Hüsker Gets Hit

[NYC-SE]

Hüsker (that would be my car) took a hit today. Driving home from work I was stopped due to traffic when a Honda CRV hits me from behind. I pull to the side and start to get out of my car when the Honda takes off running. I chase after him. There is pretty heavy traffic and he is driving crazy as he ignores all traffic laws and flies down city streets. I was able to keep up with him for about 5 minutes, long enough to get close enough to get a picture of his license plate before he loses me. Don't know what I would have done if I caught him. (Based on the neighborhood where it happened and the brief glimpses I got of the driver I'd put even money that he was an illegal alien with no insurance. No that is not an anti-Latino screed, just a strong possibility based on circumstances.)

So I stop and get out to finally have a look at the damage. It's not too bad. The left side of my rear bumper is knocked off and scratched up a little but it's not cracked. I was able to knock it back into place.

Get back in car and drive to the local police precinct. Inside I tell the officer at the desk that I want to report a hit and run, tell him I have a picture of the license plate of the car that hit me. He could not have been less interested. Tells me that it’s a "civilian accident" and I have to report it myself to my insurance. I tell him I have no desire to tell the insurance company as the damage is minimal and I will just repair it myself but that I want to report the other car for leaving the scene. He says if I wanted to do that I should have called 911. WHAT?

According to him if it was a "real accident" I am supposed to stay at the scene and call 911 so that the police could come and "investigate the scene". I point out that if I had done that there would be no "scene" to investigate as the other car ran away and that if I had stayed at the scene I would have been unable to identify the other car by license plate number. He says "that's what you're supposed to do." NEVER even looks at the picture on my phone that I'm trying to show him. Goes over to a cabinet, ruffles thru some papers, and comes back with a "Motor Vehicle Accident Report Form" that looks like it had been photocopied 20 times, I mean you can barely read it. Tells me to fill it out and send it to the DMV. "And then what?" I ask. "So there's an accident report for your insurance" he says. So once again I tell him I'm not going to use my insurance, that I came here to report a hit and run, that there is a dangerous driver out there with no respect for the law and that next time it might be a little old lady crossing the street. "That's what you have to do", he says, referring to the form. And yet the NYPD wonders why the "public perception" of them is "off". I am by no means anti-cop but this kind of nonsense does not help their cause. (BTW I am a middle aged white guy voluntarily coming in to report a crime and I was treated rudely and dismissively. What would the situation where none of that was true have looked like?)

I finally get home and have a good look at things. It’s really not too bad. You probably wouldn't even know from a casual glance. There are some scratches but not too deep, and thankfully nothing is cracked. The bumper is slightly misaligned where it meets the left tail light. It looks like one of the tabs that snaps in there is bent. When I get a chance next week I'm going to take it off and realign it. I think it will be OK. Could definitely have been a lot worse. I'll just think of the scratches as character lines. She already had a few anyway courtesy of NYC drivers and especially NYC parkers. ARGHH!

To sum up:
1. Not anti-Latino
2. Not anti-cop
3. Just pissed

Thank you to my fellow Yarisworld members for letting me vent.