Friday, January 23, 2009

Your actions DO count

A couple weeks ago I was at Burger King w/ the Wee One for a play date w/ some of her friends from school. We were the last to leave & were walking to our car when I heard the sound of metal on metal. When I looked over to the parking lot I saw a truck backing out & rubbing up on the truck next to it. I was shocked when they didn't stop, despite the damage to the other truck being clearly visible & let's be real---you KNOW when you hit another car.

I wrote down the offending vehicle's plate number & left the information on their windshield. Today, this letter was in our "Letters to the Editor" part of the paper:


My pickup truck was parked and unoccupied in the parking lot of the Burder King on Veterans Parkway. Upon my return to my truck I found damage to the vehicle. Denise is the manager at the this location. She called the police for me. She also informed me they had a surveillance camera in the parking lot.

Officer Michael Miller responded to the call. He obtained a copy of the videotape and also the note we found on my windshield identifying a person who witnessed the accident. They got the responsible parties’ tag number along with a description of the at-fault vehicle. All this information was given to Officer R. D. Hall, the director of the Hit & Run unit.

All this evidence was presented to Recorders Court Judge Michael P. Cielinski. The Judge ruled in my favor and the responsible parties’ insurance paid for my damages.

I have to thank Officer Miller, Denise, Officer Hall and certainly Judge Cielinski. I don’t know how he keeps his sanity. I was at the court for quite some time listening to the hundred or so cases presented to him. He shows compassion when it is called for and is firm when needed.

Obvioiusly I think everbody should avoid Recorders Count if possible. The person who hit my vehicle lost his license and paid a stiff fine. But If you are ever there you are in for an eye-opening experience. Again, thanks to the system that worked for me.



I'm glad that justice was served!

6 comments:

NH Knitting Mama said...

Wow, that is an awesome story! Good for you for taking action, and I'm glad justice was served.

Cathy said...

Job well done! And thanks for helping to keep down the cost of car insurance for the rest of us!

SissySees said...

Good for you!

Anonymous said...

Yea Laurie,
I'm not sure I would have had the presence of mind to do what you did. Good thinking and thanks for being a good citizen. Glad also that justice was served. There seem to be so little of it these days.
MIL

knittingyoyo said...

I know Wee One is small but your action was a great example for her to see.

Ursula said...

Awesome - Good for you!