Oops…

I got ranned into on Thursday afternoon… which was mainly because I pulled out in front of a van in a turn lane. It was my fault, but I understand how it happened. The girl who hit me, I’m guessing was about 17 and a little more shaken up than I was.

Damage to my brother’s Jeep: dented front right and bent tie rod resulting in a misaligned wheel.

Damage to her parents minivan: cracked bumper and headlight mount resulting in need for a new headlight mount.

Cost for them to fix: $3.24 for a headlight mount, they didn’t intend to replace the bumper.

Cost for me to fix: one Sunday spend with a jack, two vehicle lifts, an impact driver, a drill, a hammer, a blowtorch and lots of grease.

Police reports filed: none.

Parties who are shit out of luck: my brother, because I’m not fixing the dent (nor do I think he’ll care).

The best and simultaneously worst part was the “opinionated dude on a bike” who came by and first declared himself a cop (in jest I guess), then told us that we needed to move off the road before we caused another accident (we were completely to the side of the road), then told me he’d saved me a bunch of money by talking her out of reporting the accident.

We waited for her parents to come. They assessed the damage and we traded insurance. I don’t think either of us had enough damage to warrant filing a report and insurance claim. I the drove very slowly the 15 or so miles home with the right side of the vehicle hanging off the road when possible.