I never thought that my first dent would happen while I was completely stopped. Today, I came to a complete stop on Kearny Street at Bush Street waiting for the light when I hear a loud thud of something hitting my car. I look in my rear view mirror and don't see a car, so I immediately look over my right shoulder to see several bystanders helping a bike messenger up from the floor to the right of my car.
This guy hit my car so hard that we was visibly shaken. I had time to pull over to the right of the road and park the car with the hazards on and he still wasn't up. When he finally stood up, he didn't even remember hitting my car. A lady that saw the whole thing said that he started swerving before he hit the car and that it looked like he was passing out before he hit me.
So after the guy is up he's like thanks for getting me up and helping me and he was you know, saying goodbyes as if he was getting ready to leave. So I said, "you are not getting on that bike without me knocking you off of it, so I suggest you don't do it." He just looked at me a little goofy and I realized he was still a little out of it so I cut him a break. I had to explain "you passed out on your bike, fell over, and hit my car leaving a pretty big dent and scratch. I need your driver's license."
He said he didn't have one but he had a California ID. Not a good sign, but okay. I asked him who he worked for and he gave me a form with the name of his company on it. He gave me his cell number, which I called in his presence to make sure it rang. I asked him point blank if he was drunk, or high. He seemed insulted, like he almost didn't know he was a bike messenger and they are all a bunch of druggie losers. Duh!? For the most part this guy was on the up and up.
I asked him if he had a second form of ID and he claimed he didn't have one. At this point I was pissed because I saw a Visa logo as he flipped through his wallet for his ID. I told him I had seen the Visa logo and that he better hand it over before I took it from him. Apparently, I must have been pretty angry, because he handed me his whole wallet. At that point I took the form he gave me and wrote down all his info. Including the card number, expiration, and CVV code. Technically, I could fix my car with his card!
But, that wouldn't be right, or fair. I don't know why he hit my car, but my guess is he passed out from dehydration or exhaustion. I am going to try and call the company he works for to see if their insurance will cover it. Otherwise, my new best friend will pay. Oh, and he will pay. At this point, I know where he lives, where he works, and have enough information to open my own credit in his name.
Still I was lucky. Most people hit by bike messengers get their cars scratched and dented and the guy just keeps riding away never to be seen again. I guess I was lucky he was sort of knocked out and confused after he hit me or this could have been a different story. The good news is these guys are crazy skinny and easily intimidated by a pissed off 190-pound Puerto Rican. Now, just wish me luck in the "getting someone to pay for my car" saga.
This guy hit my car so hard that we was visibly shaken. I had time to pull over to the right of the road and park the car with the hazards on and he still wasn't up. When he finally stood up, he didn't even remember hitting my car. A lady that saw the whole thing said that he started swerving before he hit the car and that it looked like he was passing out before he hit me.
So after the guy is up he's like thanks for getting me up and helping me and he was you know, saying goodbyes as if he was getting ready to leave. So I said, "you are not getting on that bike without me knocking you off of it, so I suggest you don't do it." He just looked at me a little goofy and I realized he was still a little out of it so I cut him a break. I had to explain "you passed out on your bike, fell over, and hit my car leaving a pretty big dent and scratch. I need your driver's license."
He said he didn't have one but he had a California ID. Not a good sign, but okay. I asked him who he worked for and he gave me a form with the name of his company on it. He gave me his cell number, which I called in his presence to make sure it rang. I asked him point blank if he was drunk, or high. He seemed insulted, like he almost didn't know he was a bike messenger and they are all a bunch of druggie losers. Duh!? For the most part this guy was on the up and up.
I asked him if he had a second form of ID and he claimed he didn't have one. At this point I was pissed because I saw a Visa logo as he flipped through his wallet for his ID. I told him I had seen the Visa logo and that he better hand it over before I took it from him. Apparently, I must have been pretty angry, because he handed me his whole wallet. At that point I took the form he gave me and wrote down all his info. Including the card number, expiration, and CVV code. Technically, I could fix my car with his card!
But, that wouldn't be right, or fair. I don't know why he hit my car, but my guess is he passed out from dehydration or exhaustion. I am going to try and call the company he works for to see if their insurance will cover it. Otherwise, my new best friend will pay. Oh, and he will pay. At this point, I know where he lives, where he works, and have enough information to open my own credit in his name.
Still I was lucky. Most people hit by bike messengers get their cars scratched and dented and the guy just keeps riding away never to be seen again. I guess I was lucky he was sort of knocked out and confused after he hit me or this could have been a different story. The good news is these guys are crazy skinny and easily intimidated by a pissed off 190-pound Puerto Rican. Now, just wish me luck in the "getting someone to pay for my car" saga.
){kind=link}