Son wrestled today, and got his first gold medal, even though he's wrestled a few years. On our way home from a celebratory lunch in separate cars, boys in my truck, girls in daughters new car (she only has her permit), and I get a call from my daughter, balling. Something came off the trailer of a semi that cut her off and hit and cracked the windshield of her brand new car. Truck was coming up on me, so I whip on the shoulder, wait for him and get back in traffic next to him as he comes up. Record all his info I can see on the truck, wave for him to pull over and back off. 2 exits and be still hasn’t pulled of the road, so I get up on his left side and motion again. Figures it out and stops on shoulder. I tell him what happen and we call OHP to do a report. First trooper is getting our info when a second trooper stops, DOT guy, figuring he can get one more inspection on his way home. Daughter recognizes him as her best friends uncle. Coincidences don’t stop there, truck driver comes over and the trooper recognizes the guy because he inspected the guys truck 30 min earlier and told him to clear the rock debris and trash off his flat bed trailer and gave him a ticket. The ‘lecture’ he got was funny to say the least. Guess the trucker wasn’t joking when he said he had been having a bad day...and why he cleaned the trailer off before the cops got there. And while he was spending 10 minutes looking for his insurance, I recorded what the trailer looked like, and recorded him cleaning it off. I told him not to till the cops got there, but he said why, I already admitted it. Hoping the audio picked that up too.
Wow! Of all the luck! Hope your daughter is doing OK with it. It's not like she did anything wrong. Stuff happens. At least everyone is physically well. Hope it all works out.
Yup, she was calm by the time I got him stopped, I was on phone with her calming her down even though wife was in the car with her. My daughter is only 15 1/2, and the car was her Christmas present. She just hit 1k on the odometer and she finally understands why I park at the end of the row, in the middle of nowhere. Should work out fine, I got the drivers info, a report from OHP, and he said if they give me any trouble let him know and he'll take care of it. He very politely ripped into the driver, and said, "didn't I just tell you to clean that off and what could happen? And what happened? " Sounded like me when I talk to my kids. And yes, thankfully it was just a bunch of little crap debris on the trailer, and nothing bigger, and no one was hurt.
Ins the early nineties a flat bed passed me and pulled in front of my car on the interstate and a rock flew off the bed and cracked my headlight but I didn't know it at the time. A construction friend of mine said the driver of the truck was responsible and I wasn't aware of that and by the time he told me it was too late anyway but I learned. Glad you had the guy fess up and pay his dues-even through he didn't want to do so.
I hope you have better luck than me.
Same thing happened to me at the beginning of September and I am STILL fighting their insurance company. My windshield is $850 or I would just pay for it myself and call it a day. Bleh.
Same thing happened to me at the beginning of September and I am STILL fighting their insurance company. My windshield is $850 or I would just pay for it myself and call it a day. Bleh.
I’ve heard if the debris hits the road before it hits your vehicle the “truck driver” isn’t responsible. I’m not saying that was the case in your experience. I was just repeating what I’ve heard as it relates to your situation.
They are responsible for their load until it is resecured or removed from the road.
Congrats on your son's gold medal. Best way to remember the day.
ODOT was spreading a lot of road hazards out on the highways the last couple of days.
It's just a windshield, and it can be fixed. But 15 1/2 year olds don't realize that yet. I remember my first car wreck, I was upset for days. I pulled out in front of a car and they t-boned me on the driver's side, could have easily been killed but all I was upset over was damage to the car.
Keep assuring your daughter that the important thing is everyone is okay, and it's just a windshield, a little money (probably not even that) and inconvenience. You might have to tell her more than once, she doesn't get it yet. She's just 15.
Keep assuring your daughter that the important thing is everyone is okay, and it's just a windshield, a little money (probably not even that) and inconvenience. You might have to tell her more than once, she doesn't get it yet. She's just 15.
