Last Friday, I was at a stop light and got rear-ended. It wasn't a bad one--the man behind me reached to pick up something and his foot slipped off the brake causing him to bump me just enough to barely bend my rear bumper. We exchanged information, chit-chatted a bit, and went on our ways.
I debated calling his insurance company as he is a machine gunner in the Marine Corps who was on leave before being sent to Afghanistan. To top that off, he was a student David had when he was at the high school. We decided that we did need to turn it in, though. The van needs to get fixed and that's what insurance is for.
Today I had my appointment with the claim adjuster, and as she was figuring out the estimated damage, I said that there was one thing completely unrelated to the accident that may affect the repair. Of course, she asked what that was. I told her that about a month ago, I opened my back hatch and the handle made a funny click. From then on, I haven't been able to open the back hatch. There's no other way to open it. The back hatch sits over the bumper and will have to be opened to do the repair, so that causes a glitch in the repair--I can't get it done until I can afford to fix the hatch handle. We intend to do that, but it just hasn't been in the budget.
She gave me a funny perplexed look, started punching keys on her computer, and then spoke a moment with someone in another office. Finally, she turned to me and said this:
Ma'am, in this business you don't come across a lot of honest people. Most folks would have looked me dead in the eye and lied, saying the accident caused the hatch to not be able to open and demand that I cover the cost of its repair. I've been in this business for 13 and a half years and I know well enough what damage an accident causes. I so appreciate your rare honesty that I'm going to pay for that repair.
I was floored! I asked to make sure this wouldn't negatively affect the responsible insured party (it won't) and thanked her profusely! I had this looked at by another shop yesterday and know that this would have been a $167 repair for parts and labor. So, as much of a hassle as it is to go through the paperwork of an accident and being in a rental for a while, it's a true blessing--a blessing in a difficult disguise.
2 comments:
God cares for even the latch on your van! I love it! Thanks for sharing.
I got the van back, and it sure is nice to have that working again! I also LOVE how they clean and vacuum out the van before you get it back (another item on my to-do list)! Now, if only someone would hit the van where I had a little accident in my driveway involving a hidden bicycle and a stand for one of David's tractor implements... just kidding! Well, sort of... maybe I can let the van get dirty again before that happens! :)
Post a Comment