Be a post whore!

[footfootfoot]

I think it's one person per season, hence 3 person, 3 season. I see no problems here.
NEXT!

[Aliantha]

So, as some of you will know, I have a houseful of sick kids at the moment, although they're all on the get better side of it, so that's good. The bad part is I'm sick now, but I'm sure I'll live.

In other news, I got rear ended yesterday, and not in a good way. Yes scoff if you like, but getting run into by someone with no insurance is no good. The even worse part is that I feel sorry for the person that hit me! She's a single mother with two autistic kids, one of whom was in the car with her yesterday, so that was an ordeal in itself. The boy who was probably around 10, was in the front passenger seat, and he was thrown forward hard enough to smash the windscreen with his forehead. Somehow there was no blood. He had very thick hair, so maybe it sort of cushioned his skin or something. I don't know, but he was ok.

So anyway, I feel sorry for this woman. Her car was a heap of shit beforehand, and now it's worse. She lives in my neighbourhood, and I know which house she lives in. It's nothing flash. She was neat and tidy, but clearly not expensively dressed.

She has assured me that if I get quotes, she'll give me the money to get my car fixed, but I really feel like I need to give her a break. There's not all that much damage to my car (my beautiful good little car that I love). The boot has a bit of a wrinkle where the back has been a bit bent, and the bumper either needs replacing or respraying, so really, all in all, not too bad.

Would you 'pay it forward' so to speak? Put something good out into the universe?

As I said to Daryl this morning, I just feel sorry for the woman, and doubt she's got the money to give me. I imagine her life is a daily struggle and this would be just one more little thing to create havoc for her. With that in mind, I just want to let her off the hook for this one and tell her to buy some insurance instead.

I'm going to ask Dad if he can fix the boot and stuff for me, and I think the bumper will be fine as it is for now. I might find a replacement at a wrecking yard some time down the track. Who knows.

I just want to come out of this with a free conscience. You know. Feel that I've done something to make someone's life a little easier.

eta: I asked this question on FB as some of you will know, and people overwhelmingly seemed to think I should go through the legal channels and make her pay. I was actually surprised at the lack of compassion in some people. So anyway, that's why I'm asking you lot. Do you think I'm being stupid?

[JamesB]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

So anyway, I feel sorry for this woman. Her car was a heap of shit beforehand, and now it's worse. She lives in my neighbourhood, and I know which house she lives in. It's nothing flash. She was neat and tidy, but clearly not expensively dressed.

She has assured me that if I get quotes, she'll give me the money to get my car fixed, but I really feel like I need to give her a break. There's not all that much damage to my car (my beautiful good little car that I love). The boot has a bit of a wrinkle where the back has been a bit bent, and the bumper either needs replacing or respraying, so really, all in all, not too bad.

Would you 'pay it forward' so to speak? Put something good out into the universe?

As I said to Daryl this morning, I just feel sorry for the woman, and doubt she's got the money to give me. I imagine her life is a daily struggle and this would be just one more little thing to create havoc for her. With that in mind, I just want to let her off the hook for this one and tell her to buy some insurance instead.

I'm going to ask Dad if he can fix the boot and stuff for me, and I think the bumper will be fine as it is for now. I might find a replacement at a wrecking yard some time down the track. Who knows.

I just want to come out of this with a free conscience. You know. Feel that I've done something to make someone's life a little easier

Yes, the idea of "paying it forward" is a noble gesture, but do get your car looked at by a professional. The way cars are built these days, sometimes what looks like a minor bit of damage on the surface turns out to be major structural damage. It is possible that the underlying damage is sufficient render your car less structurally sound (and less safe) and it could even lead to your insurance company voiding your next claim. I have seen cars written off for what appeared to be nothing more than a few wrinkles in the bodywork. Underneath, the car's crumple zones were sufficiently damaged that the repair costs were more than the vehicle's value.

If you get a quote, tell them it's going to be a cash job and not an insurance job. The quote will reflect this as there will be less padding to make up for the runaround that insurance companies often give the repairers.

To be honest, someone that's driving around in a car without even "3rd party property" coverage is showing a complete lack of consideration for other people. Yes her life may be tough, but every time she goes out on the road, she's playing high stakes gambling using what may be someone else's most valuable possession as her bankroll.

[Aliantha]

glatt, sorry about your tent. Maybe you could chop yourself off at the knees?

[ZenGum]

I'm sorry, I'm still stuck at the fact that this woman had a ten year old in the front seat apparently without a seat belt or age-appropriate safety harness.

Lady, you want an autistic kid, or an autistic kid with traumatic brain damage?

[xoxoxoBruce]

First to answer you question.

Do you think I'm being stupid?

Hell no, if you can fiqure out a way to help somebody out, that's never stupid.
If it's not taking food out of your kid's mouths, or putting a strain on your marriage, take every oppotunity to make others, and yourself, feel good.

I agree with Zen though, bad juju not having the kid restrained. If you decide not to make her pay in cash, you might make her pay by listening to a little lecture about that.

To the people on facebook that say you're doing it upside down, remind them it's Oz.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

I just want to come out of this with a free conscience. You know. Feel that I've done something to make someone's life a little easier... Do you think I'm being stupid?

I think that your plan is sweet and wonderful, and would truly make a difference in this woman's life even more than you suspect. It has brought tears to my eyes just thinking about it. But I am obviously biased and overly-invested in the scenario.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

I'm sorry, I'm still stuck at the fact that this woman had a ten year old in the front seat apparently without a seat belt or age-appropriate safety harness.

Lady, you want an autistic kid, or an autistic kid with traumatic brain damage?

I don't know anything about the functioning level of this kid... but I'll just say this: it gets a lot harder once they get smart enough to undo their own buckles. I know parents who have had to put actual combination locks on their children's seatbelts. Sometimes, if the kid is willing to sit calmly and just let you drive as long as he's in the front seat, you give in.

[Aliantha]

Zen, he had a seatbelt on, but as I said, it was an old shitbox car, and I think there's a good chance the seatbelts hadn't been tested for a very long time. I'm not sure I would judge her that quickly. Who knows what the boy was up to at the time. Obviously something distracted her from driving and paying proper attention - although in saying that, I did have to break pretty heavily to avoid the collision I almost had with the person in front of me. I don't know if you've ever driven with kids before Zen, but any kid can do naughty stuff at the best of times. You just always hope (well I do) that when they choose to do something naughty or stupid, that it's not at a time that will endanger their lives.

[Aliantha]

Clod, I think he was most likely fairly low functioning. I did not hear a single sound from him during the whole episode. Not a tear in his eye. No emotion as all in the true sense of it. Only stress. That's the only thing I could see in him which was why I had already started to form the assumption that he may be ASD even before she said so.

[Lola Bunny]

Ali: You're a good woman and don't let anyone call you anything else. I've heard the phrase, "there's a fine line between being nice and being stupid." Guess where that person was going? Yups, was calling me stupid. Hey, at least I'm stupid AND nice.

[Lamplighter]

It would be a nice thing for you to do.
And even if your Dad does not iron out the wrinkles,
you would have a reminder each time you saw them of your good deed.

Win - Win

[Aliantha]

Went and saw Dad on Friday. He reckons he can fix it pretty easily with a little help from a teenage boy or two, so we're going to head up to the farm next weekend and get it sorted.

In the mean time, I'm going to get a quote from a smash repairer and give it to the lady who hit me. I'll let her decide if she wants to cover any or all of the cost for whatever needs doing at the smash repairs. If she chooses to pay, I'll be able to get my dad a nice present instead of paying someone else I guess. I think I'll still need to replace the bumper though. We'll see how it looks when Dad's finished with it. He's a pretty handy bloke.

[Lola Bunny]

Life is so tiring sometimes....sigh....

[xoxoxoBruce]

Juice it up, go skydiving, skinny dipping, drag racing...