An 78-year-old woman claims she was the victim of a hit and run in Verdun after she says her car was hit by a city vehicle.
“Next thing I know, wham, the side of the car and I thought he hit my mirror,” Beverly Buckingham told Global News.
Buckingham was driving her 1999 Ford Escort along Wellington Street when she claims a dump truck loaded with snow struck her passenger side, leaving the window, door and frame smashed in.
She alleges the driver just took off.
“That really bothered me, that he didn’t stop after,” Buckingham said.
“He didn’t acknowledge that anything had happened. He just made his left turn and drove off free as a bird.”
Buckingham filed a police report, but aside from the visible damage, said she doesn’t remember much.
“I couldn’t even tell you what colour it is. All I know, it’s the one on the roads with a big green stripe now on the right side bumper,” she said.
Buckingham explained her insurance policy won’t cover this kind of accident because of how old her car is, so she’ll be getting around on the Metro for now.
“We would have to find a new car. Drive this one until we buy a new one, but she doesn’t have that kind of money,” said the senior’s daughter, Linda Buckingham.
It’ll cost about $2,000 to repair the car.
“The car isn’t even worth half that,” Linda Buckingham told Global News.
The family has since started a GoFundMe page to help buy a new car.
Buckingham said she believes finding the culprit may be a long shot as the city has about 22,000 pieces of snow removal equipment on the streets.
So, what do you do if your car is hit by a city vehicle?
According to the City of Montreal, a written claim must be filed within 15 days of an accident, and there must be proof that the city vehicle is at fault.
Legal action in the form of a police report must be done no later than six months from the date of the incident.
As snow removal, road maintenance and other operations are undertaken by private contractors, the city will then forward the claim to the contractor’s insurance company for processing in these cases:
- Sewer backup, if a check valve has not been installed.
- A fall on a sidewalk due to snow or ice if the city’s negligence is not a factor.
- Incidents caused by objects on public roads.
- Damage to tires or vehicle suspension due to street conditions
- A collision involving a city vehicle.
You must also contact your insurance company.