The recent incident I mentioned, where I observed that cops are useless, may have gotten even worse.
I need to share more details to make this make sense.
On the evening in question, my sister's house was breached by a car. The police showed up and treated my sister and sister-in-law as the problem, not the 23-year-old who, with a couple of girls in tow, crashed his car into their home.
He hit a mailbox on the other side of the street, then executed a nearly 90-degree turn to go directly up their driveway, through the support column between the doors of their double garage, totaled my sister's car, and crashed into the inner walls hard enough to shatter them, push them inward a foot or so, and destroy half of their kitchen and utility room.
There are marks on the garage floor where he spun his tires in reverse trying to make a getaway, but was unsuccessful since his car was stuck in the walls and against my sister's car. He also begged the first people on the scene to not call the cops-- I guess he thought no one would notice if he left the scene and abandoned his stuck car.
Fortunately, since my sister and sister-in-law had gone out to eat, no humans were home, and their cats all managed to avoid injury. And only one of their cars was destroyed.
The young guy's family seems to be politically connected. His mom was friends with one of the cops who responded to the scene. The guy wasn't given any sobriety test. Nor was he given any sort of ticket for the wreck; only a warning. My sister found an empty vodka bottle on her lawn near the garage after the accident, but it may not be related-- I had her bag it, but she'd already handled it. He either claimed his steering wheel locked up and he couldn't steer, or that he was distracted because he was changing the radio- the story the cops told my sister the night of the accident is different from the one on the police report. I'm wondering if this is because the car could be tested to see if the steering wheel had locked.
The contractor who came to look at the damage gave a rough, preliminary estimate of $70,000+ in damage to the house, and that doesn't count the totaled car. Or, I suppose, the property inside the house that was destroyed.
My sister-in-law wants revenge/legal punishment for the guy. I told them justice would be for him to pay for all repairs and related expenses resulting from his actions. The injured parties should not be out a single cent.
At least the guy was insured, but they expect a fight. Since he and his family have connections in town, and the police have already shown a clear bias against the victims, it may be an uphill fight.
They spoke to a big-time lawyer in town, one who has held several political offices as well. It turns out he knows the family well and has represented the guy's mother. So he's out as an option, even though he had initially been very excited to take the case, until the police report was finally available and he found out who the driver was. So they've been looking for another attorney, in Albuquerque and other cities in the region, hoping to avoid more friends of the guy's family.
As much as I hate dealing with cops, lawyers, bureaucrats, insurance agents, and such, I would be completely miserable if I were in their shoes. A billion dollars for stress and emotional damages wouldn't cover it.
Seems to me that this situation fairly bristles with opportunity for a hungry lawyer.
ReplyDeleteNow, I hate to side with cops, but it could be that since all the damage your sister suffered was on private property and accidental, it is a civil matter. Let the insurer handle it. And don't forget the alarm and anguish suffered by the cats! What a squealing there must have been! They, too, are entitled to damages.
But then, Kent, consider the mailbox. This was government property, on a government road. To interfere with the mails is a serious Federal crime. The young driver's defense may be that he was distracted by his lady passengers, and that no criminal intent applied, but at least a trial might be due. And if the cops disagree, let a Writ of Mandamus be issued! (meaning, Handle This Now.)
The vehicle must have had an amazing momentum, to bring such wreckage; yet it cannot have been going all that fast, for naturally the driver would be obeying the speed limit. It also survived a sharp turn, without rolling over. So I'm guessing it was a heavy pickup with a wide wheelbase. Yes?
Oh, and did it have brakes, and did the driver know how to operate them?
Now I'm even more glad this isn't up to me. LOL
DeleteLawyer up! That's all they can do. If the idiot attempts to fight, tell the lawyer to double down on damages, etc. I assume that they have contacted their insurance company in regards to the house and car. That should help, and those companies may even take care of everything and then go after the moron in the car. But she definitely needs a lawyer well versed in injury and litigation.
ReplyDeleteThey have been looking for one. They say they don't want a "billboard lawyer", but I'm not sure why not. I guess they feel those aren't credible.
DeleteAnd, their insurance company is also working on it.
It's going to be interesting to see how this works out.
I get the reticence to avoid billboard lawyers. They aren't usually the best. If they already know a lawyer (in any area of law) they should contact them and ask about a good lawyer for lawsuits. I understand some folks dislike of them, but lawyers who work to make their clients whole are a libertarian/anarchist godsend. Especially when you have to go before the government!
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