How often does this happen?

[hdmass]

I was sitting in my car the other day while my husband ran into the market for a few things. All of a sudden, boom! I looked in my rearview mirror and realized that someone had hit my parked car. My girls and I were still wearing our seat belts. Shocked but not hurt. I got out of the car (much to the surprise of the other driver). She said the car just got away from her. It got me thinking. It's not just wayward shopping carts anymore.

 

[Passepartout]

Hopefully not too often....

We had taken our little 5th wheel into the mountains along the Lewis and Clark's Lolo trail. We flew DW's 90 yr-old dad and brother in to Missoula MT to accompany us. After we came down, we parked the trailer at a truckstop while DW took her people to the airport. I was taking a siesta in the trailer when BOOM!! It lurched forward, the landing legs fell off their blocks so it dropped in the front and knocked me to the floor. I stepped outside to see a road grader that had hit me, smashing 2 bicycles that were hanging on the back. A MT State trooper was behind the grader with it's flashing lights on. Apparently the operator had worked on his brakes and not done an especially good job, as he'd hit another vehicle before he came into the truckstop. Why the cop allowed him to move the grader is beyond me. In the end, no one was injured. He happily replaced our bikes and a cooler that the trailer fell on.

Jim Ricks

 

[Icc5]

Try working there

I was sitting in my car the other day while my husband ran into the market for a few things. All of a sudden, boom! I looked in my rearview mirror and realized that someone had hit my parked car. My girls and I were still wearing our seat belts. Shocked but not hurt. I got out of the car (much to the surprise of the other driver). She said the car just got away from her. It got me thinking. It's not just wayward shopping carts anymore.

Both my wife and I work in a grocery store. You would not believe how often we have gone out to our cars to find dents, scratches, etc. and no note, nobody around. Two Fridays ago it was my windshield with a crack right accross the middle and a place where something had hit it. We both park far away as to not take a space from somebody shopping. You are right, it used to be carts. One time I had a whole line of about 8 carts run right into my door which put a huge dent in it. Years ago, somebody keyed my hood.
Bart

 

[DaveNV]

I work at a busy medical center, and parking is always tight. Combine illness with young families who have screaming kids in the back seat and lots of elderly patients who maybe shouldn't be driving anymore, and it's a receipe for parking nightmares. Bumps, scrapes, and fender-benders are common.

A coworker parked his SUV outside the office door one day for about ten minutes while he picked up some equipment. When he went out to move his vehicle, somebody had hit it. The entire front bumper assembly had been torn off and it was laying on the ground. Nobody was around, of course, and nobody in my office head a thing. The insurance estimate was nearly $4000 to fix it.

Dave

 

[SDKath]

I heard that parking lot accidents are so common that insurance companies now have policies saying that no matter who was at fault, you have to split the fault/costs 50/50. It's just faster and easier to deal with it that way.

That would be ok with me except the two times someone hit me, they just drove off. I was younger (and not very calm about the fact that someone had hit the love of my life, my bright red Firebird Trans Am) so I never got the license plates. Ah well. Try hitting me now! I got my camera phone poised and ready! :hysterical:

Katherine

 

[BSQ]

definitely happed to me ... twice. Both times the people said they didn't see me. :ignore: I drive a Mini Cooper. really, the car is not THAT small.

My corvette has been parked ON TOP OF twice. People pull right on up the nose of the car. (normally I park nose out for just this reason).

 

[borntotravel]

In 1999 I purchased a new white Toyota Camry. I loved that car. One month after I had it, I came out of Home Depot and there was a red scrape on my bumper - no red car next to it anymore and no note. By the time it was a year old it had several marks on the front and rear bumper (people must wait until they hit the car in the spot ahead of them before they stop) and the sides had shopping cart marks and dings all over. I drove that car until last year, now my daugher drives it. What ticks me off, is that I didn't put even one ding or mark on that car.:annoyed:

Now I have had a brand new Toyota Camry for a year now. I park it way out in God's country - I don't care if I have to walk a mile. God help the person I catch to put a mark on this car - they'll have to deal with the wrath of all the marks nobody was brave enough to admit to. Poor soul!

 

[summervaca]

OK, I have to admit, I have actually been the "hitter", as well as the "hittee". I cannot say exactly how it happens, but boy does it leave a sinking feeling in your gut when you hear the crunch. (I did leave my name and number.)

 

[AwayWeGo]

Another Fringe Benefit Of Buying Cars Used . . .

In 1999 I purchased a new white Toyota Camry. I loved that car. One month after I had it, I came out of Home Depot and there was a red scrape on my bumper - no red car next to it anymore and no note. By the time it was a year old it had several marks on the front and rear bumper (people must wait until they hit the car in the spot ahead of them before they stop) and the sides had shopping cart marks and dings all over. I drove that car until last year, now my daugher drives it. What ticks me off, is that I didn't put even one ding or mark on that car.:annoyed:

Now I have had a brand new Toyota Camry for a year now. I park it way out in God's country - I don't care if I have to walk a mile. God help the person I catch to put a mark on this car - they'll have to deal with the wrath of all the marks nobody was brave enough to admit to. Poor soul!

. . . is that they generally come pre-dinged, at least to a slight extent.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[swift]

definitely happed to me ... twice. Both times the people said they didn't see me. :ignore: I drive a Mini Cooper. really, the car is not THAT small.

My corvette has been parked ON TOP OF twice. People pull right on up the nose of the car. (normally I park nose out for just this reason).

It really doesn't matter what the size of your vehicle is if the driver is not paying attention. I drive a big yellow school bus and I have still have people say they didn't see me.

 

[easyrider]

A 22 year old female side swiped my suv with her Honda`s mirror while doing her hair, and drove off. I called the police and was told to stay at the scene. The police did get her and we exchanged information but her insurance company said there is not enough proof that she hit me,so its no fault even though its her fault. Whats up with that.

 

[laura1957]

I found a fairly large dent in my car a couple weeks ago after coming out of the grocery store - luckily my husband was able to pull / push it out so it is barely noticable.

We pulled into a local convenience store one afternoon - my husband had not even turned off the engine yet when another car pulled up next to us. The second car was pointed half towards us, half towards the store - kind of turned in at the corner of the store since we were in the only parking spot on the side of the store. The woman driving got out and started to walk into the store while her car was still moving, my husband quickly put our van into reverse and slammed on his horn (since the car was rolling directly towards the drivers back and the store window) She turned around and jumped back in and stopped the car inches from the store. I don't think I have ever seen anybody quite that embarassed or scared in my life

 

[Dori]

The first time we were in Florida during the winter, we couldn't believe the number of fender benders we saw in grocery store parking lots. Very"senior citizen snowbirds" who shouldn't have been driving, would pull into a parking space in their huge cars. After trying to park, and succeeding only in bashing some poor soul's parked vehicle, they would just abandon that space, and try another spot! Amazing!

Dori

 

[Wonka]

Crash here

Parking at the Grocery Store in Florida is like going to the demolition derby. It should be avoided whenever possible. The grocery carts should also be required to have rubber bumpers.

 

[borntotravel]

OK, I have to admit, I have actually been the "hitter", as well as the "hittee". I cannot say exactly how it happens, but boy does it leave a sinking feeling in your gut when you hear the crunch. (I did leave my name and number.)

Kudos to you! I don't have a problem with an accidental bump, it happens to everyone at one time or another. The problem I have is that no one has the decency to put a not on the windshield saying "sorry". If someone were actually leave their name and number on a note, I would just call them and tell them thank you for fessing up and not bother with it (unless it was significant damage).

Nice to see there are still some honest folks out there!

 

[Jan]

My husband was waiting in the car for me while I got a few groceries. Our can was hit twice while he sat in it. One was a door ding and the other they pulled to far forward and hit our front bumper.
Jan

 

[Don]

Florida is full of people who have absolutely no respect for other people's property. I have dings in both sides where people have thrown their doors open and slammed them into my car.

 

[Tia]

Several years back I saw from a distance across the grocery parking lot a motor home manuevering backwards to get out of the lot ... it backed up and a truck behind it rocked. The motor home drove off, driver never getting out. I was putting groceries in the trunk, had two younger kids, and was several rows away. I only saw the plate was out of state by the time it drove down the main road.

 

[borntotravel]

Don,

It isn't just Florida - we have our share of jerks here too (actually where ever you go). I guess people who do these things don't respect their own property or the property of others. Pretty sad, actually.

 

[jlr10]

A few years ago I got a brand new car. I came out of church to find the rear bumper was smashed in. I didn't even have plates It is bad when they don't leave a note, but when they don't leave a note in a church parking lot that says a lot about someone. A few months later, same church, someone was parked to close and backed out turning too sharply and took out the side of my car with their front bumper. He stayed until I came out to make sure that I knew who hit me and made sure the car was repaired to my satisifaction.

But it is the door dings that are really getting to me. I try to take care of my car, but my driver side is completely dinged by people who swing their doors wide open and bang my car. I was sitting in it once when a large SUV pulled up and a little kid threw the door open leaving a ding in the car. The dad came up grabbed the kid and said "Don't open your door so fast. You might hit another car next to us" and then high tailed it out of there before I could even cease to be speechless. Anyway I am tired of my car looking like I don't care because other people are irresponsible.

So my thought for the day. If people drive an SUV: they do not drive a compact car, and should not park in compact parking, and bang my car trying to get their kids out of the too small space!