A Saint John man says he got more than he ordered Tuesday night when he says a SkipTheDishes driver struck his parked car and fled.
It had already been a long day for Sjel Kelland, so he and his fiancée opted to order in.
“We decided, ‘We don’t want to cook today, we’re going to just go to Skip, have a lazy night,’” he says.
He says usually the hardest part of the process is deciding where to order from, but once he’d met the driver outside and picked up the food, he says the situation escalated.
The driveway at Kelland’s Red Head Road home is fairly long; he parks his beloved 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport at the far end.
He says that instead of backing out, the delivery driver continued down the driveway before attempting to turn around beside Kelland’s car.
That’s when he says the driver hit his front end.
“I ran outside to try and stop him and as he seen me coming, he stepped on it and took off,” says Kelland.
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Pictures Kelland took show significant damage – and he says the shop it’s since been towed to estimates repairs will cost $2,657.08.
He says he could tell as soon as it happened it was far from just a scratch.
“I noticed that the bumper was completely removed, there’s clips broken, there’s paint missing, there’s scratches in the headlight,” says Kelland. “Parts of the bumper that are completely broke off.”
Inside the house, with food waiting, his fiancée phoned police.
The Saint John Police Force confirms to Global News the call came in at 5:48 p.m. Tuesday evening – and that it’s now investigating.
“If you’re involved in any type of accident, call the police right away,” says Staff Sgt. Sean Rocca.
“Currently it’s under investigation with the patrol services division of the Saint John Police Force.”
Kelland says he’s made contact with SkipTheDishes customer service several times but that he hasn’t been put in contact with the driver and doesn’t think police or his insurance company has either.
He says he hopes that changes and the driver’s insurance covers his $500 deductible.
A spokesperson for SkipTheDishes didn’t comment on this specific incident but did say the company provides contact information to authorities who ask for it.
“The health and safety of our network is of utmost priority, and we always take action within our capacity which can include immediate permanent removal of access to the Skip network, and full cooperation with local authorities,” the spokesperson writes.
Kelland says the restaurant he ordered from – which he doesn’t want to name – has told him that same driver has been back in since the incident for other orders.
He says he worries about how having an accident on record might impact the resale value of his esteemed Elantra.
And says he won’t be ordering in again any time soon.
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