The Good Samaritan

While I was away, my daughter Kerala came down to SF. Apparently, she drove our car one day and got rear-ended— not her fault. The other day, my wife met with the insurance agent who said she could collect some money and fix the bumper dents or just collect the money and do nothing if she wanted.

 

Our Prius car, built to crumple when bumping into something driving at .0001 miles per hour, is filled with dents and scratches, front and back. This could have been an opportunity to piggyback on the little accident and get a few others smoothed out.

 

Instead, my wife reported that she asked the insurance man if the other driver’s insurance rates would go up if we collected. He replied the obvious— “Yes.” And my wife, the good Samaritan, decided we could live with another dent and declined the money on behalf of this woman. 

 

I was impressed. Of course, this puts her on the list of anti-American practice and labels her a fool in our capitalistic get-what-you-can and everyone-for-themselves mentality. I believe she might even be tried for treason in some people’s books. Me, I’m proud of her and only suggested she let the woman know, not to get thanks or appreciation, but to encourage her to pay it forward to the next person if the situation is reversed. But of course, she’s not allowed to —God forbid— contact the other driver. 

 

So we just drive happily on in our dented car knowing someone’s insurance rates won’t change. That’s a good feeling.