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A Bump In the Night
Mar. 2nd, 2014 01:32 pmSo... Dev had his first little accident last night. He didn't cut the corner tightly enough when pulling into a parking space, and his front bumper clipped the hubcap of the car beside him. He did everything right--went into the restaurant, asked the staff to help him find the car's owner, exchanged info, and spoke with the officer who happened to be there.
Then the poor kid called me and burst into tears while giving an incoherent explanation filled with apologies.
The damage to our car is so small--a dent about the size of a baseball on the bumper and a couple smudges on the paint. It sounds like the other car had damage only to the hubcap. The officer was very helpful and supportive to Dev (who was, apparently, shaking like crazy). The driver of the other car was nice. Since she was driving her parents' car, too, I've put in a call to them so we can all discuss the quickest way to settle the matter. I'm guessing the damage is going to be way below my insurance deductible.
The crappiest part happened when the owner of the car parked on the other side of Dev tried to blame Dev for pre-existing damage to his own vehicle. Fortunately, the officer stepped in to point out there wasn't a smidge of damage on that side of Dev's car so there would be no taking advantage of the situation.
Now my son is totally depressed today over what happened, and what he might have to pay. For him, this is a HUGE deal--something I have to remind myself of so I don't minimalize his feelings by using my own yardstick for measurement. Considering what I and my sister pulled as teenagers--things my parents knew of, and things they never heard of--an accident such as Dev's would have been the smallest of blips, discussed over dinner and pretty much settled by dessert. But Dev is such a good kid, the accident is the worst thing he's done in years!
I'm glad he had work today. Physical stuff has a way of purging self-accusations sometimes. Hopefully he'll talk with Grandpa tonight, and that will help him stop beating himself up.
Then the poor kid called me and burst into tears while giving an incoherent explanation filled with apologies.
The damage to our car is so small--a dent about the size of a baseball on the bumper and a couple smudges on the paint. It sounds like the other car had damage only to the hubcap. The officer was very helpful and supportive to Dev (who was, apparently, shaking like crazy). The driver of the other car was nice. Since she was driving her parents' car, too, I've put in a call to them so we can all discuss the quickest way to settle the matter. I'm guessing the damage is going to be way below my insurance deductible.
The crappiest part happened when the owner of the car parked on the other side of Dev tried to blame Dev for pre-existing damage to his own vehicle. Fortunately, the officer stepped in to point out there wasn't a smidge of damage on that side of Dev's car so there would be no taking advantage of the situation.
Now my son is totally depressed today over what happened, and what he might have to pay. For him, this is a HUGE deal--something I have to remind myself of so I don't minimalize his feelings by using my own yardstick for measurement. Considering what I and my sister pulled as teenagers--things my parents knew of, and things they never heard of--an accident such as Dev's would have been the smallest of blips, discussed over dinner and pretty much settled by dessert. But Dev is such a good kid, the accident is the worst thing he's done in years!
I'm glad he had work today. Physical stuff has a way of purging self-accusations sometimes. Hopefully he'll talk with Grandpa tonight, and that will help him stop beating himself up.
