Car vs. Bus.

c. David Grim (taken 8/3/09)

I'm going to go on the record and state that I don't really believe in precognition. In order to buy into the idea of accurately predicting the future, it seems necessary to accept determinism as a fact. There is just enough chaos involved in our reality to make such a proposition untenable. It's worth considering concepts like statistical probability, but to actually think that we know what is going to happen seems like so much hubris. That's why when I get a hunch that something is likely to occur, I can usually twist it around in my head.

Reading the Sheldrake book made me consider once again whether or not to embrace extrasensory perception as a possibility. I have had the sense in the past that something was coming that I wouldn't like- I truly believe I've had accurate forebodings of traffic accidents that I would be involved in. In fact, while thinking about whether or not I put stock in any of this stuff, I reminded myself of these previous occurrences. And then I thought that just recalling these things would bring on another road mishap. Well, what do you know...

On the way back from the coffee shop the other night I got hit by a port authority bus. I was going down the twisty road that leads from Polish Hill down into the Strip, and I got side-swiped by a behemoth that was crowding into my lane by several feet. My driver side mirror popped against the side of my car, but I didn't know what other damage had been done. The bus driver honked and went on his way. I pulled over to inspect the situation, and stood bewildered about the hit-and-run. My fender was ruined, and my headlight smashed, and the wheel well crushed in against the tire. Great.

When I got home afterward I searched for the public transit police telephone line to report the incident. Apparently the driver thought twice about leaving the scene without notifying anyone. He claimed to have continued to the top of the hill, before doubling back to see if I was alright. I have no way of knowing if this is true, and I suspect that no one else (excluding whatever passengers were along for the ride) can either. I had thought about trying to pursue the bus but I didn't know whether my car would even make it home. So I made it back to my neighborhood safely first. I discovered the authorities already knew about the event, and the cop I talked to on the phone gave me a bunch of specific information that I needed to pursue a claim.

I did later find out that government and municipal vehicles and their drivers have a sort of immunity which precludes them from ever having to reimburse an insurance company for property damage, etc. I've been told by the adjuster that I can get my deductible back if the driver is found to be at fault after the investigation, but that's where their liability ends. Ain't that a bitch?