Thursday, August 8, 2013

Vehicular Weirdness Day

Sometimes out of nowhere life turns into a low budget movie, with Tarantinoesque inspirations.

Earlier today some of my facebook friends linked a news article about a car crashing into and destroying a (minor) local landmark. Later I went to see a Shakespeare play in Griffith Park and while we waited for it to start an older gentleman sitting nearby read an article from the local newspaper to his wife--the article was about the same accident. Turns out he knew the driver of the car. He told about it to his wife. Interesting coincidence.

I left the play during intermission because I was getting cold. As I was driving down a mostly empty street in my usual leisurely manner a car passed me and cut in front of me so close I had to step on the break to avoid hitting it. It was an old, beat up piece of shit. At first I assumed it was a case of bad driving. I caught up with the car at the next stoplight and then we got going again. And that's when I started to get suspicious. I kept an eye on the car in the rearview mirror and saw it change from the right lane to the left and get behind me. I changed to the right lane, and next thing I knew it was coming up fast on my right. I instinctively slowed down and drifted left. There was a sound and then the other car sped off, taking the nearest right turn. It dawned on me that I just narrowly escaped an insurance scam.

The first move was the "swoop and squat," the second the "sideswipe." Apparently it's a popular scam, but I have no idea why they picked me--my car is neither new, nor expensive. During the second attempt they managed to hit the right front tire of my car. I guess they weren't brazen enough for a third try. I'm sorta pissed now, but I'm also filing the experience away for possible use in a story.

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