A man in New York showed how his parked SUV was totaled after a driving learner crashed into it while going in reverse. Footage shared by the owner showed the driving instructor taking off while leaving the learner behind, who chose to flee on foot.
Comedian Chris Barnes, based in New York, shared the story of how his SUV got totaled. It happened years ago while he was away from his home in Queens and while his vehicle was parked on the street outside his apartment.
At the time, one of his neighbors reached out to him and told him what had occurred. According to Chris, the neighbor told him, “Dude, someone just [expletive] up your car and drove off.”
Frantically, Chris returned home and came across a regrettable scene. His SUV had been hit on the side, violently.
Footage Shared
@chrisbarnescomedy Looney Tunes-ass car accident… #comedy #funny #cars #accident #story ♬ original sound – Chris Barnes
The impact shown in the footage above was so strong that the vehicle also hit a telephone pole as it was lifted into the air. One of his windows was shattered as a result, with glass spread across the ground.
Thankfully, the neighbor took a picture of the car, hoping that it would be helpful in identifying the driver who caused such damage. Sadly, the photo was in such poor quality that not even the license plate was legible.
“He’s like, ‘Dude, you take that to the police, they can enhance it.’ Uh, no, they [expletive] can’t. You think that they’re studying Photoshop in the academy?”
Driving Lesson Goes Wrong
Thankfully, another neighbor handed over footage recorded by surveillance cameras. Turns out, the violent crash had stemmed from a driving lesson gone wrong.
According to Chris, it was a father and a daughter who were eventually embroiled in the crash. The girl, while behind the wheel, apparently pressed on the accelerator while the car was in reverse. At 15 mph, she crashed into Chris’ SUV, as shown in the footage attached above.
Panic continued as the woman then drove forward and exited the car. The man, potentially her father, then switched places and jumped into the driver’s seat, driving away while leaving the woman behind to run after him.
Vehicle Found, Insurance Nightmare
@chrisbarnescomedy Go watch Part 1 for a breakdown of the crash! #car #accident #comedy #story ♬ original sound – Chris Barnes
In a follow-up, Chris detailed that he got into his bike and started looking for the red SUV that crashed into his car. He was ready for a search for the ages, but it ended up being much shorter than expected.
“These idiots parked their car not even a block away from my apartment,” Chris said. “I mean, not even a block. It took me literal seconds to find their car.”
The comedian didn’t confront the vehicle’s occupants. Instead, he just took a photo and shared it with his insurance company. Shockingly, he was only offered a few thousand dollars in reimbursements. In his own words, Chris proceeded to harass his insurance adjuster until he reached $20,000, more than the man originally paid for his SUV.
“So technically, this whole ordeal actually made me a few thousand dollars,” Chris added.