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hi crew. i’m in a spot and could use some help.
i had some planned time off from work, so i drove to the west coast to visit my brother and his wife in san francisco, and to meet their infant son, who is after all my nephew. all good so far! my nephew is a little champ (text me for photos).
friday night, i was invited out to meet two college friends for dinner in oakland, where they live. on the way back to san francisco, my car was hit by an SUV running a red light in an intersection. the SUV collided with my rear passenger door (see photo above) and drove off, disappearing into the night before I got out of the car.
there was a witness, a kind fellow who was biking by when it happened. he said he saw that it was a "big, new, gray/silver SUV" that ran the red light and hit my car, but he did not get the license plate.
i am okay. i’ve been a little sore but i’m not hurt. that is ‘the 'important thing'. my car however is totaled. it’s undriveable, and since it's a hit-and-run, my insurance won't cover damages. i’ve spent the past three days desperately trying to get the attention of the oakland pd. they tell me they've got one (1) officer whose job it is to investigate hit-and-runs across the entire city of oakland, a city where there are supposedly ‘10-15 hit and runs’ per day.
so i’m looking for money for a car. i took out a bank loan to buy a used 2013 ford fiesta less than two months ago for the amount above. i'm hoping to pay off that loan with this gofundme and take out a new one for a similarly priced car, if not the same damn thing, to continue the trip and get back to maine. if this is something you think you can help with, i’d appreciate it. ***edit: I'm looking to use the money to buy a new similarly priced car and keep the existing loan, which is more within the terms of gofundme's platform***
deep gratitude for those who are able to help and/or circulate.
also, deep gratitude for those who are reading this, are reaching out and have reached out. i know that taking a long road trip is inherently risky and i’m humbled by this, and for the support i’ve received from folks. i’ve felt a lot of waves of exhilaration and grief and joy this trip and this situation represents a particular low. i feel a little embarrassed by it, so even just being seen at this particular moment is significant to me. anyway, thanks for reading this far. ♥️
FAQ (Friendly and Anticipated Questions)
Why didn't you fly to San Francisco? i wanted to drive. gas is cheap, and i also wanted to visit friends in portland, oregon, los angeles, and arizona along the way, and to see the last of the 48 contiguous states i needed to get to (☑️)
Why won't your insurance cover it? i only have liability insurance and not full collision.
Why didn't you have full collision insurance? i live paycheck-to-paycheck and pay a lot in student loans, and i'm a newspaper editor. that is just how it is.
Have you talked with a lawyer? yes.
Do you have any leads? a friend who lives a couple miles away in oakland saw a car on her street that she'd never seen before with a demolished front hood, damage heavy on the passenger-side nose. i took photos of it and ran them by the witness to the accident and he said it's not the same car.
Where in Oakland was it? the intersection at 12th and Market St. do you know oakland? i don’t know oakland very well so i don’t really know how to talk about it.
Did the cops help you? not really! i called oakland police immediately after the accident, multiple numbers, and all the human voices I spoke with directed me to fill out an online hit-and-run form (which i've done, twice). we even tried flagging down two different cops who were driving by and, though my car was beeping and flashing with four airbags out, they didn't stop either.
Why can't you fly home? flying home is a possible option, but i have lots of cargo and a heavy/fragile work computer with me and the cost to ship those and fly home would push $1,000. i'd be buying a car when i got home anyway, so those would be additional expenses. and used compact cars here have less rust.
Were there security cameras in the area? a liquor store at the intersection it happened has security cameras. i've talked with them twice. the clerk says that only the owner has access to the cameras and won't give me his owner's number or tell me when or if he'll be in. i've left my own number and a description of the accident for him to pass on to the owner. this is currently my best shot at identifying the vehicle. four other cameras i found nearby — at a KFC, a McDonald's, a Shell, and a privately owned retirement building — either don't face the street or "don't actually record."
Why are you like this? i really couldn't tell you.
i had some planned time off from work, so i drove to the west coast to visit my brother and his wife in san francisco, and to meet their infant son, who is after all my nephew. all good so far! my nephew is a little champ (text me for photos).
friday night, i was invited out to meet two college friends for dinner in oakland, where they live. on the way back to san francisco, my car was hit by an SUV running a red light in an intersection. the SUV collided with my rear passenger door (see photo above) and drove off, disappearing into the night before I got out of the car.
there was a witness, a kind fellow who was biking by when it happened. he said he saw that it was a "big, new, gray/silver SUV" that ran the red light and hit my car, but he did not get the license plate.
i am okay. i’ve been a little sore but i’m not hurt. that is ‘the 'important thing'. my car however is totaled. it’s undriveable, and since it's a hit-and-run, my insurance won't cover damages. i’ve spent the past three days desperately trying to get the attention of the oakland pd. they tell me they've got one (1) officer whose job it is to investigate hit-and-runs across the entire city of oakland, a city where there are supposedly ‘10-15 hit and runs’ per day.
so i’m looking for money for a car. i took out a bank loan to buy a used 2013 ford fiesta less than two months ago for the amount above. i'm hoping to pay off that loan with this gofundme and take out a new one for a similarly priced car, if not the same damn thing, to continue the trip and get back to maine. if this is something you think you can help with, i’d appreciate it. ***edit: I'm looking to use the money to buy a new similarly priced car and keep the existing loan, which is more within the terms of gofundme's platform***
deep gratitude for those who are able to help and/or circulate.
also, deep gratitude for those who are reading this, are reaching out and have reached out. i know that taking a long road trip is inherently risky and i’m humbled by this, and for the support i’ve received from folks. i’ve felt a lot of waves of exhilaration and grief and joy this trip and this situation represents a particular low. i feel a little embarrassed by it, so even just being seen at this particular moment is significant to me. anyway, thanks for reading this far. ♥️
FAQ (Friendly and Anticipated Questions)
Why didn't you fly to San Francisco? i wanted to drive. gas is cheap, and i also wanted to visit friends in portland, oregon, los angeles, and arizona along the way, and to see the last of the 48 contiguous states i needed to get to (☑️)
Why won't your insurance cover it? i only have liability insurance and not full collision.
Why didn't you have full collision insurance? i live paycheck-to-paycheck and pay a lot in student loans, and i'm a newspaper editor. that is just how it is.
Have you talked with a lawyer? yes.
Do you have any leads? a friend who lives a couple miles away in oakland saw a car on her street that she'd never seen before with a demolished front hood, damage heavy on the passenger-side nose. i took photos of it and ran them by the witness to the accident and he said it's not the same car.
Where in Oakland was it? the intersection at 12th and Market St. do you know oakland? i don’t know oakland very well so i don’t really know how to talk about it.
Did the cops help you? not really! i called oakland police immediately after the accident, multiple numbers, and all the human voices I spoke with directed me to fill out an online hit-and-run form (which i've done, twice). we even tried flagging down two different cops who were driving by and, though my car was beeping and flashing with four airbags out, they didn't stop either.
Why can't you fly home? flying home is a possible option, but i have lots of cargo and a heavy/fragile work computer with me and the cost to ship those and fly home would push $1,000. i'd be buying a car when i got home anyway, so those would be additional expenses. and used compact cars here have less rust.
Were there security cameras in the area? a liquor store at the intersection it happened has security cameras. i've talked with them twice. the clerk says that only the owner has access to the cameras and won't give me his owner's number or tell me when or if he'll be in. i've left my own number and a description of the accident for him to pass on to the owner. this is currently my best shot at identifying the vehicle. four other cameras i found nearby — at a KFC, a McDonald's, a Shell, and a privately owned retirement building — either don't face the street or "don't actually record."
Why are you like this? i really couldn't tell you.