Irrefutable Evidence
Nov 3, 2024 | by The Fellowship
It was with a sense of relief that I finished my shift at a major sporting goods store where I work part-time. After getting into my SUV, I drove through the parking lot and pulled up behind a car at the stop sign. Almost before I could blink my eyes, the car in front of me reversed and slammed into my vehicle. It was so unexpected, so surreal that I sat there stunned. Had I really just been involved in an accident? As a junior in college at a major Texas university, that was the last thing I wanted -- knowing what it would do to my car insurance premium since I am a 20-year-old male.
The driver was a teen-age girl who got out of her car and approached my vehicle. She looked high school age. “My car is broken,” she said. “Could you help me fix it?” I suppose she was trying to make me believe her car had malfunctioned.
“No, I cannot,” was my reply as I looked at the damage to my SUV. The grille protecting the front of my SUV was damaged as well as the guard/fender and the part that attaches it to the frame of my vehicle. When I acquired my used vehicle, the bumper grille was my first addition because it adds style as well as protection without hindering air flow. Her car was barely damaged – just a broken taillight.
“Please get your insurance,” I said while busily snapping pictures.
“It’s my Mom’s car and I don’t know where the insurance is. How much can I pay you?” she asked. “Let’s not get the cops involved.”
There were also two other teenage girls in the car. Of course, she did not want the cops involved because Texas law forbids a driver under 18 to have more than one teenage passenger.
“I’ll give you my phone number and also my father’s number,” she proposed. “He will take care of your damages.”
We exchanged numbers and left. I was upset, but held onto the belief that her family would pay for the needed repairs.
That night I called the father’s number and went into a detailed explanation of what had happened. After I finished, the man informed me that he was not the driver’s dad, but the father of one of the passengers. That is when I began to get an inkling of what I was dealing with.
My next action was to text the girl to advise her that she could send me her mom’s phone number, or I would go to the police. She texted me the number. I also took my SUV to a body shop to get an estimate of the cost to repair it. Then I checked with my employer to see if the store’s parking lot cameras had recorded the accident, but was told the coverage did not extend that far.
My next move was to call my dad and recruit his help. He contacted the mother. She put him off, saying one of her daughters was about to have a baby and needed her help, so she could not get to it right away. After several weeks, my dad had to contact her again and she finally notified the insurance company. It soon became evident that her teenage daughter claimed that my SUV had run into her car.
The insurance company called to hear my side of the story. I also sent the pictures taken at the scene of the accident. But I knew it was my word against hers and how most accidents involving stopped vehicles are caused by the car in the rear. “Lord, please help!” I prayed. “This is not right!”
The Lord nudged me to go back to my employer and ask again about the parking lot tapes. Since I knew the exact date and time, my manager said I was welcome to look through the tapes. It took no time to find the correct tape. You can imagine my elation when the accident was recorded on the tape! A copy was made and sent to the insurance company!
Now I have instructions to bring my SUV to a specific body shop where the insurance company will negotiate a price for repairs and cover it. A loaner car will also be provided so I will not be without transportation while the repairs are made. How relieved and thankful I am for such a faithful Lord who hears and answers prayer!
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16