Friends say a 'battle bot' destroyed my car
PORTLAND, Ore. – Someone speeding down a Northeast Portland street Tuesday smashed into a college student's car, totaled it and sped off, taking part of the car with them.
Jessica Foster said her Toyota Echo looked as if one of those giant fictional Transformer robots clawed one side of her car or used a giant can opener to slice through the metal. She doesn't really recognize the car, which goes by the name 'Rita,' that's been paid off and part of her life for years now.
"My friends described it like a battle bot did it. ... As far as I know, Transformers aren't real," she said.
The car was parked on the street outside Foster's home near Northeast 62nd and Skidmore when the incident happened.
She was studying inside her home when at about 4:45 in the afternoon she heard a metal crunch and a loud diesel engine speeding away. She didn't get a look at a driver or the vehicle but she said she couldn't believe what happened in just a few seconds.
"The first thing you're seeing is all this metal, and then you realize just, wow, how did that happen?" she said. "They came along and they hit it, dragged the car. ... And they took half my door, basically."
Foster has insurance and thought she'd be OK, but her uninsured motorist coverage doesn't cover body damage. So this college student, who has to work two jobs to get by, now is out of a car and can't afford to fix it or buy a new one unless the other driver steps up or someone helps track that driver down.
"I might have to drop out of school. ... That's a possibility right now, a real possibility," she said.
That driver had to be hard to miss, however, while speeding away with an extra blue car door hanging on.
Anyone who saw anything is encouraged to call Portland police.
We heard about this story through a news tip. If you have one for us, email our newsroom at newstips@katu.com.
Good luck in the future, hopefully someone will turn in the culprit, and they will pay for it. If a company owned vehicle, then the company should pay for it.
Too many times, people want to run away from responsibility.
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@HarryJuku Out trolling again, are you?
I hope they find the Arse hole that did this to her. It is not fair that she has to ruin her life because some Drunken Jerk totals her car. I hope that the school will hear this story and take an understanding.
That damage doesn't look like it was caused by a normal vehicle. Most cars or trucks, if they had hit it, would have caused an indent & crushing-type damage probably lower on her car. That looks more like a sharp corner of a snowplow, raised up, or a dumpster being hauled away, something that doesn't have the rounded corners of a vehicle bumper.
I wonder if her door has been found somewhere down the road a bit.
My bot will kick that battlebot's ass!! Â
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Seriously, though, I think I know some people who might be able to help. When your car has survived a battle-bot attack, it deserves to be properly honored. Best insurance claim you'll ever have to make!
looks like her car will have to become a "vehicles of wallmart" with some sheet metal, plastic for the window and sheet metal screws. even if she had comp insurance she most likely would have opted for the 1000 dollar deduct to save money. either drive it home fixed or go buy a $500 car to replace it.
 @32jim2 Not covered by "comp", would need uninsured motorist property damage, or collision coverage. But I say, go get duct tape, tape up where the door is, and drive it until she saves up the money for a new car.
 @pdxd think gorilla tape is better than duck tape it doesn't dry out like duct tape does. maybe someone has some of that  nascar body tape they use for wrecks they could give her.
 @32jim2 That's a good idea, I feel bad for her, my car just got hit & run in a parking lot not too long ago, luckily for me it was just surface damage. But if you don't pay for the coverage, your insurance won't pay!
If uninsured motorist coverage doesn't cover body damage what good is it then? Isn't body damage the most likely scenario to come from an uninsured motorist?
 @Beergod Yes, it's the most likely scenario which is why it is an add-on and expensive. As pdxd points out mandated uninsured motorist coverage is to cover medical expenses which are slightly less likely since your car's body can be damaged when you aren't in it.
 @Beergod The state of Oregon requires that motorists carry coverage for Bodily Injury caused by an uninsured motorist. Body damage caused by an uninsured motorist is an optional coverage, not a mandatory coverage.
l think KATU might have found a better picture to post of poor Jessica.....maybe they did it on purpose...She is now hitch hiking from now onÂ
just donate it to godwill.
Your friends are idiots. This is a simple case of hit and run, not a joke. People that commit hit and run crimes need to be treated severely; this is a real problem getting worse every day. There is no such thing as robots from space comming to earth; people take fantasy from tv way too serious.
 @iamtroglodite We could explain the robots to you... the fact that it's near a university with a mechanical engineering program, the fact that there are actual battle bots, stuff like THIS lives in Portland: http://chivethethrottle.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/burning-man-500-beast-728184wtmk.jpg
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I'll I'm saying is, you should stop calling people idiots if you don't know what you're talking about.
@Playanekes @iamtroglodite Not to mention the friends were probably being sarcastic, not literal. Some people make jokes during times of trauma to help lessen the distress.
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 @HarryJuku Are you offering yours for those of us who don't have one? Yay!
 @whirledworld  @HarryJuku Do you see a drive way or garage at that house?
 @HarryJuku  @lee986321  @whirledworld I think it's more like you're just kind of a jerk.
 @HarryJuku Ummmm....not everyone has a garage...?
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 @HarryJuku Don't need your help; I don't mind not having a garage at my place.
Diesel engine, something that carried the door away? Â Looks like you're possibly looking for a commercial vehicle, or at least something with a shape or apparatus off of the front. Â Garbage truck?
Are there any apartments or businesses nearby that would have a dumpster that gets emptied by one of those garbage trucks that look like they have a forklift on the front? Â I'd probably start there.
Since her insurance company can't do anything for her, they should refund all the money she's paid them.
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Insurance is such a ridiculous scam...as bad as the cell phone companies charging you for minutes you never get to use like they're some precious commodity.
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It was probably All Progressive Gecko Farmers Insurance. Â ;-P
 @Mikey I kind of agree with you, but I'll tell you that after my daughter was deemed at fault for a huge accident with injuries and we were sued I started looking at insurance a bit differently and begrudged it a lot less. One of the injured claimants got $22,000 for a broken collar bone. That's only ten years of insurance payments.
 @Mikey It's not the insurance companies fault that she didn't opt to have the coverage on her auto insurance. She probably said she wanted the cheapest policy available, and that's probably what she got. That's on her, not the insurance company.
@Mikey Insurance IS a SCAM!!! You pay into it for years, then something like this happens, and they say "So sorry"?? I had this happen to me, in a collision in Virginia years ago - drunk totaled my car, the insurance company refused to replace it because he had paid his premium a couple weeks late. My insurance took care of the medical bills for the people in my car, but I was in Voluntary Service and didn't have the money to replace it. Friends and church stepped in and helped me out, fortunately.
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Jessica, you need to fight the insurance company on this one - they will try every trick in the book, but they OWE you a car! And after they have paid you to replace the car, find a new insurance company!!!
 @musiclover The insurance company does not owe her a car if she did not pay for the uninsured property damage! If you don't believe me, call the state insurance department.
 @Mikey 2 years ago a deer T-Boned my car and the insurance company just laughed at me.  I was fortunately I was able financially to fix my car. Â
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One thing I did, which I would advise Jessica to do, is to tell her insurance company to "F" off. Â
@MFMFIM @Mikey Technically if a deer hits you, the state is supposed to pay for the damage...
Yet another dbag not stepping up and doing the right thing.
Keep calling local automotive repair shops in the Portland/Vancouver/Salem area regarding new customers with extensive front end and side damage. Very likely the hit-and-runner will be caught in no time. A neighbor or mechanic for the hit-and-runner will soon alert authorities.
Of course body shops would be an important place to be calling as well to locate the suspect.
It really upsets me when people drive off after causing an accident (or, in this case, blatantly slamming into a parked vehicle). I don't think people understand that taking someones vehicle out of commission can really shatter a persons world... Work, school, groceries, kids... everything comes to a grinding halt if that's your main mode of transportation.
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The vehicle most definitely is not in driving condition (two doors, not sure she'd even be able to fill her tank as the neck may have been twisted or unable to seal, the frame is likely bent particularly in the cabin area, the wheels and/or steering system may be damaged), and would take quite a bit of money to fix if it were coming out of pocket.Â
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Best of luck, Jessica... I hope they catch who did this, and they give you a new car!
It looks like the car is still road worthy.
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Duct tape, a tarp, a scissors, and a few hours, she should be good to go until someone ante's up some dough to go buy a door or two at the salvage yard. Maybe Santa will bring her something. Â
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Good luck Jessica. If I had the money and the time, I'd help you out.
Drunk driver most likely, hopefully someone will turn the driver in.Â
I really, really, really hate hit and run drivers. I hope they catch whoever did this.
Thank God for insurance until you need to use it. The "Good Hands People" just gave her the finger.
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@xilef regnu Ummmm. You get the insurance you pay for. Evidently she does not have comprehensive. Either she didn't think her car was worth it or she didn't think she could afford it. Either way, she isn't paying for insurance to fix her vehicle. So she is getting exactly what she should expect. Sucks. But it's not the good hands people, the farmers, or the lizards fault. Hopefully the hit and run driver will be caught and will have insurance. Not likely, but one can always hope.
 @just a thought  @xilef @ just a thought, you get the insurance you pay for yes.  But sometimes what you pay for is all your insurer will offer, as well.  Sometimes when the car is older than a certain age (and not necessarily a vintage car) the insurance company only offers one type of coverage, regardless of what you're willing to pay.  Just saying.
 @pdxd Or talk to your own agent.
 @Kphrog And that's why you call other insurance companies to see if they will offer the coverage YOU want.
 @just a thought  @xilef ~  Comprehensive coverage wouldn't help her here...that covers things like fire, theft, glass... even collision with an animal.  Â
She would need Collision coverage on her car for her own insurance company to pay for it... but most people with older cars don't carry that, because it's too expensive in relation to the value of the car. Â Â
Sure do hope they can find whoever hit her car, though...! Â Does rather sound like a DUII, though... typical cowardly, irresponsible behavior...
Best of luck, Miss Foster..! Â Â
 @LovesLilies  @just a thought ~  You are 100% correct,.Lilies... I don't know why I didn't remember about UM-PD, because I also have that on my policy..!  (My car is also older and paid off, so I don't carry Collision on it; I DO, however, carry Comprehensive...it doesn't cost much, and it really covers a lot of things that can happen to a car other than collision...)Â
Thanks for the reminder..! Â :-)
 @margay1  @just a thought @margay1, you are correct about it being Collision and not Comprehensive that would cover this. But there is also Uninsured Motorist Property Damage coverage that has a small deductible (usually $300 for hit & run, $200 for other covered loss). I don't carry Collision on my older, paid off vehicle, but for less than $1/mo I have UMPD up to $25k.
 @just a thought  @xilef If they find the person who did it, regardless of whether they have insurance, she'll get paid.
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At least, I would if it happened to me. No insurance? Oh, so sorry... you'll have to dish out the money via any other manner.
@advocatus diaboli @just a thought @xilef Good luck getting any money from this loser...
 @Gravity Works! Like I said: "I would if it happened to me."
 @advocatus diaboli Yeah, well . . . good luck with that!  It didn't help me-- I gave the police the make, model and license plate number.  Stolen van, plate number was stolen, driver unknown.
Like I said, good luck! Â
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Oh, and getting any money out of the deal? Â Don't get a hernia laughing so hard!