I wonder at times if someday I’ll go to Steele’s and find my old Honda wedged in here with all these other wrecks.

Ever since my crash back on June 29 I have had numerous conversations about it with people who have very different ideas about the aftermath than I do and who seem to find my take on it all a bit peculiar. Tell me what you think.

First off, I can’t count the number of people who told me they hoped the drunk driver who hit me would get the book thrown at him and end up doing some serious time in jail. They are surprised and confused when I explain that that is not my desire at all.

Here’s my thinking. First off, the guy had a clean record before this. Apparently, however, he had had a drinking problem for some time. So what is the better outcome here: let the guy rot in a jail cell for a couple years–at great cost to all of us taxpayers–and then turn him loose with nothing to stop him from falling right back into that trap of the monkey on his back? Or how about, get him into a good treatment program where he can hopefully beat that monkey and live a better, more constructive life–all at a much lower price tag than locking him up? Without a felony conviction to further screw up his life.

As I see it, the second option is not only cheaper, it is a more positive outcome for him and for society as a whole. And make no mistake, that felony conviction does screw up your life. We have a family member who got a felony conviction at 18. For 25 years now he has kept his nose clean as a whistle, but that felony has followed him everywhere he has gone, making it hard to get a good job, causing problems when he tries to rent an apartment. All of that. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced. He has paid his debt to society but society is not satisfied. And a potentially productive member of society is left to drive Door Dash and do other odd jobs just trying to keep his head above water.

Another thing countless people urged upon me was to call a lawyer and reap a big pile of money. Now, if the guy had insurance you can bet I would be asking for compensation for the loss of my bike and also the $450 helmet that did its job and is now trashed. But he didn’t. The DA’s office asked me about requesting compensation from the guy who hit me, which could be part of the court decision in his case. I said no.

Why not? Look, if the guy had any money he would have insurance. Meanwhile, I’m quite comfortable financially these days. There were many, many years when I was just scraping by, and there were even times when I was, to put it mildly, underinsured. But I’m doing quite well now, thank you, and for semi-wealthy me to insist on this poor schlub giving me a chunk of his meager stash of money just strikes me as kicking the guy when he’s down. I just don’t want to do that. He’s got plenty of trouble already. I’m not going to do that.

Then at last week’s monthly RMMRC meeting Tom, a retired attorney, recommended to me that I file a claim with my own car insurance company for pain and suffering and inconvenience, all that, caused by the crash. Right from the start I knew that my auto uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage would pay for the costs of the crash, such as the ambulance and the emergency room charges. And they did. But now Tom was telling me that through that coverage, my company is basically stepping into the place where the drunk driver’s company would have been, and so if I would have file a claim with them, I should now do the same with my company. He said it’s what they expect and they would probably cut me a check without a word of protest.

I’d say Tom really didn’t get it when I demurred. Why should I file a claim for pain and suffering, etc.? It’s not like I suffered months of agonizing pain or anything like that. It hurt a bit for a short while and that was that. And yeah, I still have some minor pain now and then. But he was basically saying, if I can get my hands on that money why would I not? Well, I’m sorry, I think we in this country are way too eager to lawyer up whenever we see a chance to get some cash. In my estimation it is simple greed. Well, I’m not greedy. And neither is Judy. Neither one of us sees any real justification for me to claim, “Oh, I’ve been hurt, I’ve suffered, and I deserve something for all my suffering.” No. Not gonna do that.

So I’m not vindictive, I want a positive outcome for the guy who hit me. And I’m not greedy. I was glad to have the insurance company pick up the actual costs but that’s all I ask of them. Am I really all that peculiar? I know a lot of people who seem to say that answer is “Yes.” If I am I’ll wear that as a badge of pride.

Biker Quote for Today

Never put anything on a motorcycle that won’t make it go faster or stop quicker.