Cars

<p>There are few things that restore faith in humanity quite like a stranger stepping in to help someone. These moments of spontaneous kindness can serve as a reminder that we&#39;re all connected and share the core commonality of being alive as a human.</p><p>However, there are times when lending a helping hand can backfire. Sometimes, a stranger sees a situation, acts quickly in good faith, and accidentally makes things worse.</p><h2>In fact, this is precisely what happened in <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/11r4qjd/aita_for_making_an_insurance_claim_against/" target="_blank">a recent AITA post</a>, where the OP asked if she&#39;s wrong for filing an insurance claim against a nice stranger.</h2><p>She wrote:</p><blockquote> <p>AITA for making an insurance claim against someone just trying to help me?</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>I take my dogs for a run every afternoon to some fields about a 10-minute drive from my home. I load them up in the canopy in the back of my ute and pop the one window of canopy into the open position so my dogs can look at things and get some fresh air.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><blockquote> <p>The gas struts of the window have failed (meaning the window no longer supports itself while open and drops down) so I wrap a strap around the inner strut to act as support so the window doesn&#39;t drop down and close while going over bumps.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>I did the same thing that afternoon, but after getting home and dropping the dogs off, I needed to pop into the shops. Problem was I forgot that I had left the canopy window open while driving to the shops. On my way there some bloke got out of his car at a set of traffic lights and runs over to my truck and attempts to close the canopy window down for me.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>But because I braced it so well, he had to put extra force into trying to close it (I watched this all unfold in the mirror - it happened extremely fast so I had no opportunity to tell him to stop). He put so much force into trying to close it for me that he completely shattered the window.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><blockquote> <p>The light went green so we pulled over on the other side of the intersection. I got his details from him, he&rsquo;s 20 years old, driving an old four-wheel drive. Really nice kid. But am I the a**hole for making an insurance claim to have the canopy replaced (it was an older canopy so they could not make repairs).</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>I do feel bad that he was only trying to help out but in the same breath I was left with a problem I never created. Should I have copped it on the chin? I left the window open mistakenly. He was just trying to be a Good Samaritan and was extremely apologetic about it. He actually went back and cleaned glass off the road with a broom. He also cut his feet on the glass.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>Edit: some people saying I&#39;m taking advantage of the situation which is not true. I asked insurance to repair the old canopy. The manufacturer came back and said it can&#39;t be replaced because the model was no longer supported and had been superseded - so the whole canopy must be replaced under the insurance claim.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>The jury of internet commenters discussed their verdict.</h2><p><strong><a data-testid="comment_author_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TrashyHamster1/">TrashyHamster1</a> wrote:</strong></p><blockquote> <p>It was already broken and you are taking advantage of the situation to get it fixed. That young man&#39;s insurance costs are going to go up for the next seven years, thanks to you. YTA.</p> </blockquote><p><strong><a data-testid="comment_author_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Voidg/">Voidg</a> wrote:</strong></p><blockquote> <p>NTA. He shouldn&#39;t have touched your vehicle. There was no expectation for him to do so and his actions caused the damage. Unfortunately for him, you shouldn&#39;t be stuck with the bill.</p> </blockquote><p><strong><a data-testid="comment_author_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Pumpkinkra/">Pumpkinkra</a> wrote:</strong></p><blockquote> <p>YTA&mdash; the vehicle is not in good repair&mdash; it was already broken. Held together with straps and a prayer is not not broken. Kid was too eager and should have asked, but it&rsquo;s also unsafe to drive around with this canopy open.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p><strong><a data-testid="comment_author_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/idontcare8587/">idontcare8587</a> wrote:</strong></p><blockquote> <p>NTA. If he was just trying to help, it seems like he would have told you &quot;Hey, this window is open&quot; instead of trying to do something to your car without your permission. This is a great opportunity for this kid to learn about boundaries.</p> </blockquote><p><strong><a data-testid="comment_author_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/avocadosdontbite/">avocadosdontbite</a> wrote:</strong></p><blockquote> <p>YTA.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p><em>&quot;The gas struts of the window have failed (meaning the window no longer supports itself while open and drops down) so I wrap a strap around the inner strut to act as support so the window doesnt drop down and close while going over bumps.&quot;</em></p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>Your clunker is falling apart and now you are taking advantage of what happened to get this young man&#39;s insurance to get it fixed.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p><strong><a data-testid="comment_author_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/East_Variety4848/">East_Variety4848</a> wrote:</strong></p><blockquote> <p>Even if it ended poorly, what a nice kid 😊</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>So I&rsquo;m not sure where you&rsquo;re living or how your insurance works. In the US you would file your claim with your insurance company and they would be responsible for covering the damage (minus your deductible). The insurance company would then reach out to the kid&rsquo;s insurance to try to recover the damage costs. NAH.</p> </blockquote><blockquote> <p>Update: Several responses indicate that the nice guy&rsquo;s auto insurance will likely cover this claim, so I corrected my post to avoid spreading misinformation. Also, a number of people criticize me for describing him as a nice kid. I took that cue from OP&rsquo;s description; it was a character judgment but not intended to absolve him of responsibility.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>Clearly, no one can agree on this one, which means we need your take in the comments.</h2><div className="ad-splitter"></div>

Woman files insurance claim against 'good samaritan' who tried to help with her car.

There are few things that restore faith in humanity quite like a stranger stepping in to help someone. These moments of spontaneous kindness can serve as a reminder that we&#39;re all connected and share the core commonality of being alive as a human.However, there are times when lending a helping hand can backfire. Sometimes, a stranger sees a situation, acts quickly in good faith, and accidentally makes things worse.In fact, this is precisely what happened in a recent AITA post, where the OP asked if she&#39;s wrong for filing an insurance claim against a nice stranger.She wrote: AITA for making an insurance claim against someone just trying to help me?  I take my dogs for a run every afternoon to some fields about a 10-minute drive from my home. I load them up in the canopy in the back of my ute and pop the one window of canopy into the open position so my dogs can look at things and get some fresh air.  The gas struts of the window have failed (meaning the window no longer supports itself while open and drops down) so I wrap a strap around the inner strut to act as support so the window doesn&#39;t drop down and close while going over bumps.  I did the same thing that afternoon, but after getting home and dropping the dogs off, I needed to pop into the shops. Problem was I forgot that I had left the canopy window open while driving to the shops. On my way there some bloke got out of his car at a set of traffic lights and runs over to my truck and attempts to close the canopy window down for me.  But because I braced it so well, he had to put extra force into trying to close it (I watched this all unfold in the mirror - it happened extremely fast so I had no opportunity to tell him to stop). He put so much force into trying to close it for me that he completely shattered the window.  The light went green so we pulled over on the other side of the intersection. I got his details from him, he&rsquo;s 20 years old, driving an old four-wheel drive. Really nice kid. But am I the a**hole for making an insurance claim to have the canopy replaced (it was an older canopy so they could not make repairs).  I do feel bad that he was only trying to help out but in the same breath I was left with a problem I never created. Should I have copped it on the chin? I left the window open mistakenly. He was just trying to be a Good Samaritan and was extremely apologetic about it. He actually went back and cleaned glass off the road with a broom. He also cut his feet on the glass.  Edit: some people saying I&#39;m taking advantage of the situation which is not true. I asked insurance to repair the old canopy. The manufacturer came back and said it can&#39;t be replaced because the model was no longer supported and had been superseded - so the whole canopy must be replaced under the insurance claim. The jury of internet commenters discussed their verdict.TrashyHamster1 wrote: It was already broken and you are taking advantage of the situation to get it fixed. That young man&#39;s insurance costs are going to go up for the next seven years, thanks to you. YTA. Voidg wrote: NTA. He shouldn&#39;t have touched your vehicle. There was no expectation for him to do so and his actions caused the damage. Unfortunately for him, you shouldn&#39;t be stuck with the bill. Pumpkinkra wrote: YTA&mdash; the vehicle is not in good repair&mdash; it was already broken. Held together with straps and a prayer is not not broken. Kid was too eager and should have asked, but it&rsquo;s also unsafe to drive around with this canopy open. idontcare8587 wrote: NTA. If he was just trying to help, it seems like he would have told you &quot;Hey, this window is open&quot; instead of trying to do something to your car without your permission. This is a great opportunity for this kid to learn about boundaries. avocadosdontbite wrote: YTA.  &quot;The gas struts of the window have failed (meaning the window no longer supports itself while open and drops down) so I wrap a strap around the inner strut to act as support so the window doesnt drop down and close while going over bumps.&quot;  Your clunker is falling apart and now you are taking advantage of what happened to get this young man&#39;s insurance to get it fixed. East_Variety4848 wrote: Even if it ended poorly, what a nice kid 😊  So I&rsquo;m not sure where you&rsquo;re living or how your insurance works. In the US you would file your claim with your insurance company and they would be responsible for covering the damage (minus your deductible). The insurance company would then reach out to the kid&rsquo;s insurance to try to recover the damage costs. NAH.  Update: Several responses indicate that the nice guy&rsquo;s auto insurance will likely cover this claim, so I corrected my post to avoid spreading misinformation. Also, a number of people criticize me for describing him as a nice kid. I took that cue from OP&rsquo;s description; it was a character judgment but not intended to absolve him of responsibility. Clearly, no one can agree on this one, which means we need your take in the comments.

There are few things that restore faith in humanity quite like a stranger stepping in to help someone. These moments of spontaneous kindness can serve as a reminder that we&#39;re all connected and share the core commonality of being alive...