Today Heidi and I were out doing some Christmas shopping at Target. As I was backing up to leave we felt a small bump and realized that our van and a small SUV had bumped into each other. They and we were OK. It really was a small bump but there was some small damage to the other car's bumper. Our car had zero visible damage. We gave them our insurance. We are grateful that no one was hurt but it did shake my confidence a bit. Heidi pointed out the we were 3/4s of the way out when the two vehicles touched and the other car was only slightly out. She suggests that we had properly checked that it was clear but that they perhaps did not. It makes me feel frustrated thinking about it. We'll see what happens.
The highlight of the day was the Alcantar annual Christmas party. They had pancakes made from scratch, amazing buttermilk syrup and a sledding hill. Sledding in Arizona is no small feat. A company brings in a special "hill" on a trailer. Then they grind up about 1500 pounds of ice into "snow". The kids love it. They went down the sledding hill over and over. I was distracted and forgot to take pictures. Oh well, next year.
Years ago I had a similar parking lot incident but more complicated. We were visiting on the mainland and I was driving a rental van. And the guy who clipped me as I was backing up drove off. It took weeks of rancor and long distance paperwork to resolve. The lesson I learned was a habit I use to today. Before I reverse, especially in a parking lot, I put on the emergency flashers to signal my intention.
ReplyDelete