Anonymous
By an edhat reader
Around 11:45 am today (Wednesday) I witnessed the driver of a gold-colored Oldsmobile Aurora scrape the entire driver side of a brown Kia Soul with Oregon plates while pulling into a parking space in the Mesa Shopping Center. This was right in front of the CVS Pharmacy near Lighthouse Coffee.
For the time I was there the driver did not leave a note or even check the damage of the vehicle she just hit, (who does that?!). I couldn’t stick around, but if anyone knows the driver of the Kia Soul I’d be happy to provide more details as a witness.
[Contact ed@edhat.com to reach the witness]
Did you leave a note on the car that was hit with your information?
You can call the pd and see if there was a report done on the 20002 which is a non injury hit and run..
Who does that? Hmmm. Maybe an elderly driver of a Oldsmobile, who is hard of hearing, headed to CVS for their prescriptions, and completely unaware of the damage? A simple note on the Kia with your contact info is recommended in future.
My understanding from reporting a hit and run I suffered a few years ago in the Arroyo Burro parking lot is that these incidents are reported to and investigated by the CHP. I had to go to Goleta to file a report which it was clear had no chance of being investigated. The point of filing the report was to deal with my own insurance company.
OP here – I wasn’t able to stay in the area but took a photo.
OP: the driver was a middle aged female. She seemed completely aware of what happened.
Roger, if I call CHP or police and leave a report would that help the owner of the car if they call and file one themselves?
If they file a report or call the police and the police match up the calls sure it would help don’t call the emergency line though I think 805-897-2300 might still work.
Have heard of people causing damage and the pretending to leave a note. In reality the notes says something like- “I am pretending to leave a note because people are watching.” These stories are always 3rd hand so maybe it is an urban myth?
roger is correct, call PD and explain it. the point of filling a report is to file a report of something illegal. they are not going to canvass the neighborhood looking. but if they pull over that car later, or they run the plate number they will get them at that time.
Years ago, I had a 72 Jeep Wagoneer which I had customized with gnarly steel off road bumpers… I was called to work early and stopped by my G/F house near Cottage Hospital to leave a note (before cell phone /texting) on her door. Bath St has a slight downhill. I left the Jeep running, which shook due to a modified engine…As I walked back to the Jeep, it was rolling down Bath St, missed a parked junky car and before I could get to it, opened a BRAND NEW Toyota Landcruiser like a can opener- from the front to back! Toyota was owned by a Dr. at Cottage, who couldn’t believe I left a legit note….
Dear OP – Thank you so much for doing what you did. We need more people like you in the world.
No, I received exactly that sort of note on my windshield after the Arroyo Burro incident noted below. It was a parking stub from downtown SB and said something like “Nice full moon.”
Why would you erase license plate info from the person who did the damage?
Same here. On S.B. St. and the car in the left lane kept edging into my lane so of course I was watching them and hit a side view mirror on a parked pickup. Left a note with my phone number. The owner of the pickup was amazed. $350 for a frigging mirror these days.
Tacky to take a pic and post it here but to not actually do anything… i don’t get it! You cared, sort of, but not enough to actually get involved. I know what it’s like to be busy, and would have felt the inconvenience too but would have pulled my car up behind them for a minute and written a quick not on something, a napkin from the glove box if i had to, and put it on the damaged car so they knew to call me.
I agree with 6:47 a.m.
Had that happen to me once at the Galleria parking lot while I was in the car. I got out and asked the woman driving what the heck she just did and she looked at me like I was an illegal alien not worthy of her attention. Fortunately the damage was not that bad but I did take down her tag number nonetheless. Shame that she confirmed a stereotype for me and I DON’T mean female drivers.
How? It’s satisfying to those of us reading this post to hear about negative stuff happening (in case Roger wasn’t delivering enough bad things happening today) but is sure doesn’t help the victim find the offending driver.
Thoughts on leaving a note: the problem driver was pulling in. If a note was left, the offending driver might remove it on the way out. Police report likely the best option.