a note and take care of it. What a mess this was, and what worry it caused you, all for nothing.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. You were smart to get rid of that wife.
ReplyDeleteTruth in blogging, she got rid of me...but I was still lucky either way.
DeleteGosh I'm glad I don't drive.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar nonaccident. It was in the Kroger parking lot. I never shop there but they had turkey's on sale..what can I say, I love a good sale. Anyway a car passed me by looking for a parking spot. After said car passed, I pulled my car out. However, the said car decided to back up to park in a spot near me and we bumped. At first I thought I hit the grocery kid who took out my groceries (yes, we have stores that do that.) I almost peed my pants thinking I killed the sweet kiddo. Thankfully I did not hit him, just said car. I got out, looked at my car and found no discernable damage. Her car had a huge dent in the side. The store manager said it was private property and no police would get involved. Besides, she actually was at fault because she backed up..going the wrong way also..into me. Anywho, we exchanged insurance info. I called my agent who came out and looked at my car and saw NDD...and tried to get hold of the other insurance agency who said the lady never reported it. Hmmm...me thinks she had already had that damage so nothing was done. The End. Yep, I guess we never really hit one another.
ReplyDelete