Yesterday afternoon I was driving my kids to the dentist and got “rear-ended”. And while any accident is unfortunate, there were several components of trustworthy behavior (accountability, integrity, reputation, leadership, efficiency) exhibited during the critical minutes that followed the accident. And the best news is that nobody went to the hospital.
1. Within 30 seconds of the crash, a “Good Samaritan” (might have been a town public works employee) walked to the scene to ensure that we were all okay and see if he could help. I believe he was parked across the street.
2. The 911 operator had a police officer on the scene within 2 minutes.
3. The person who caused the accident did not try to bend the facts with me or the police. She was honest and took full responsibility. Kudos to a 23 year old who was willing to own up to her mistake.
4. The police officer was professional in his handling of the paper work and in taking time to explain what he was doing and providing post accident directions.
5. We were back on our way to the dentist within 20 minutes.
6. I was in contact with both insurance companies within 6 hours, and was assured that there would be no out of pocket costs on my part.
While nobody wants to be in a car accident, yesterday my faith in human nature got a very large boost. Trustworthy personal and professional behavior was exhibited by all parties involved. A very good outcome to a bad experience.
Now, if I could just figure out a way to bypass the wisdom teeth extraction!
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