Vehicle Damage

[Natalie305]

Hi there,

Our guest checked out yesterday and had a great stay.  She was lovely and left the place in great shape.  Today she messaged me to tell me the following (in her words):

On Tuesday (around 6:30pm), I had to run an errand and for the second time in the week, I was taking my car. As I was reversing out (the only way to get out), I ended up scraping the front right side of the bumper on that curb that sticks out on the curve of the driveway, which you cannot see through any of the mirrors (or looking back through the window). There's no sign to tell the driver where it starts/sticks out either. Talking to the neighbours that evening , she said I am not the first one to do that, so that kinda confirms to me that it's not my driving (I just got the car this year and I definitely drive it like a grandma - cautiously and slowly, as I'm definitely still babying it). Initially, I thought it was gonna be ok and I'd end up paying maybe a 100$ to get it fixed, but my actual quote (which I got after I left yesterday) from a shop in town was 699.15$ (for full/proper job) and 415$ to just do the corner (which I would be ok with). As you know, that curb is like a cheese-grater, so even though I was going really slow, it did some damage (no dents or anything, but the scratches are kinda deep). So I was wondering, given that it feels like the accident is not entirely my fault (pretty tight driveway, that curves, and has a curb that sticks out pretty high on the corner, without a sign to warn the driver), if you'd be wiling to pay for part of the damages? As I said, i would have been ok with 100$ but the additional 315$ is unexpected and a lot. Let me know!

The driveway is narrow, however, I have backed in and out of it over a hundred times and never hit anything.  We have also had many guests that have not had an issue with it.  Am I responsible for compensating her for car damage due to her driving?  Can anyone offer some advice.  Thanks.  Natalie

[Sarah977]

Of course you're not responsible for someone scraping their bumper on a curb. This is between her and her insurance company. If she doesn't have coverage for this, that's her problem.

I've never been able to understand why people fuss about a scrape on their bumper, myself. Isn't that what bumpers are for, to prevent you from actually scraping the body of the car?

[Natalie305]

Thanks Sarah.  I appreciate your response.  It nice to just keep myself in check.  That is my feeling too but wanted to just make sure I wasn't looking at this from a narrow point of view.

[Gabi37]

@Natalie305 

I would not even think a second myself to blame someone else for my own mishap.

Just one question: did this happen on your private driveway or on the public?

[Natalie305]

Thanks for your reply, Gabi.  It happened on our private driveway.  I would never think to ask if I'd done it myself.  The curb didn't move from the time she drove in to the time she left so I really feel like it was her responsibility to check her surroundings.  

[Mark116]

Your guest twice had a single car accident, which proves that maybe 'driving like grandma' is more accurate than she thinks, but in any case, it's a driveway, if she can't navigate the driveway without damaging her car, well, it's a good thing she's got insurance.  

I would tell her that you are really sorry she had difficulty with the drive way, and you are glad she has insurance to cover the damage.

[Gabi37]

@Natalie305 

here with us as a property owner you have a safety obligation and a property owner usually has an insurance to cover any damage to personal injury and goods. If you have sth. similiar I would just forward the request to my insurance and let them handle it. The insurance will also prove if the request is a valid one, still as a car driver you have an individual responsibility and your guest did not navigate the driveway the first time.

[Lisa723]

@Natalie305 I agree that you are in no way responsible for the damage this guest did to her own car. (I once damaged a rental car in a hotel parking garage in a similar way, and it certainly never occured to me to try to get the hotel to pay.)

However, if she's correct in that she's not the first, in your shoes I would do something to try to prevent a recurrence: signage, mirror, etc..