The lady that hit Cole called our house. She stopped by Mom and Bonus Dad's house last night and Bonus Dad about got mad at her until she said "I cried and cried about hitting that dog" and then he gave our home number and said, "They are responsible pet owners you shouldn't have a problem." So when we stopped by our house today, this is the message we received on our machine:
"Hi, this is (insert name here), the lady that your dog ran out in front of. I got an estimate on the damages to my car and just wanted to get together so we could get this thing taken care of. My number is...thanks, bye."
So, I called her back (I figured this would be a good lesson in patience and humility for me). She answered:
Her: hello?
Me: Hi, Mrs. (insert her name here), This is Chana (I said my last name).
Her: (silence)
Me: This is Chana, the one with the dog...you hit
Her: Oh yes...I'm glad your dog is doing ok, I was so upset, but he just ran out in front of me and there was nothing I could do. I would never want to hurt an animal. {Well, thank God she added that b/c I thought she may go around hitting dogs for fun.} I got home though and saw the dent in my car and got so angry b/c this car is new and only has 4,000 miles on it.{ok, it took all I had not to say are you f'ing kidding me??}
Me: Uh-huh...{silence}.....ok, well, whatever, you said something about an estimate.
Her: Yes, I have the estimate and just want to get together and show you guys so we can get this taken care of. I don't want to put it on my insurance b/c I don't want my insurance to go up b/c this wasn't my fault. {WTF??...it wasn't anyone's fault....it was an ACCIDENT...and YOU hit MY dog and I haven't asked for one cent for medical bills...had this been a child this would be completely different...might as well be a child though...he is MY child..my hubby and I=no kids}
Me: Uh huh...whatever....tell me the figure and i will get with insurance. We are on vacation until Sunday so we will have to get back to you.
Her: Ok, the damage was estimated at $998.72 from Norton-Richardson in Summerville. We have been taking our cars there for years and they are good {like I really care about the work they do} but if your insurance wants me to go somewhere else then I will {damn right you will..do you have choice if you want it paid for?}
Me: Uh-huh, ok well, we'll see. We may want Star Motor Service to look at it b/c my husband used to work there and we are tight with the owner and may be able to get a different estimate, but we'll see.
Her: Ok. This is a new Inifiniti (like I care?) and it's not going to be cheap to fix.
Me: {I was steaming by this point and calmly but in a very hard and slightly sarcastic tone said}..Well, Star works on Mercedes so I think that you'll be ok.
Her: ok.
Me: Ok then...we are on vacation so we'll talk to you when we get back.
Her: ok...look forward to hearing from you.
Yeah, it was a good lesson for me. I was a good girl..surprised??? Insurance is handling it from here. I so want and wanted to say something to her...but I'm not going to..I'm just going to let it be...but if I ever see her again...Lord help her and her car. New Infiniti...who cares? Why do you even throw that tidbit in there? Like I really care about the car...my dog is a living, breathing thing with staples in his leg, road rash, and a scraped up booty. I just said "uh-huh" alot and got off the phone..insurance said I did good. I am proud of me, too.
16 Comments:
I would have said: Well, I'll show you the bill for my dog's injury and vet bill, then we can come to a reasonable difference in settlement.
Good restraint... but to quote a certain young blogger... "no grudges, etc."... it's over! And as Mamama says: "Hug her, she's old!"
---- Yes, this is your Mother
One more Time! Glad you learned some restraint and didn't say what you obviously were thinking! Living through Grace. But, as Mamama would say: "Hug her, she's old!" ... 'no grudges'....
---- your mother!
Little Old lady from Pasadina..
and how is the doggy doing?
hope that all this stress hasn't put a dent (sorry couldn't help it..come on, tell me it didn't make you smile?) in your holiday...put it out of your mind and breath in that delicious ocean breeze...
Wow... you handled that well! I'm ashamed to say I probably wouldn't have taken the high road. A few choice words come to mind...
I can live by your example. :)
Well, Cole is doing great. He gets his staples out today (Thursday..18th). I know I perhaps should've fought a little harder on this issue...but really didn't have the clearance in my soul to do so. She could've said something about a leash law...I would've come back and said we were at my house and you don't need a leash in your yard...and even so...if you are in the process of leashing and he got away...accident..what can you do? Oh well...karma is a bitch..and hers will bite her in the ass one day.
Good for you having that attitude. I would have been fuming, as indeed I was when our dog was hit a few months ago. His own fault for taking off after a coyote and running down to the road instead of coming when I called him. However, here in NY it is the law that you stop when you hit an animal.
He didn't, but a kind neighbor did and the dog is fine.
Glad yours is coming along all right too.
I think I would've tried what ma said about the vet bill verses the damages which I think is being blown out of proportion and then I probably would've had a few choice words for her because I have the patience of a gnat.
I think that payments on damages should be capped at the price for an average car. Why should anyone be penalized into paying more because someone else buys an Infiniti.
She had a lot of gaul to call you after she hits your pet with a car. She should have calle and offered to pay for the vet bills.
Not that I've ever hit anyone's pet anything, but if I had I would have offered to cover their vet bills and paid for my own repair bills. I wouldn't have expected it to be the other way around. Yes, the dog should have been on a leash. The driver should have realized that she was driving through a neighborhood and paid attention to what was going on around her.
I am about sick of all the judgemental comments from you anonymous bloggers. Please leave me your email so I may enlighten you about how "irresponsible" I am. Accidents happen, just a child may run out into the street or somehow get behind mom's vehicle as she backs out the driveway (yes, I have taken care of those children), the same goes for a dog who runs out the garage to a non busy street to greet another dog and gets hit by a car. I would understand the word irresponsible if I was letting my dog run free next to a busy highway or high traffic street. That, my friend, is irresponsibility. Not leashing your dog in the garage and he gets away before you can get through doing so.
It was an unfortunate accident. I feel sorry for your dog, as I am a dog lover also. The owner of the car should be, and is responsible for her own vehicle. Note: She HIT your dog, not the other way around. I would, at this point, tell her politely you are not paying the bill. You will not seek restitution for the vet bill.
You are responsible for your pet, which you have assumed that responsibility already. Both in the vet bill, and taking the blame for the dog running into the street.
She is responsible for her driving, and her car. She "caused" propery damage, her own. She needs to fix it. Had she been alert and driving at a safe speed for a residential area (approx. 20 mph.). She would have been able to stop, or at least get down to a speed that would have caused minimal damage. To both car and dog.
Personally, I feel it would be the right thing to do, offering to pay the vet bill. Not seeking restitution for vehicle repairs. If it were my dog that was hit, and my fault she was in the street. I would expect the the offending driver to offer to pay the bill, although in the same breath I would say "Thanks for offering, but I will pay it. She should have been "tied up". ( I have a fenced in yard, the principle is the same).
So, I have received nasty emails from some who have said the woman had every right to be mad...which I don't feel is correct seeing as she was wearing coke bottles for glasses and could not have been paying attention due to the way it happened. Either way, IT did happen..we are grateful he is ok...these animals are leashed at all times when we walk EXCEPT at mom's due to the fact that she is not in a "neighborhood." She is surruonded by undeveloped properties and marshland and the dogs enjoy jumping in the brush and exploring the animal smells. We are never near the road and steer clear of that at all costs just for these moments...unfortunately, yes, doggy did get away from hubby right as they walked downstairs from the house into the garage. I mean split second...he was not running loose in the garage or in the yard for that matter. Thanks for everyone trying to teach a lesson and tell us we are irresponsible...we don't agree but what can I expect putting my story out there and letting the whole world read it. People's perceptions are all going to be different.
I received this from anonymous (of course):
"All anger, hurt and frustration aside...if either of you take this to court, you both would settle up the difference between the vet bills, and the car damage.
The Leash Laws of Charleston South Carolina clearly state that dogs must be on a leash, with the exception of these 2 parks.
Hampton Park Off-Leash Dog Park -corner of Rutledge and Grove Charleston
James Island County Park Off-leash Dog Area -871 Riverland Drive Charleston
I cannot say, nor can anyone say that woman deliberately hit your dog with her car. Nor can anyone say you deliberatly or irresponsibly let the dog run loose. If either of you did, then you have to live with yourselves..."
Basically, my insurance did pay for her car. Anyway, my comment on this is to say that my dog would never be allowed to run off the leash at Hampton Park. That place has more traffic going around it then my mom's street ever will so to tell me that my dog could run off the leash there??? I don't think so...there is a big traffic circle that surrounds that park. My dog runs like a greyhound and moves pretty swift, so there is no way in hell that he would ever run around there without a restraint.
I'm proud of you too because I would tell her to shove her Infiniti.. uh, you know.
I don't think she deserves for you to contact your insurance. It was a lose-lose situation. She has a lot of nerve, IMO.
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