Hit and Run

It's a tactic used often in modern warfare, particularly the terrorists warfare that we are becoming all-too familiar with today. Hit and Run. Attack in an unexpected place then make a quick exit. It has to be extremely frustrating to military strategists who try to defend innocent people against such attacks.

It is also a tactic used to avoid responsibility. Last Friday afternoon Jan and I were taking Jana's car to Sam's to have a tire repaired. As we drove down the parking lane looking for an empty spot, we suddenly felt a bump. Jan's reaction was understandable, "what did you hit?" I was pretty sure that I had not hit anything, so I glanced in my side mirror to see a white vehicle way too close to mine. The truth become abundantly clear. The other vehicle had backed out of a parking space and hit the back fender of Jana's car.

At that point I followed proper procedures. I stopped the car, got out and proceeded to walk toward the other car to exchange insurance information and set the wheels in motion to have the car repaired. That's when things took a surprising turn. Rather than stopping, the other vehicle eased away from scene at a slow pace. I first assumed they were about to pull into another parking space so we could talk. After they passed three or four empty spots it became surprisingly clear that they were not stopping.

Naively I assumed they did not realize they had hit our car. So, I proceeded to jog behind them with my arms waving. I'm sure I looked like a duck trying to gain altitude. As they increased speed, so did I. The problem was that they were in a vehicle and I was on foot. I was not really worried at that point because I knew they had to stop at the parking lot exit at Race street and I could catch them. Once more I was naive. Rather than waiting at the stop sign and exiting onto Race street they turned back through the parking lot. Well, I knew I had one chance to cut them off before they could exit on the other side of the parking lot. So, I kicked it into high gear, racing across the asphalt. My plans were to simply stand in front of the them, much like the brave patriot had done with a tank in Tiananmen Square several years ago.

I know . . . it was not one of my brightest ideas but it was all I could think of. Unfortunately their six or eight cylinders enabled them to get to the exit point before my two feet could take me there. I'm still convinced that in my prime I could have caught them. It was at that point that I noticed my heavy breathing and began to wonder just how strong my fifty-one year old heart was. Fortunately it handled the strain.

The first question my insurance company asked was, "did you get their license number?" I had to tell them that I did not. At that point I became more interested in my uninsured motorist coverage than I had ever been. I'm not yet sure of the details but I am confident it will be handled.

One last note. We did notice that Sam's has security cameras in the parking lot and we will be hoping to get some answers from them. So, if you were in the Sam's parking lot last Friday afternoon driving a white vehicle, felt a little bump as you were backing out of your parking space, saw a funny looking guy chasing your vehicle, now is the time to fess up. Give me a call and we'll work it out.