LAST FRIDAY MORNING, June 3, around 7:50 a.m., my helper was coming to work. A vehicle struck her from behind.
The person eventually stopped and enquired whether she had hit my helper’s bag. My helper told her: “No ma’am, but you hit my hand.” The thud was so loud that my helper’s nine-year-old son, who was walking in front of her, jumped around and asked what the noise which he heard was.
My helper told the driver of the vehicle that it was not hurting at the time but she did not know what would happen later. The driver offered her contact details. By the time that my helper came over the hill, her hand was swollen and she was in pain. She told me what had happened and I said I would take her to FMH Emergency Medical Clinic to have it checked out.
I called the lady who was driving the vehicle and explained to her that I was taking my helper to FMH and could she meet me there to pay the bill, whereupon she told me that she would have nothing to do with it and I would have to contact her insurance company.
She gave me the name of her insurance company but in order to make a claim to the insurer, she would have to have a police report. So I took my helper to the police station to make a report and to get a medical form to take to the clinic.
Would you believe that she gave me the wrong insurance company’s name?
Anyway, my helper made a report of the accident at the police station and we went off to FMH. By the time we had finished all the running around and seeing the doctor, it was now 12:30 in the afternoon.
I tried to reach the lady to let her know the result of our visit but could not reach her until minutes to 4 p.m. When I eventually reached the lady on the phone, she then blasted me for going to the police. She never enquired how my helper was. She wanted to know why I got involved. I told her the cost of the visit to the doctor; she told me she will have nothing to do with it and she did not wish to speak to me.
Now, she had told me that my helper needed to deal with the insurance company. Yet, she had not made a report to either the police or the insurance company by the time we had spoken to them.
If I had struck an animal on the road, I would have taken it to a vet, I would have paid for the medical attention and I would have tried to find out who the owner was.
For my helper who is in dire pain, I believe she deserved to be seen by a doctor and assessed for injury and damages. Am I right or should I be as callous as this woman clearly is? The driver of the vehicle said she was on her way to work for 8 a.m. I guess she made it on time. I was on my way to work for 9 a.m.; I got there at 1:10 p.m.
I guess she thought that driving her high-end vehicle made her better than my helper who was walking. She probably felt my helper was not worth the effort. I hope she can look in the mirror and feel good about herself.
– DONNA R. GITTENS (MRS)
