On top of the stress of sending the eldest duckling to college, and the fact that he’s behaving like an ingrate, he also had a traffic accident the evening before he left for school. No tickets were given, and the ‘contributing circumstances’ on the police report show that the other driver was inattentive, and was following too closely.
The police report showing that information is a GOOD thing……except the other driver DIDN’T HAVE ANY INSURANCE. That’s right. No insurance. Well……let me revamp…..he has insurance NOW, because he or somebody on his behalf obtained coverage for him 17 MINUTES AFTER THE CRASH.
And there is no ‘retroactive’ coverage….so if he wasn’t covered at the moment of the accident, HE WASN’T COVERED. Despite his efforts to cover his ASS…it would appear that we are stuck with the bill.
Yeah…good times ABOUND this week.
I am terribly frustrated. Eldest duckling has no car, therefore no way to obtain a job. He has some speeding tickets, so his insurance is OUTRAGEOUS, so we covered him with liability ONLY, because of the cost, so of course, our coverage doesn’t repair his car even with the fact the other dude isn’t insured.
I am trying not to cry. The bill is $2266.46. I don’t have it. I know that eldest duckling should hold some responsibility for his own vehicle, but…with no job…….he doesn’t have it either.
The person that hit him is a young man as well. I halfway want to report everything to the proper departments and have his license REVOKED and then sue him for the amount of repairs if he doesn’t pay for them. But the mom half of me feels bad for the kid…I’m sure he doesn’t have a dime to his name either……and to take his license and to obtain a legal judgement on him would be hard on HIM too…….
The thing that bothers me the most is that he’s fraudulently trying to appear as if he had insurance. But he got it AFTER THE FACT of the accident. This makes me think he’s not quite on the up and up……..
We can have just the suspension fixed and leave the dented/scratched bumper and fender cover for much less. But the investment that grandpa made for a lovely vehicle for the kid will be totally devalued if that happens. But even the suspension fix, which is necessary for driving, is $1000.00, which is as bad as the $2200 to have it fixed. If I don’t have it, it doesn’t matter if it’s $1000.00 or $10,000.00 in the moment.
Obviously in the long haul, the smaller amounts are easier to swallow, BUT……..it still sucks. Sucks.
And speaking of things that suck….Mr. Perfectly has gotten word that he (and every one else, we assume) is being denied access to the football field sidelines this year. Every year since The oldest has been in 6th grade, Mr P. has maintained a sports blog with photos and info for the kids sports endeavors. For some reason they aren’t letting him take his normal, awesome sideline photos. We’ve not been given a reason why, either, which I find strange.
I don’t know why, but it seems like I always end up sounding like a whiny, negative Nellie. I’m sorry if that’s how I come off…..I try to stay positive, but some weeks just stink.
Happy Friday---toodles for now.
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7 comments:
Is there a bus system near eldest son? It may be a hassle to get to work but millions of people do it every day. As for the other kid, I don't feel sorry for him at all. Driving with out insurance? Dumbass. What if the accident was worse? And then trying to fake like he had insurance? Yeah, I see those types of kids all the time. Never had to be responsible or accountable and so they think they can get away with anything. I'd throw the book at him and wouldn't give it a second thought.
I'm sorry for all your troubles Shelly. The first week my son (the oldest) had his license he backed his car up into a truck - MY HUSBAND'S TRUCK! 2 vehicles to repair. We made him pay half. We "put it on his tab" and made him pay it off a little at a time. Of course with no job, that bill would remain unpaid for now. In my opinion, the other guy should pay; if you have to sue, so be it.
Isn't life grand?
I don't know about bus service in his college community. I would seriously doubt it.
Transportation here isn't AT ALL like it is where you are or even other major cities.
In my town, the CAPITAL of Missouri, we have bus service during the daytime only....and not on weekends. Maybe some on Sat, but no evening, or major weekend service.
His town is much much smaller, so I doubt they have much public transit.
I just checked our bus information. Locally our busses run Monday thru Friday 6:45 am to 5:30 pm.
No major holidays.
I know that must sound funny to people that have access to major public transit every day of the year.
sigh.
It may not be worth it to sue the other dude. I have found that you should only sue when (1) you can afford to lose completely and (2) there is a combination of money and principle at stake. So, if you sue, just for the sake of argument, let's say that a court finds Son #1 100% at fault. Insured or not, instead of recovering any money, you owe money for Inattentive Dude's damage. Or, say that the court finds Son #1 40% at fault and Inattentive Dude 60% at fault for the accident. The damage to their cars may cancel out and you may get no money at all. Meanwhile, the cost of a lawsuit in time and nerves is incalculable. If you just lay out the money, you get to move on and you might just have a good week next week. If you sue, expect many more outrageously bad weeks to come.
That said, you might want to hire an attorney to threaten to sue. I have found that this often works like a charm. Inattentive Dude may just settle and cut a payment plan with you, and then you get what you get without it being drawn out. You might only get enough to pay for half of the suspension after you pay for the attorney, but that's something and it will all be behind you.
But how about, whatever you decide, you put Son #1 on a repayment plan? He must sign a loan agreement at reasonable interest. If you get money from elsewhere (like you take a collection on your blog) he must agree to sign a loan agreement with those folks as well.
DISCLAIMER: Stoogepie is not a lawyer. He is just a dude who has been sued and ripped off a lot. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.
BTW: Dingo is a lawyer and probably thinks stoogepie is wrong about all of this.
A friend of me was driving his tractor (out in farm country, although he was on a county road - properly reflectorized and lit) and was plowed into by an old lady doing 65+ MPH in a 50MPH zone... Hit him so hard he flew into the air, the tractor flipped and he fell to the pavement ON HIS HEAD. And... guess what? Granny had not one bit of insurance. So, about a quarter mil in hospital expenses and "oh well". The police found her COMPLETELY at fault. His insurance company (did you homeowners insurance can cover tractor accidents?) had to ante up for his medical care.
The moral of this story is DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR THE GUY AND SUE HIS HAPPY ASS!
I got hit once (guy came whipping through a parking lot and down over a curb... hit me whilst I was waiting for a light to change). He had no insurance but his Daddy coughed up a money order to cover the repairs toot sweet after we told him we'd take his unlicensed, no-insurance-having son to court (and mentioned the name of my husband-at-that-point's prominent attorney).
Does Son #1 have a computer and printer? Can he keyboard? If so, maybe he should think of typing papers for fellow students to earn money. Just a thought...
There is actually alot of merit to what (Not a lawyer but truly a spiritual icon) Stoogepie has to say.
Even if you didn't hire an attorney and took it to small claims, there could be some less than pleasant outcomes.
Do you have any vocational colleges with an Auto Mechanics program nearby? You might get some good work done on the cheap that way.
I also think that it is important that Son #1 be responsible for paying for this back. He needs to understand that it's not a punishment, it's called "being a grownup" (which sometimes sucks ass).
Perhaps Son #1 can find a work-study job on campus?
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