Like a Bat out of Hell

Like a Bat out of Hell

Officer: So, I see we’ve got a little fender bender here.

Mr. Randall: You can say that again.

Officer: Can you tell me what happened?

Mr. Randall: Well, we were coming out of the tollbooths, and this guy comes barreling out behind Mrs. Jessup here. I noticed he had been riding her tail for miles.

Mrs. Jessup: Yeah, I have to admit I was rubbernecking a little at the other accident, the one that happened right in front of the tollbooths.

Mr. Randall: And the other guy wasn’t expecting it, or he didn’t like it. He sped up to go around Mrs. Jessup, and then he tried to pull in front of her to cut her off. He ended up sideswiping Mrs. Jessup. And I guess he didn’t see me coming up from behind because he swerved back into my lane. I must have been in his blind spot. I slammed on the brakes, but I ended up nailing him from behind anyway. Mrs. Jessup and I pulled over and so did he at first. Then we got out of our cars to swap information, but the other guy was gone like a bat out of hell.

Officer: What about you, ma’am? Can you tell me what happened?

Mrs. Jessup: That seems to cover it. What he said is about right.

Officer: So, you’re both telling me this was a hit and run. Did either of you manage to get his license plate number?

Mrs. Jessup: I did. Here you go.

Officer: Well, lucky for you Mr. Randall, because you might have been charged for damages to this guy’s car . . . but because he took off from the scene of the accident, you won’t be held responsible.

Mr. Randall: That’s a relief. I thought I was looking at a lawsuit.

Officer: If you give me a minute, I’ll just radio this in so we can track him down.

Mr. Randall: When you get him, I won’t have any problems giving him a piece of my mind.

Mrs. Jessup: And I won’t lose any sleep over taking him to the cleaners for my car. It was brand new.

Officer: Well, I wouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch, Mrs. Jessup. If you expect compensation, you might be barking up the wrong tree. In many of these cases, the perpetrators run because they are usually caught up in other illegal dealings or because they don’t have insurance.

Mrs. Jessup: Fantastic. He could have totaled my car!

Officer: Well, at least no one is hurt. It could have been a lot worse. You two sit tight for a moment, and I’ll have you right out of here and back on the road in no time.