A woman in Las Vegas, Nevada, parked her car outside a smog shop. Moments later, once she returned, she found that an inflatable display had allegedly destroyed her windshield and part of her sunroof. She now seeks partial compensation, while the smog shop manager questioned parts of her story.
As reported by KTNV, the woman in question is Marion Wagner. She owns a 2017 Nissan Maxima, which was parked outside Smog Busters, located near Blue Diamond Road and Decatur Boulevard.
When she returned, she stumbled upon a heartbreaking scene. Her windshield was shattered, and so was her sunroof.
The woman, devastated, believed that the inflatable display outside Smog Busters was the one to blame. According to her, it was picked up by the wind, leading to the unfortunate collision.
Financial Burden
Fortunately, the vehicle was unoccupied at the time. Still, Marion now has to face the ugly truth: she’ll need to pay to get it fixed.
According to her, while her insurance will help her sort things out, a $500 deductible is unaffordable to her at this point. With the situation becoming a financial burden, worsened by the increasing price of gas and groceries, Marion believes Smog Busters could help her out.
“I’m not asking them to pay the total claim,” she told KTNV. “I’m just asking them to cover my deductible.”
Smog Shop Owner Responds
The outlet, meanwhile, managed to talk with Smog Buster manager James Leithner. He explained that the business is willing to work with her to reach a solution, but there are some caveats.
First of all, Leithner said that any potential payments or claims must first go through insurance procedures. He explained, “We have protocols in place, and we have to involve our own insurance.”
Then, the man also questioned Marion’s story about how her vehicle was damaged. In his own words, the inflatable display being picked up by the wind seemed “extraordinarily unusual.”
An Unsolved Predicament
Marion told the outlet that she took her car to a local body shop. There, it was discovered that sunroof frame damage would set her back around $7,700 total. She, however, still wishes for Smog Busters to cover the insurance deductible, as she is “penny-pinching” and doesn’t have the $500.
“I’m on a fixed income. There’s mortgage, groceries, gas… in today’s economy, we’re all penny-pinching,” she added. “There’s no extra five dollars, much less $500.”
Leithner, meanwhile, said that the inflatable in question is used in several locations. Never had they encountered a similar issue before. As said above, they are set on solving the matter with Marion, always through insurance.