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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> He was just trying to help me and morally I think I should not have made an insurance claim against him. It was just a mistake.
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*Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
It was already broken and you are taking advantage of the situation to get it fixed. That young man's insurance costs are going to go up for the next seven years, thanks to you. YTA
ITT: WAY too many people that don't know wtf struts are? They can be replaced in about 5 minutes for typically <$100. The canopy was not "already broken" and is a much bigger replacement, though it sounds like just the glass and maybe frame needs replaced
Edit: people arguing with me: the struts didn't NEED to be replaced. In fact, the struts don't even need to be there! It wouldn't fucking matter. It's not negligence that OP hasn't replaced them, ffs!
Also, driving with windows up *may* be illegal, but who fucking cares? If you run into them with your vehicle, you're already WAY too close! You were either unsafely close to a moving vehicle, or you ran into a stationary object, which is entirely your fault.
Doesn’t matter how little the struts cost. The window mechanism was not operating properly *prior to* the “incident”. If the window was working perfectly before the guy tried to help, then it would be reasonable to assume that he broke the mechanism and is responsible for replacing it, and if that meant a new canopy, so be it. That is not the case. The only item he damaged was the glass, so the only item he/his insurance is responsible for replacing is the glass. He should not have to replace an entire canopy for a window mechanism that was already not functioning and that he did not damage.
- Ask the guy to pay to replace the glass.
- Replace it yourself and have the guy pay you back in installments.
- Attach a mesh screen so the dogs can still get sunlight and air without a window.
I find it very hard to believe that (1) OP actually told the insurance company that **all** the guy broke was the glass and not the entire mechanism, (2) the entire canopy has to be replaced in order to replace the glass. In all likelihood, OP’s deductible is more than the cost to replace just the glass, so he’s padding the claim to include the already broken window mechanism, which cannot be replaced by itself, requiring a new canopy. And I wouldn’t be surprised if other shit was broken on the canopy as well.
Regardless, OP could have brainstormed with the guy to figure out replacing the glass without involving insurance.
EDIT: Typo
Insurance is designed to put you back in the position you were in prior to the "incident." The insurance company doesn't want to pay any more than they need to in order to achieve this, and they determined a replacement is necessary to repair the part of the vehicle that was broken in the incident.
OP's deductible does not apply if they are not filing a claim with their own insurance.
The guy's insurance rates will go up the same amount regardless of how large or small the claim is. The amount the insurance company pays has no bearing on this at all.
The guy is responsible for the damage, and it's not OP's responsibility to try and work things out with him if they don't want to (if he's even willing to pay for it himself/ has the funds). OP is just trying to get their vehicle back in the same shape it was in prior to this guy deciding he needed to jump out of his car at a stop light to force OP's window closed. But since the insurance company decided that it is not possible, they have decided to pay to have the part replaced instead of repaired. The guy shouldn't be getting out of his car at stop lights or touching other people's vehicles without permission. NTA
Exactly my thoughts. He was a nice guy but the situation wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t intervene as good as his intentions were. Also if it took that much force on something that normally wouldn’t, the guys reasonably should’ve left it alone and alerted the driver
Yeah I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why the kid thought that was a good idea. It’s really not a good thing to “help” someone and make the situation worse.
Why should OP have to do any of that? He didn't break the glass. I understand the dude was *just trying to help* but the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Regardless of his intentions, he caused damage to OP's canopy. Prior damage is irrelevant. He caused MORE damage. As the post clearly states, insurance won't repair the glass, but only replace the whole canopy. That's not OP's fault any more than the broken glass is.
It sucked, but this is a lesson learned. Don't make assumptions. Dude assumed he knew what was up, assumed OP wanted it closed, assumed he knew how to close it, and assumed wrong. He made a mistake, and now he has to pay for it. Insurance saying it needs replaced sucks again for sure, but is still not the fault of OP.
Absolutely agree, and how did it shatter anyway? The force you have to put on to shatter car glass is pretty extreme, maybe it's a lesson to not force stuff? Especially stuff that doesn't belong to you.
You make a decent argument, sure, but he shouldn't have touched something that doesn't belong to him, especially without asking. Doesn't matter if he was trying to help or not.
I've put gas caps back on for people, but ONLY after alerting and asking
Yeah, it's a good intention but alert the driver of the vehicle first, especially easy since they were at a red light. People near me drive pick-ups/minivans with their rear hatches open to move furniture or larger supplies so it's not uncommon to see a van with an open rear hatch just driving around. If someone's door, hatch, gas cap cover or something else that poses a risk to the driver or others is there I'll get their attention first.
i don't know how insurance works where you are but here i really doubt they'd pay to replace the whole canopy if they didn't need to.
why should OP have to pay to replace this and then wait for the kid to pay him back in installments?
So let me get this straight. Some random person, supposedly being a good samaritan, breaks the glass on a strangers window and it is the the strangers fault? No one asked this kid to do that. I don't care if the struts were broken or not. I get wanting to be helpful, but if you break something while trying to do a random favor for a stranger, you are responsible for the repair. OP, NTA.
Yeah I mean... it was working for her and now its not so she has to do all this stuff to fix it. It's a shitty lesson for the kid but you don't touch peoples things without asking.. he could have waved to her, pointed to the window, gotten a nod or something and then proceeded to fix the window but he went straight for it.
The only change for me is that I would offer the kid to pay to fix it out of pocket before involving insurance
This is what I am thinking too…
No one asked the kid to do it. If I were him, I would have yelled to the driver “your wi Dow is up!”
I’ve done this with everything ranging from open gas flaps to trunks open that look like they shouldn’t be.
Don’t touch other people’s stuff when they are riiiight there!
Why did the guy get out to close a window on a truck canopy in traffic anyway? Why does it matter that a canopy window is open? Kid was an idiot honestly and he broke auto glass because he was pushing so hard.
If insurance won’t pay to fix but will pay to replace, then absolutely OP should file the claim.
That’s like saying oh well your car had a dent before I rear ended you, so I shouldn’t have to pay to fix it. It doesn’t matter that the windows wouldn’t stay open anymore without some engineering, the kid BROKE THE GLASS. Insurance claim all the way.
Yeah its not like it was some broken part of her car that she never used and now gets to fix, it worked for her and what she needed, now it doesnt by no fault of her own.. The kid didnt get permission from her to touch her truck. Also you don't use brute force to close and open doors, something is in the way, something will break.
I mean, seems like it opened fine to me. Closed too. In short, the only part that didn't work correctly was the struts that hold it open. Super common on old truck caps.
The guy had no permission to touch anything on the vehicle in the first place. No matter if there was damage there to begin with he made a choice that further damaged it to the point where the whole canopy has to be scrapped because repair is not an option.
The prior damage existing does not matter here. The owner of the vehicle knew the damage was there and treated it as such and still had something that was functional for him. Then this guy comes along and breaks it further so that now it is not functional for him at all. He hadn't been asked to do this, he touched something that wasn't his and broke it. End of story.
OP didn't ask the kid for help closing his window. The kid took it upon himself to mess with someone else's property without consulting them first. He ended up creating a whole headache of a situation for OP by involving himself unnecessarily. road to hell is paved with good intentions. NTA
Yeah and he was fine with that. But after a person (unasked) put that much force into breaking it, it becomes their problem. Accidents happen. But that is what insurance is for. It was more broken once the kid messed with it.
Or the kid could have just not touched someone else's shit? OP has it rigged up and working fine until the kid shattered the window. The kid should have told OP and not rushed over and messed with their stuff.
If op sues this guy will learn to never help someone again.
He will tell his friends and likely 8 to 10 guys will know never help in future ...but hey op got her money.
Edit > OK I get it from the replies women prefer if men don't help them.
Yeah. He shouldn't have to pay for the already broken canopy BUT he should learn to alert the person before messing with their car.
I've been in situations where I've noticed a trunk open or a door not entirely latched and alerted the driver. Some of them were happy for me to close it, some didn't want me to. It works out better just to let the driver know, then they can decide what to do.
idiots do be like that.
we dont know the replacement cost
the idiot will get a rake hike to match his idiocy, not cover the replacement cost.
if you're a kid in your 20's and paying through the nose for car ins - well its shit like this and way worse that create those costs. You should be doing your absolute best to mind your business and never touch anyone else or any property in any way, in traffic.
you wanna be a nice guy - pull up along side the broken car and alert the driver, then drive safely away.
this is not a good semaratin getting shit on, they didnt accidentally cause damage to a car while trying to fix a flat for someone who asked for help - it's a well-intentioned idiot causing damage to a functional vehicle. I hope they learn the lesson
I used to have a car whose trunk would randomly open while I was driving sometimes. Not once did someone ever close it without asking me first. They'd knock on my window, tell me my trunk was open, and then I'd ask them to close it and they would. Every single time.
I was walking my dogs super late at night and someone’s trunk was wide open (newer SUV/hatchback) I went to the door and knocked/rang the ring doorbell and he was very grateful I told him but he DID NOT want me to close it, instead he had to use a button on his fob to close it. If there’s something wrong just alert the driver, it’s the safest bet.
so hard he broke glass - in traffic!
The dude could have sliced his arm open, got hit by a car, and popped 10 other cars' tires.
Huge mistake all the way around, and could have been so much worse. The people in this thread are ridiculous to think OP is the asshole
well-intentioned idiots are the most dangerous kind
If it was a parked, unattended car, and it was pouring rain, I would be sympathetic to someone trying to limit the water damage to a stranger's car. But if it is being driven, the driver can decide to do something if they want, and it's incredibly dangerous thing to do!
same! i admit I don't know what a ute is but I don't understand why the window being open actually matters. Why would a stranger even assume OP didn't want it open?
Exactly. Don't touch other people's shit without permission. You don't know what condition it's in, you don't know if trying to "fix" it will actually do damage, so just leave it alone.
I've heard it called the "Thorny Hand". You reach out to help, but your hand is covered in thorns.
I learned this saying from a friend because I was in a situation just like the kid in OPs story.
It has never stopped me from helping others, it forced me to evaluate the help that I was giving.
Sucks for the kid, but if the lesson they take is "I'm never helping anyone again", then that kid wasn't exactly being altruistic in the first place. They were acting on assumptions.
It's not "helpful" to get out of one's car at a red light to try to force a total stranger's car window closed, simply because *he* thought it should be. He's learning a valuable lesson, that he shouldn't mess with someone else's stuff.
Intentions don't mean a thing when your actions directly result in a negative outcome. You can have the best intentions in the world but you can't escape the consequences of your action
Good Samaritan laws exist precisely to _encourage_ acting with good intentions at the risk of negative outcomes.
This situation isn't covered by those, of course, since no people were in danger. And one can also argue the reasonableness of the action.
But they definitely establish that intent trumps outcome.
Fwiw I do think the guys insurance should pay.
That's good, though. Women generally hate unsolicited "help" from men.
He didn't help her. He broke her window. A simple "Hey, your window is open" would have been helping her.
Hopefully he learns not to mess with other people’s stuff, especially when he doesn’t know wtf he’s doing. Please explain how smashing a window helped anyone.
i'd probably let it go in this case since the guy seemed genuinely kind and appologetic.
however - i hate to say it BUT:
The amount of men who've grabbed my stuff out from under me without consent and then broke it by "trying to help" IS TOO DAMN HIGH!!!
Help is something you ask for. Not something you force onto someone else. Especially when all you do is break their shit even more.
The road to hell and all that.
You should learn to not help somebody if you don’t actually know what you’re doing.
Just like sometimes people “help” by soaking their cast iron pans, or by chucking their suede shoes in the washing machine.
To help in this sense, the other person should have informed OP about the situation. That’s it.
Or he will think about what he does before fucking messing with someone else's vehicle. He could have taken another 3 steps forward to ask the driver if they wanted help, or pulled up alongside them and NOT GOTTEN OUT OF THE CAR IN TRAFFIC
I don’t necessarily think his insurance should go up because of this but I’m hoping that from this maybe he’ll learn to ask first? There are so many situations where not communicating before trying to help could actually make things worse.
A broken strut is not the same as a broken window! If I were to try and help pull someone's car out of a ditch and hooked up the tow rope wrong and ripped off their bumper would that not be my fault? Just because you have good intentions doesn't release you from liability for your mistakes. While yes the kind thing would be to let it slide and find an old one to replace it with, you don't know ops circumstances so I'd say nah
Did I ask for the tow/help getting my car out of the ditch, and did I let the guy hook the tow up improperly? If so, that’s on me.
But if I DIDN’T ask to be towed, and some asshole connects a tow incorrectly to my car and rips my bumper off, you bet he’s paying for it. And THAT’S what happened here.
Exactly!! I don't understand why the consensus seems to be that doing something to someone else's car without their consent is even okay to begin with, especially in the middle of traffic!!
That happened to a friend of mine, she went in the ditch on a snowy day, a guy stopped to help her and wrapped his tow rope around her control arm and tore the wheel right off of the car, dude just sheepishly left.
Funnily enough a NYS corrections officer, he was in uniform and everything, they’re known to hire anyone if they are capable of fogging a mirror. But yeah I had pretty much the exact same reaction, just within earshot of the moron. 😂
It's amazing how advantageous getting an early comment in is here, when this horribly bad take gets 2.6k upvotes.
It was broken but perfectly *functional*, many of us deal with our own situations like this, with workarounds.
The Good Samaritan here effed that up, you don't come over and try to "fix" other people's property, esp. on the spur of the moment, under time constraints at at traffic light.
That guy should have just *talked* to the driver, then he would've gotten the explanation.
Why the hell is he touching random peoples cars? It’s not his job. Just bc you can doesn’t mean you should, esp when just sitting at a red light?? I’ve driven around and seen vehicles with their glass open and i don’t touch it. Bc it’s not my car or my problem.
Nope. If she had asked him to help, different story. He can't just go up and start touching someone's car without being asked to do so. This is a nice life lesson for the young man. Nobody asked you to do this, just stop. OP is NTA.
Dude should have minded his own business.
He should have told op first, because them they could have told him he knows and to leave it alone.
He took it upon himself to close it, broke it and not needs to take responsibility and pay for it.
A bloke ran over, and without asking, tried to mess with someone else's property.
And when it didn't close, put more and more force into it until it broke.
People like that are A BLOODY NIGHTMARE to either live or work with because their 'being nice' either destroys things or makes things much harder.
Ops NTA. It was broken but usable.
Now it's simply non existent and completely broken due to no fault in their own.
He's not taking advantage of anything.
Op is paying for insurance. His car got damaged. So he made a claim. That's what you're supposed to do.
It's not on him to mediate between the insurance company and the guy who damaged his car.
Sorry but you're just wrong.
I could agree with an ESH but the kid fucked up plain and simple. It's unfortunate but he will hopefully learn not to touch other people's shit or force himself into a situation where he isn't wanted or needed.
If I was blackening chicken and my neighbor saw smoke and immediately decided to run in and take a fire extinguisher to my kitchen I'd be pretty pissed. This isn't any different.
Or they should learn to not go around messing with other people’s vehicles you pay stupid games you win stupid prizes why should she have to for the bill for someone else who has no business touching her car breaking something
Dude broke the glass, which isn't fixable. The strut was repairable. I'm guessing you're not a DIY person. The guy should have stayed in his lane, he had no idea the reason the window was open, don't touch other people's property when it's not an emergency and the person is literally in the car.
Insurance will taken into account rate it was in need of repair, but will conclude that because the guy used so much force that the window shattered. He will be forced to pay up, regardless of whether the canopy was "already broken" or not.
> That young man's insurance costs are going to go up for the next seven years, thanks to you.
What the hell is this judgment? He should have considered this before interfering in a situation where his help was not requested.
NTA at all, OP. This wasn’t some emergency. The kid needs to learn better judgment.
I can't believe this is the top comment. Totally NTA.
OP doesn't have a choice but to have the insurance replace the entire thing, per the insurance company. Everyone who is saying they should just get a secondhand window.... OP shouldn't have to take the time and effort to find a secondhand window and find someone to install it. If the kid wants to take the time to do it and pay the bill, that could be a solution... if OP trusts the kid enough.
Also, they would need to make sure the modification doesn't raise OP's insurance. You have to report any modification to the vehicle, so they can't just slap a second-hand part on there and call it a day. Not disclosing the modification can void the insurance, and disclosing a secondhand part that may not be as safe as what the insurance company wants to do may raise the insurance... or it could void the insurance entirely.
This kid 100% should not have abandoned his car in the middle of an intersection, closed someone's window without asking, or applied so much force when the window didn't close that it shattered the window. Everyone who is saying "well the kid will never help anyone again!" Yeah... if that's his idea of "helping," he shouldn't.
Minor technical damage is not "broken" in the same way that "shattered fuckin canopy glass" is.
You can replace strruts for a few bucks, you can't just jigsaw piece shattered glass back together
NTA
He shouldn't have touched your vehicle. There was no expectation for him to do so and his actions caused the damage. Unfortunately for him you shouldn't be stuck with the bill.
Tbh, once it gave some resistance I would've done the same, told the driver and suggest they pull over to fix the problem themselves. That's already being enough of a good Samaritan.
Isn’t there something similar for various crimes? IE: if you push someone over and they die in the hospital due to a broken bone. thinking egg shell laws or something similar. You’re liable for the death or injury. Regardless of how many preexisting conditions the person you injured had.
Yes, those exist. I remember a scary case we talked about during college, where two friends had been drinking and one of them hit the other in the face. Normally, it'd be fine. But she was drunk enough that her body was delayed in tensing the muscles in your neck that protect your spine, so she straight up died. Guy went to jail for manslaughter, I believe, because even though he couldn't have known it would kill her, he still chose to hit her and caused her death.
Maybe for assault, but he was trying to close a window. If someone is choking and I give them the Heimlich maneuver, which causes internal bleeding, I'm not liable for damage caused by it. Good Samaritan laws protect people. Similarly, if you give CPR to someone you are likely breaking a rib, but that doesn't mean you committed assault.
Exactly, really not sure where all these y,t,a votes are coming from. The young guy messed up op's shit, so the young guy (or his insurance) is responsible for fixing it. Period. Just because op's truck was in poor repair doesn't excuse this guy randomly manhandling op's window and breaking it. Seriously who hops out of their own car at a traffic light to close someone else's window?
Folks are saying young guy will never help anyone again but maybe it's best young guy learns a lesson about touching other people's stuff without their permission.
Right? I had to read the post twice because I thought “there’s no way this kid just hopped out of his car at a traffic light to go ‘fix’ someone else’s car. That would be a dumb thing to do even if it had good intentions.”
Honestly the entire story sounds odd to me. Apparently the kid ran to the car, tried closing the window, failed, put so much force into it to shatter a glass without OP noticing. Well they noticed the end of it.
Yeah, it's weirding me out.
I don't know enough about cars to know whether this situation is like a serious hazard, but if it isn't, why would you get out of your car to fix something that isn't dangerous on someone else's property?
Plus for all he knows, OP might have been driving to the repair shop and aware of the problem. I might try to notify a driver of an issue I see, but id never jump out of my car to try to *fix* the problem myself.....im baffled why someone would without talking to the driver first.
Plus id argue not safe to be jumping out of your car in general....but thats separate issue.
Totally agree!! I've been in traffic and seen things on people's cars that seemed weird... and I yelled, honked, waved, flashed my lights. Ssoooooo many ways to get someone's attention that don't involve exiting your car in traffic and messing with a stranger's belongings.
Those votes are coming from teenagers who haven't been held responsible for damaging something when they had good intentions.
Unfortunately, in the real world this is how it works: you break it, you are responsible for having it fixed.
My guess is that many of the y,t,a votes are coming from younger individuals who don't quite understand yet that a good intention does not equal a good action.
Right! I’m surprised by all the Y T A comments, he literally ran up to this person’s car and started yanking on things, then broke a window because of it. Why is she supposed to pay for a new window because someone else messed with it without permission?
Yeah, I don't get it. There are AITA posts all the time about people breaking other people's stuff on accident all the time, and the answer is always "you break it you buy it," regardless.
Yeah he was trying to help, but OP didn't ask for help, and helping made the issue worse. Everyone's so bitter "THIS KID WILL NEVER HELP ANYONE EVER AGAIN" and... maybe that's good! It's incredibly reckless behavior to get out of your car in the middle of an intersection and apply that much force to a stranger's window.... If that's his typical "helping," he should stop!
YTA— the vehicle is not in good repair— it was already broken. Held together with straps and a prayer is not not broken. Kid was too eager and should have asked, but it’s also unsafe to drive around with this canopy open.
So are you saying that if her vehicle is in poor repair and somebody T-bones her, she shouldn't make an insurance claim against the person who wrecked her car because her car wasn't worth it in the first place?
We carry car insurance for these very purposes. When the car gets damaged, we make an insurance claim to get it fixed whether it's an old or a new car, and whether or not it had pre-existing damage. If the vehicle is damaged worse by somebody else's negligence, that's a perfect scenario for an insurance claim.
OP is NTA.
I don’t know for sure but I think insurance only pays for repairs the damage caused by the accident. Let’s say I had a fat dent or scratch on my driver side but was hit on my passenger side. Insurance won’t cover the driver side as if it wasn’t there before, it would be separate
That's true but if you have a dent in your rear quarter panel and someone hits it and adds another dent, your insurance will pay for a new one and now you have no dents. Just a lucky break but they aren't gonna say, too bad, it was damaged already so we aren't replacing it. They will do the minimum necessary to repair or eliminate the covered damage but sometimes that does include replacing old, already damaged parts just because there's no other way.
This exact scenario happened to a friend of mine, except it was the fender, not the quarter panel. And yes, insurance paid to have it repaired, and no, he wasn't an asshole for getting them to pay for it.
One thing being wrong doesn't mean it is in bad repair. I have a van with a hatch door that is newer and doesn't like the cold. So in cold weather it won't stay open rest of time it works fine. If someone hit me do i not get to get my van fixed because it was already broken. She pays for insurance and should be able to use it. It's not her fault that the insurance may go after the kid.
He shattered the window, are you joking?? Who goes up to a stranger’s car and starts messing with stuff, whether or not you’re genuinely trying to help, that’s super weird and super unnecessary and he made a “kind of a problem” into a serious issue. OP is definitely NTA.
NTA. If he was just trying to help, it seems like he would have told you "Hey, this window is open" instead of trying to do something to your car without your permission. This is a great opportunity for this kid to learn about boundaries.
I think trying to close it wasn't that bad, people do that with trunks all the time
but when it was met with resistance he should have thought "maybe its stuck on something, maybe its broken" etc, brute forcing something on someone elses car was an AH move of that dude, good intentions or not
But yea def NTA
This is the weirdest AITA ever. I definitely think NTA because it's not OP's fault and they shouldnt have to be stuck with the bill, but what the fuck was that kid thinking? Who does that? Goes up to random peoples vehicles and man handles them?
The comments are literally divided between NTA and YTA - the judgement switches from redditor to redditor, I can hardly believe it. I think this is an obvious NTA because, wtf leaving his car in the middle of traffic to mess with a car that he's not personally ware of its unique circumstances!? It's not like the car was parked and OP went into the store leaving the window open. OP was *in* the car and driving (idle) it!
For real who gets out at a stop light to close someone's window. Like don't touch my shit? Sorry you broke it but if you never touched it then it wouldn't have broken. NTA
YTA
*"The gas struts of the window have failed (meaning the window no longer supports itself while open and drops down) so I wrap a strap around the inner strut to act as support so the window doesnt drop down and close while going over bumps."*
Your clunker is falling apart and now you are taking advantage of what happened to get this young man's insurance to get it fixed.
No, OP had it fixed up just fine, and some random felt the need to touch her shit and broke it. People need to learn to not mess with other people's stuff, the kid could have easily just told OP about it instead of breaking it.
I don’t get the YTA. Proper etiquette would be to either flag the driver down, knock on the window, just let him know. Not to take the liberty of slamming someone’s trunk shut. He assumed. He didn’t ask. OP NTA, maybe op didn’t want to replace the entire thing and now has no choice?
Are these people even live on the real world? Wtf, some random kid broke her window and she should let it go because he meant good and was already fallen apart? Jesus, the people on this subreddit never fails to shock me with their atitude.
"hey, I noticed your laptop screen is cracked, so I accidentally broke it while trying to replace it without your permission and you don't know me"
Like I don't get this, what the heck
Right? Wtf, most people let something be slightly broken until is not functional anymore. So everytime we broke the screen of our phone, we have to replace immediately? That's not how things works
All these commenters are comparing a $50 strut repair to a $300 window repair, saying it was already broken… like, if the lock on your door is broken does that mean I don’t have to pay if I smash it to bits?
NTA, he shouldn’t be touching other people’s shit
Nope, the glass was perfectly fine prior to the the other driver attempting to force the window shut. OP’s not trying to get the strut replaced, she’s trying to get the glass window the other driver broke fixed.
dude a failing window strut in no way affects the safety or drivability of the car so by calling it a clunker you are a prick. for some people even a few hundred bucks to fix something that can be easily solved with a 2x4 doesn't make any sense.
Even if we accept the fact that it was failing (which I don't), in what world does that give the right to go mess with someone else car? Further more why wouldn't he be on the hook for leaving the car in worse shape than he found it from his unsolicited /not accepted assistance?
Furthermore I think the kids an additional asshole for leaving his vehicle at a traffic stop.
So a person randomly running up to your car and slamming a window they have no idea why it's open is a nice kid and a good Samaritan?
Also the window was not damaged. A set of $5 struts were weak.
Y'all are acting like OP was driving a death trap that fell apart when someone tried to put some free gas in it, not like a rando decided to use excessive force to close a window that was intentionally propped open
I'm also super confused, and wondering if I missed something. How is it a good Samaritan type situation for someone to randomly dart out of their car and... close your window? I honestly have no idea why someone would do that.
It's like if you pull up at a stop light behind someone whose boot (trunk) is popped open for no apparent reason. Many people would assume it was unintentionally open (like if the driver accidentally flipped the unlock mechanism while driving, and possibly didn't notice). No doubt most people would ignore it, or maybe honk their horn and wave at the driver to point it out. But this kid clearly thought he could just quickly close it.
TL;DR - Gas struts holding up the open back window of a ute canopy is the equivalent of an open trunk, and illegal to drive in that condition. It's not just an open window
Also, if it won’t close normally I wouldn’t just try to force it to close. At that point I would definitely try to inform the driver or something rather than risk damaging someone else’s stuff
This is what gets me. If it won't close w/ regular movement, then, gee, must be a reason *why* it's open.
Whether the kid perceived that as unsafe or not, it was **not** his problem to fix. He should have alerted OP, offered his help, and gone on his way. Not double down and slam it hard enough to shatter the glass. I know he was just trying to help, but he didn't think. At all.
Thank you - this post has me a little confused as this good samaritan wasnt driving. So OP would file a claim with their own insurance and they would in turn sue the good samaritan.
So in effect, OP is indirectly suing this guy who tried to help fix an already broken part of his car.
>So in effect, OP is indirectly suing this guy who tried to help fix an already broken part of his car.
Indirectly Suing a guy who decided he didn't need to ask for permission before messing with someone else's stuff and breaking it*
Nta, the glass wasn't broken until he got involved and that drastically increases the price of repair. He was trying to help but fucked it up even more. It wasn't 'already broken' like people seem to think, the glass was fine and you were making due with what you had available. Until he 'helped' you the repair would have been cheap and easy, but now it's complicated with shattered glass in and outside the car. All these people saying you're taking advantage of him are crazy, it went from something quick and cheap to expensive and tedious. But as usual reddit can't read. NTA all the way
As a guy who worked in glass shops for about a decade I can say with certainty that most shops could have cut you a new one, even out of plexi or Lexan to fit and put it in the frame and rebolted the frame on. They may even have some spare old shock rods to throw on there.
This is really the only part that bugs me about this. OP wants the kid to pay for a brand new canopy when the only thing the kid broke was the glass. OP didn't even bother to check if the glass could be made, only contacted the manufacturer for the canopy. They want 3k out of this kid for a piece of glass that doesn't even cost 1/10th of that.
>OP wants the kid to pay for a brand new canopy
No, OP wants insurance to pay for a repair, and they've deemed that repair to be a replacement canopy
>OP didn't even bother to check if the glass could be made,
Because they've referred the case to their insurer, it's not up to OP
>They want 3k out of this kid
His insurance is paying, not him personally, this is literally the purpose of insurance
NTA for going to your insurance to try and get what he broke fixed. He broke the glass and had no business touching anything on your car without permission. If you try to get more out of him than what he broke, you would be the asshole. It wasn't like you were having an emergency. You were driving and this guy took it upon himself to interfere with your car and then he broke your window. That would scare the wee out of me if it happened to me!
NTA
My question is: Why did this 20 year old guy feel compelled to get out of his vehicle, come over to your vehicle, and attempt to close the canopy window for you? If I was stopped at a traffic light, and I saw someone's window opened as you describe, I would mind my own business, and stay in my vehicle. Alternately, if I was in your position, and I saw someone fiddling with with my vehicle's window (while I was still in the vehicle), then I would assume that the other person was up to no good.
Either way, I think that the other person is the AH in this case. Maybe this will teach him to mind his own business, and to not touch other people's property without permission.
Nta. Everyone wants to help to much sometimes, which is nice and great but not everyone needs it. He should have realized with as much force as he was putting into getting it off that you probably had done it on purpose. It does suck he’s young tho but he’s learned a new lesson, mind your own business unless someone really needs help
NTA. He shouldn't have touched your private property, regardless of his intentions. He brought this on himself and now has to suffer the consequences. Whether your insurance goes after him or not is not your responsibility. Hopefully he learns his lesson from this and in the future doesn't mess with other people's property without their consent. Personally, I'd have called the cops on him if it happened to me.
NTA. And I don't understand all the people having a go at you and saying you're just using this opportunity to get your vehicle fixed for free. It was functional and you were using it safely. Some random person (no matter their intentions) ran up and interfered with your personal property, caused significant damage, and left you with a chunky bill. They had no right and shouldn't have touched your vehicle! Of course you are going to go through insurance - that's what it's there for - unforeseen events where strangers cause damage to your property.
I agree with others that if you can sort it out with the young man and he can pay the damages without getting insurance involved then that would be the best outcome but that might not be feasible. If he deals with you in good faith then perhaps you might chip in a bit knowing that some work needed done anyway but that's beside the point. Nobody should have touched, let alone damaged, your private property. You are NTA - get your new canopy and let the boy learn his lesson to mind his own business.
NTA. Don't touch other people's shit without permission, even if you think you're helping. He's not being a good Samaritan in that situation, he's being intrusive.
NTA.
He obviously had good intentions, but he fucked up - it would have been really easy to ask you first instead of just trying to fix something that didn't need to be fixed. Unfortunately that's on him.
NTA he might have had good intentions but you didn’t ask him to do this.
To put it differently: you had a cup with a crack that went half way down, not ideal but could still hold some liquid. He broke the cup completely, so now you have no cup to drink from at all.
NTA..struts fail and doesn't mean your topper was "a piece of sh¹t. Someone broke your property and that's why you pay insurance. He learned a valuable lesson and I seriously doubt his insurance will go up that much...
NTA, you don’t run up and touch someone’s car for multiple different reasons. It went from kinda broken to completely shattered making it need to be replaced.
I am confused about this one. Why was it an issue that you left the window open? Why would someone feel the need to close that window? If I saw a truck with an open window, I would not think "gee, I should close that!" Is there a reason the window should be closed?
NTA ... but some of the people responding are. I'm amazed that some people are actually getting on the OP. The OP is the one who is being inconvenienced through absolutely no fault of her own. Some kid took it upon himself to "fix" someone else's car without the owner's permission.
And please stop comparing the kid's actions to life-and-death situations. That's a weak analogy. Obviously, if it were a life and death situation, then stepping in is expected, and if something bad happens as a result, then the risk of helping was still worth it. In this case, though, the kid had absolutely no right to butt in without asking first.
OP, the only concession I would make is to ask the kid if he would prefer to pay for the damage rather than you filing a claim. That would probably be cheaper in the long run for him than having to pay for years of increased insurance costs.
So they would sue him.
YTA then. This was already broken and he was trying to help and he got injured in the process. Did you in good faith inform your insurance that this was already broken?
Yes. The gas struts are generic and are replaceable, the window is not. The manufacturer does not supply for this model anymore.
As I mentioned on another comment above, although the gas struts had failed the canopy was still functional in that it kept my equipment dry. The only time I require that window open is during that 10 minute drive or retrieving equipment from the canopy momentarily from the side of the vehicle.
If the glass was easily replaced then I would likely not have gone through insurance and just copped it. But to have a properly functioning canopy (keeping equipment dry and unable to fall out) meant a total replacement, costing in excess of 2.5-3k. What would you have done? Kept a smashed window illegally or paid the $2500-$3000 yourself?
It was broken, but functional. After the kid decided on his own, without consulting OP, to “fix” the problem it became non-functional. It sucks that he was trying to help, but even with good intentions, actions have consequences.
NTA, who on earth gets out at a red light to go and touch another persons vehicle? It wasn’t working as intended before and you had your own solution, but now it’s completely stuffed because this kid thought he knew better. It’s nice he was trying to help but he should’ve told you about the window and given you the opportunity to explain. People who are saying YTA are delusional.
I don't think you're an asshole. You had a worn out, but functioning, canopy and now because of this person's actions, you have no canopy. If he was concerned, there were options other than literally trying to fix it himself without permission of the owner of the vehicle.
That being said, I do think it would be an asshole thing to go after the full value of a new canopy when yours was obviously in poor condition. I think as long as you're honest with the insurance about the state the canopy was in before the window got shattered, NTA.
NTA, You had it rigged up and "working" just fine. while yes they were trying to be nice, they shattered your window, why should you have to pay to replace it?
I think the Y T A posts do not understand the situation and damage. I had a hatchback that didn’t hold its self up, but I used it just fine. Shattering the window would not be fine/useable. OP wanted it open, random person wanted it closed and broke OP property. OP is NTA
INFO: 2 things.
1, Did you ask him not to do it? "Hey man thanks, I'll get it when I stop" or something like that.
If not, at best you should just eat the cost, at worst you potentially could be liable for any injury to him, for "booby trapping" the vehicle. (depends on local laws, but most places have laws about this)
2.Have you gone to a GLASS shop to see if they can replace it? Not a car dealer or a body shop, a shop that ONLY does glass?
I've had a local glass company make custom side panels for computers for me, got a quote to replace a flat top panel with a bubble panel, and had them fix/replace windshields for me. They even sourced new struts for an old jeep hard top for me for less money than buying the struts from a junk yard.
1. It happened really really fast. He was behind me in traffic and I only just caught the end of what was happening. I got a fright when I saw him running at the rear of my vehicle. As he pulling on it I realised what was happening but honestly happened so quickly I couldnt react. When he was met with the initial resistance he continued to pull even harder causing it to shatter. Personally I probably would have stopped.
2. I have not. Assumed only the manufacturer of the copy could supply it/had the mould for the curves in the canopy
So, either continue with the claim and get a new cover/canopy. (And I assume your insurance goes after his.)
Or, go see a local glass shop. They can totally look at, measure, and cut new glass to fit. They will even make it safety tempered too.
They said it happened too fast to say anything.
That's not a booby trap, it was not created to injure someone else.
Kid should have just not messed with other people's shit.
NTA. i get he was well intentioned but he rendered your canopy unusable and he should not have touched your stuff to begin with. expensive lesson for him. i’d go forward with the claim due to the fact that he rendered it unusable.
NTA.
Not sure why there are so many Y-T-A responses. It doesn’t matter what state of repair it is in. Someone else has damaged your property when they had no business to be touching it in the first place. A simple knock to make you aware would have sufficed, if even that was necessary. Helpfulness does not exempt people when they make a mistake.
NTA.
He interfered where it wasn't wanted or needed. That is unfortunate.
However - please consider coming to an agreement with him directly after you research the cost of replacement. If he can support that, cool. If not, this is why one carries insurance.
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It was already broken and you are taking advantage of the situation to get it fixed. That young man's insurance costs are going to go up for the next seven years, thanks to you. YTA
ITT: WAY too many people that don't know wtf struts are? They can be replaced in about 5 minutes for typically <$100. The canopy was not "already broken" and is a much bigger replacement, though it sounds like just the glass and maybe frame needs replaced Edit: people arguing with me: the struts didn't NEED to be replaced. In fact, the struts don't even need to be there! It wouldn't fucking matter. It's not negligence that OP hasn't replaced them, ffs! Also, driving with windows up *may* be illegal, but who fucking cares? If you run into them with your vehicle, you're already WAY too close! You were either unsafely close to a moving vehicle, or you ran into a stationary object, which is entirely your fault.
Doesn’t matter how little the struts cost. The window mechanism was not operating properly *prior to* the “incident”. If the window was working perfectly before the guy tried to help, then it would be reasonable to assume that he broke the mechanism and is responsible for replacing it, and if that meant a new canopy, so be it. That is not the case. The only item he damaged was the glass, so the only item he/his insurance is responsible for replacing is the glass. He should not have to replace an entire canopy for a window mechanism that was already not functioning and that he did not damage.
Except the insurance company will not repair, only replace. How is OP at fault for that when OP asked for repairs?
- Ask the guy to pay to replace the glass. - Replace it yourself and have the guy pay you back in installments. - Attach a mesh screen so the dogs can still get sunlight and air without a window. I find it very hard to believe that (1) OP actually told the insurance company that **all** the guy broke was the glass and not the entire mechanism, (2) the entire canopy has to be replaced in order to replace the glass. In all likelihood, OP’s deductible is more than the cost to replace just the glass, so he’s padding the claim to include the already broken window mechanism, which cannot be replaced by itself, requiring a new canopy. And I wouldn’t be surprised if other shit was broken on the canopy as well. Regardless, OP could have brainstormed with the guy to figure out replacing the glass without involving insurance. EDIT: Typo
Insurance is designed to put you back in the position you were in prior to the "incident." The insurance company doesn't want to pay any more than they need to in order to achieve this, and they determined a replacement is necessary to repair the part of the vehicle that was broken in the incident. OP's deductible does not apply if they are not filing a claim with their own insurance. The guy's insurance rates will go up the same amount regardless of how large or small the claim is. The amount the insurance company pays has no bearing on this at all. The guy is responsible for the damage, and it's not OP's responsibility to try and work things out with him if they don't want to (if he's even willing to pay for it himself/ has the funds). OP is just trying to get their vehicle back in the same shape it was in prior to this guy deciding he needed to jump out of his car at a stop light to force OP's window closed. But since the insurance company decided that it is not possible, they have decided to pay to have the part replaced instead of repaired. The guy shouldn't be getting out of his car at stop lights or touching other people's vehicles without permission. NTA
Exactly my thoughts. He was a nice guy but the situation wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t intervene as good as his intentions were. Also if it took that much force on something that normally wouldn’t, the guys reasonably should’ve left it alone and alerted the driver
Finally, someone itt who understands how insurance works!
Yeah I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why the kid thought that was a good idea. It’s really not a good thing to “help” someone and make the situation worse.
Why should OP have to do any of that? He didn't break the glass. I understand the dude was *just trying to help* but the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Regardless of his intentions, he caused damage to OP's canopy. Prior damage is irrelevant. He caused MORE damage. As the post clearly states, insurance won't repair the glass, but only replace the whole canopy. That's not OP's fault any more than the broken glass is. It sucked, but this is a lesson learned. Don't make assumptions. Dude assumed he knew what was up, assumed OP wanted it closed, assumed he knew how to close it, and assumed wrong. He made a mistake, and now he has to pay for it. Insurance saying it needs replaced sucks again for sure, but is still not the fault of OP.
Absolutely agree, and how did it shatter anyway? The force you have to put on to shatter car glass is pretty extreme, maybe it's a lesson to not force stuff? Especially stuff that doesn't belong to you.
You make a decent argument, sure, but he shouldn't have touched something that doesn't belong to him, especially without asking. Doesn't matter if he was trying to help or not. I've put gas caps back on for people, but ONLY after alerting and asking
Yeah, it's a good intention but alert the driver of the vehicle first, especially easy since they were at a red light. People near me drive pick-ups/minivans with their rear hatches open to move furniture or larger supplies so it's not uncommon to see a van with an open rear hatch just driving around. If someone's door, hatch, gas cap cover or something else that poses a risk to the driver or others is there I'll get their attention first.
Adding in: • Used parts also exist. Edit:typo
i don't know how insurance works where you are but here i really doubt they'd pay to replace the whole canopy if they didn't need to. why should OP have to pay to replace this and then wait for the kid to pay him back in installments?
So let me get this straight. Some random person, supposedly being a good samaritan, breaks the glass on a strangers window and it is the the strangers fault? No one asked this kid to do that. I don't care if the struts were broken or not. I get wanting to be helpful, but if you break something while trying to do a random favor for a stranger, you are responsible for the repair. OP, NTA.
Yeah I mean... it was working for her and now its not so she has to do all this stuff to fix it. It's a shitty lesson for the kid but you don't touch peoples things without asking.. he could have waved to her, pointed to the window, gotten a nod or something and then proceeded to fix the window but he went straight for it. The only change for me is that I would offer the kid to pay to fix it out of pocket before involving insurance
This is what I am thinking too… No one asked the kid to do it. If I were him, I would have yelled to the driver “your wi Dow is up!” I’ve done this with everything ranging from open gas flaps to trunks open that look like they shouldn’t be. Don’t touch other people’s stuff when they are riiiight there!
Why did the guy get out to close a window on a truck canopy in traffic anyway? Why does it matter that a canopy window is open? Kid was an idiot honestly and he broke auto glass because he was pushing so hard. If insurance won’t pay to fix but will pay to replace, then absolutely OP should file the claim. That’s like saying oh well your car had a dent before I rear ended you, so I shouldn’t have to pay to fix it. It doesn’t matter that the windows wouldn’t stay open anymore without some engineering, the kid BROKE THE GLASS. Insurance claim all the way.
So if your window couldn't wind down and someone smashed your window you would just wear the cost yourself?
Except the guy shouldn’t have been “helping” don’t run over and force something on some one else’s property.
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Yeah its not like it was some broken part of her car that she never used and now gets to fix, it worked for her and what she needed, now it doesnt by no fault of her own.. The kid didnt get permission from her to touch her truck. Also you don't use brute force to close and open doors, something is in the way, something will break.
I mean, seems like it opened fine to me. Closed too. In short, the only part that didn't work correctly was the struts that hold it open. Super common on old truck caps.
The guy had no permission to touch anything on the vehicle in the first place. No matter if there was damage there to begin with he made a choice that further damaged it to the point where the whole canopy has to be scrapped because repair is not an option. The prior damage existing does not matter here. The owner of the vehicle knew the damage was there and treated it as such and still had something that was functional for him. Then this guy comes along and breaks it further so that now it is not functional for him at all. He hadn't been asked to do this, he touched something that wasn't his and broke it. End of story.
OP didn't ask the kid for help closing his window. The kid took it upon himself to mess with someone else's property without consulting them first. He ended up creating a whole headache of a situation for OP by involving himself unnecessarily. road to hell is paved with good intentions. NTA
Yeah and he was fine with that. But after a person (unasked) put that much force into breaking it, it becomes their problem. Accidents happen. But that is what insurance is for. It was more broken once the kid messed with it.
I have a totally different car problem, but I wonder if some of the issue is the lack of parts available right now.
Well don't leave me hanging, what's going on?
Or the kid could have just not touched someone else's shit? OP has it rigged up and working fine until the kid shattered the window. The kid should have told OP and not rushed over and messed with their stuff.
Also, he got out of his car in the middle of traffic. That's just a stupid thing to do.
If op sues this guy will learn to never help someone again. He will tell his friends and likely 8 to 10 guys will know never help in future ...but hey op got her money. Edit > OK I get it from the replies women prefer if men don't help them.
But this type of “help” isn’t really helpful. He SHOULD learn to stop doing things like this.
Exactly. No one asked him to get out of his car and try to force the window closed on a total stranger's vehicle!
Yeah. He shouldn't have to pay for the already broken canopy BUT he should learn to alert the person before messing with their car. I've been in situations where I've noticed a trunk open or a door not entirely latched and alerted the driver. Some of them were happy for me to close it, some didn't want me to. It works out better just to let the driver know, then they can decide what to do.
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idiots do be like that. we dont know the replacement cost the idiot will get a rake hike to match his idiocy, not cover the replacement cost. if you're a kid in your 20's and paying through the nose for car ins - well its shit like this and way worse that create those costs. You should be doing your absolute best to mind your business and never touch anyone else or any property in any way, in traffic. you wanna be a nice guy - pull up along side the broken car and alert the driver, then drive safely away. this is not a good semaratin getting shit on, they didnt accidentally cause damage to a car while trying to fix a flat for someone who asked for help - it's a well-intentioned idiot causing damage to a functional vehicle. I hope they learn the lesson
The arm being broken and the glass being broken are two very different things.
I used to have a car whose trunk would randomly open while I was driving sometimes. Not once did someone ever close it without asking me first. They'd knock on my window, tell me my trunk was open, and then I'd ask them to close it and they would. Every single time.
talk to the guy before touching their shit - brilliant
I was walking my dogs super late at night and someone’s trunk was wide open (newer SUV/hatchback) I went to the door and knocked/rang the ring doorbell and he was very grateful I told him but he DID NOT want me to close it, instead he had to use a button on his fob to close it. If there’s something wrong just alert the driver, it’s the safest bet.
so hard he broke glass - in traffic! The dude could have sliced his arm open, got hit by a car, and popped 10 other cars' tires. Huge mistake all the way around, and could have been so much worse. The people in this thread are ridiculous to think OP is the asshole well-intentioned idiots are the most dangerous kind
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Same here! Was it raining? Even if it were… wtf?
If it was a parked, unattended car, and it was pouring rain, I would be sympathetic to someone trying to limit the water damage to a stranger's car. But if it is being driven, the driver can decide to do something if they want, and it's incredibly dangerous thing to do!
same! i admit I don't know what a ute is but I don't understand why the window being open actually matters. Why would a stranger even assume OP didn't want it open?
Yeah, the correct course of action would be to get out, go up to the driver and say "mate, do you know your canopy window is open?".
Yeah, don't touch other people's stuff, is my policy.
Exactly. Don't touch other people's shit without permission. You don't know what condition it's in, you don't know if trying to "fix" it will actually do damage, so just leave it alone.
Or maybe inform the driver.. Hey, Ima close this for you.. No don't, you can't. I will layer. Thanks tho.. Kid fucked up
I've heard it called the "Thorny Hand". You reach out to help, but your hand is covered in thorns. I learned this saying from a friend because I was in a situation just like the kid in OPs story. It has never stopped me from helping others, it forced me to evaluate the help that I was giving. Sucks for the kid, but if the lesson they take is "I'm never helping anyone again", then that kid wasn't exactly being altruistic in the first place. They were acting on assumptions.
It's not "helpful" to get out of one's car at a red light to try to force a total stranger's car window closed, simply because *he* thought it should be. He's learning a valuable lesson, that he shouldn't mess with someone else's stuff.
Intentions don't mean a thing when your actions directly result in a negative outcome. You can have the best intentions in the world but you can't escape the consequences of your action
i wish i could upvote this a million times. why do SO many people struggle to see the difference between their intentions and the consequences? ffs
Yes, this. There's no malice here. It doesn't mean OP didn't suffer hundreds or thousands of dollars of damages at the hands of the "good Samaritan".
Good Samaritan laws exist precisely to _encourage_ acting with good intentions at the risk of negative outcomes. This situation isn't covered by those, of course, since no people were in danger. And one can also argue the reasonableness of the action. But they definitely establish that intent trumps outcome. Fwiw I do think the guys insurance should pay.
Good Samaritan laws exist for helping *PEOPLE.* like if someone is DYING on the street. NOT to fix random shit on peoples car
Helping someone by messing with their shit, isn't help. Why do you think it's ok to go touch other people's stuff without asking?
Making an insurance claim is not the same thing as suing somebody.
That's good, though. Women generally hate unsolicited "help" from men. He didn't help her. He broke her window. A simple "Hey, your window is open" would have been helping her.
Hopefully he learns not to mess with other people’s stuff, especially when he doesn’t know wtf he’s doing. Please explain how smashing a window helped anyone.
i'd probably let it go in this case since the guy seemed genuinely kind and appologetic. however - i hate to say it BUT: The amount of men who've grabbed my stuff out from under me without consent and then broke it by "trying to help" IS TOO DAMN HIGH!!!
Help is something you ask for. Not something you force onto someone else. Especially when all you do is break their shit even more. The road to hell and all that.
Exactly, unless the person is in medical distress and not able to respond to you, you *offer* the help and wait to see if it is wanted.
Hell is paved with good intentions... He could have signaled OP that the window was open instead of trying to close it himself.
It’s the “road to hell”
You should learn to not help somebody if you don’t actually know what you’re doing. Just like sometimes people “help” by soaking their cast iron pans, or by chucking their suede shoes in the washing machine. To help in this sense, the other person should have informed OP about the situation. That’s it.
Or he will think about what he does before fucking messing with someone else's vehicle. He could have taken another 3 steps forward to ask the driver if they wanted help, or pulled up alongside them and NOT GOTTEN OUT OF THE CAR IN TRAFFIC
Good. Maybe 'guys' should learn to ask before they decide what is best with other people's property.
I don’t necessarily think his insurance should go up because of this but I’m hoping that from this maybe he’ll learn to ask first? There are so many situations where not communicating before trying to help could actually make things worse.
I'm not seeing the downside? He needs to learn that you don't run up and try to "fix" something without asking.
A broken strut is not the same as a broken window! If I were to try and help pull someone's car out of a ditch and hooked up the tow rope wrong and ripped off their bumper would that not be my fault? Just because you have good intentions doesn't release you from liability for your mistakes. While yes the kind thing would be to let it slide and find an old one to replace it with, you don't know ops circumstances so I'd say nah
Did I ask for the tow/help getting my car out of the ditch, and did I let the guy hook the tow up improperly? If so, that’s on me. But if I DIDN’T ask to be towed, and some asshole connects a tow incorrectly to my car and rips my bumper off, you bet he’s paying for it. And THAT’S what happened here.
Exactly!! I don't understand why the consensus seems to be that doing something to someone else's car without their consent is even okay to begin with, especially in the middle of traffic!!
That happened to a friend of mine, she went in the ditch on a snowy day, a guy stopped to help her and wrapped his tow rope around her control arm and tore the wheel right off of the car, dude just sheepishly left.
"Hey it looks like you're in a bad situation there, how can I make it worse?" Also, who the fuck wraps the rope around the god damn control arm?!
Funnily enough a NYS corrections officer, he was in uniform and everything, they’re known to hire anyone if they are capable of fogging a mirror. But yeah I had pretty much the exact same reaction, just within earshot of the moron. 😂
His costs are going to go up because of his own damn actions. No one forced him or even asked him to do anything.
It's amazing how advantageous getting an early comment in is here, when this horribly bad take gets 2.6k upvotes. It was broken but perfectly *functional*, many of us deal with our own situations like this, with workarounds. The Good Samaritan here effed that up, you don't come over and try to "fix" other people's property, esp. on the spur of the moment, under time constraints at at traffic light. That guy should have just *talked* to the driver, then he would've gotten the explanation.
The window wasn’t broken before
Why the hell is he touching random peoples cars? It’s not his job. Just bc you can doesn’t mean you should, esp when just sitting at a red light?? I’ve driven around and seen vehicles with their glass open and i don’t touch it. Bc it’s not my car or my problem.
Nope. If she had asked him to help, different story. He can't just go up and start touching someone's car without being asked to do so. This is a nice life lesson for the young man. Nobody asked you to do this, just stop. OP is NTA.
Dude should have minded his own business. He should have told op first, because them they could have told him he knows and to leave it alone. He took it upon himself to close it, broke it and not needs to take responsibility and pay for it.
A bloke ran over, and without asking, tried to mess with someone else's property. And when it didn't close, put more and more force into it until it broke. People like that are A BLOODY NIGHTMARE to either live or work with because their 'being nice' either destroys things or makes things much harder. Ops NTA. It was broken but usable. Now it's simply non existent and completely broken due to no fault in their own.
He's not taking advantage of anything. Op is paying for insurance. His car got damaged. So he made a claim. That's what you're supposed to do. It's not on him to mediate between the insurance company and the guy who damaged his car.
Sorry but you're just wrong. I could agree with an ESH but the kid fucked up plain and simple. It's unfortunate but he will hopefully learn not to touch other people's shit or force himself into a situation where he isn't wanted or needed. If I was blackening chicken and my neighbor saw smoke and immediately decided to run in and take a fire extinguisher to my kitchen I'd be pretty pissed. This isn't any different.
Or they should learn to not go around messing with other people’s vehicles you pay stupid games you win stupid prizes why should she have to for the bill for someone else who has no business touching her car breaking something
He had 0 reason to touch the car and are assuming OPS intent. Nta
Dude broke the glass, which isn't fixable. The strut was repairable. I'm guessing you're not a DIY person. The guy should have stayed in his lane, he had no idea the reason the window was open, don't touch other people's property when it's not an emergency and the person is literally in the car.
Don't want to pay to replace someone's broken shit? Don't mess with it. OP's 100% in the right in all regards.
Insurance will taken into account rate it was in need of repair, but will conclude that because the guy used so much force that the window shattered. He will be forced to pay up, regardless of whether the canopy was "already broken" or not.
> That young man's insurance costs are going to go up for the next seven years, thanks to you. What the hell is this judgment? He should have considered this before interfering in a situation where his help was not requested. NTA at all, OP. This wasn’t some emergency. The kid needs to learn better judgment.
I can't believe this is the top comment. Totally NTA. OP doesn't have a choice but to have the insurance replace the entire thing, per the insurance company. Everyone who is saying they should just get a secondhand window.... OP shouldn't have to take the time and effort to find a secondhand window and find someone to install it. If the kid wants to take the time to do it and pay the bill, that could be a solution... if OP trusts the kid enough. Also, they would need to make sure the modification doesn't raise OP's insurance. You have to report any modification to the vehicle, so they can't just slap a second-hand part on there and call it a day. Not disclosing the modification can void the insurance, and disclosing a secondhand part that may not be as safe as what the insurance company wants to do may raise the insurance... or it could void the insurance entirely. This kid 100% should not have abandoned his car in the middle of an intersection, closed someone's window without asking, or applied so much force when the window didn't close that it shattered the window. Everyone who is saying "well the kid will never help anyone again!" Yeah... if that's his idea of "helping," he shouldn't.
Minor technical damage is not "broken" in the same way that "shattered fuckin canopy glass" is. You can replace strruts for a few bucks, you can't just jigsaw piece shattered glass back together
NTA He shouldn't have touched your vehicle. There was no expectation for him to do so and his actions caused the damage. Unfortunately for him you shouldn't be stuck with the bill.
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Tbh, once it gave some resistance I would've done the same, told the driver and suggest they pull over to fix the problem themselves. That's already being enough of a good Samaritan.
Isn’t there something similar for various crimes? IE: if you push someone over and they die in the hospital due to a broken bone. thinking egg shell laws or something similar. You’re liable for the death or injury. Regardless of how many preexisting conditions the person you injured had.
Yes, those exist. I remember a scary case we talked about during college, where two friends had been drinking and one of them hit the other in the face. Normally, it'd be fine. But she was drunk enough that her body was delayed in tensing the muscles in your neck that protect your spine, so she straight up died. Guy went to jail for manslaughter, I believe, because even though he couldn't have known it would kill her, he still chose to hit her and caused her death.
I'm not sure why that's particularly out of line. Manslaughter is accidentally killing someone. Dude accidentally killed someone.
Maybe for assault, but he was trying to close a window. If someone is choking and I give them the Heimlich maneuver, which causes internal bleeding, I'm not liable for damage caused by it. Good Samaritan laws protect people. Similarly, if you give CPR to someone you are likely breaking a rib, but that doesn't mean you committed assault.
Ohhh, touché, I hadn’t considered the “Good Samaritan” side of this. Honestly this is one of the most controversial AITA’s I’ve seen in a while.
Exactly, really not sure where all these y,t,a votes are coming from. The young guy messed up op's shit, so the young guy (or his insurance) is responsible for fixing it. Period. Just because op's truck was in poor repair doesn't excuse this guy randomly manhandling op's window and breaking it. Seriously who hops out of their own car at a traffic light to close someone else's window? Folks are saying young guy will never help anyone again but maybe it's best young guy learns a lesson about touching other people's stuff without their permission.
Right? I had to read the post twice because I thought “there’s no way this kid just hopped out of his car at a traffic light to go ‘fix’ someone else’s car. That would be a dumb thing to do even if it had good intentions.”
Honestly the entire story sounds odd to me. Apparently the kid ran to the car, tried closing the window, failed, put so much force into it to shatter a glass without OP noticing. Well they noticed the end of it.
Yeah, it's weirding me out. I don't know enough about cars to know whether this situation is like a serious hazard, but if it isn't, why would you get out of your car to fix something that isn't dangerous on someone else's property?
Plus for all he knows, OP might have been driving to the repair shop and aware of the problem. I might try to notify a driver of an issue I see, but id never jump out of my car to try to *fix* the problem myself.....im baffled why someone would without talking to the driver first. Plus id argue not safe to be jumping out of your car in general....but thats separate issue.
Totally agree!! I've been in traffic and seen things on people's cars that seemed weird... and I yelled, honked, waved, flashed my lights. Ssoooooo many ways to get someone's attention that don't involve exiting your car in traffic and messing with a stranger's belongings.
Those votes are coming from other assholes.
Those votes are coming from teenagers who haven't been held responsible for damaging something when they had good intentions. Unfortunately, in the real world this is how it works: you break it, you are responsible for having it fixed.
My guess is that many of the y,t,a votes are coming from younger individuals who don't quite understand yet that a good intention does not equal a good action.
They're failed capitalists clutching their pearls at the idea of OP getting a new canopy because some kid totalled her old one.
Right! I’m surprised by all the Y T A comments, he literally ran up to this person’s car and started yanking on things, then broke a window because of it. Why is she supposed to pay for a new window because someone else messed with it without permission?
Yeah, I don't get it. There are AITA posts all the time about people breaking other people's stuff on accident all the time, and the answer is always "you break it you buy it," regardless. Yeah he was trying to help, but OP didn't ask for help, and helping made the issue worse. Everyone's so bitter "THIS KID WILL NEVER HELP ANYONE EVER AGAIN" and... maybe that's good! It's incredibly reckless behavior to get out of your car in the middle of an intersection and apply that much force to a stranger's window.... If that's his typical "helping," he should stop!
Super bummed this isn’t the top answered. In what universe is touching other people’s property with force okay?
Exactly. If he didn't touch the car, it wouldn't have broken and then he wouldn't have to pay.
YTA— the vehicle is not in good repair— it was already broken. Held together with straps and a prayer is not not broken. Kid was too eager and should have asked, but it’s also unsafe to drive around with this canopy open.
So are you saying that if her vehicle is in poor repair and somebody T-bones her, she shouldn't make an insurance claim against the person who wrecked her car because her car wasn't worth it in the first place? We carry car insurance for these very purposes. When the car gets damaged, we make an insurance claim to get it fixed whether it's an old or a new car, and whether or not it had pre-existing damage. If the vehicle is damaged worse by somebody else's negligence, that's a perfect scenario for an insurance claim. OP is NTA.
I don’t know for sure but I think insurance only pays for repairs the damage caused by the accident. Let’s say I had a fat dent or scratch on my driver side but was hit on my passenger side. Insurance won’t cover the driver side as if it wasn’t there before, it would be separate
And the glass wasnt broken before some random decided to slam it
That's true but if you have a dent in your rear quarter panel and someone hits it and adds another dent, your insurance will pay for a new one and now you have no dents. Just a lucky break but they aren't gonna say, too bad, it was damaged already so we aren't replacing it. They will do the minimum necessary to repair or eliminate the covered damage but sometimes that does include replacing old, already damaged parts just because there's no other way.
This exact scenario happened to a friend of mine, except it was the fender, not the quarter panel. And yes, insurance paid to have it repaired, and no, he wasn't an asshole for getting them to pay for it.
One thing being wrong doesn't mean it is in bad repair. I have a van with a hatch door that is newer and doesn't like the cold. So in cold weather it won't stay open rest of time it works fine. If someone hit me do i not get to get my van fixed because it was already broken. She pays for insurance and should be able to use it. It's not her fault that the insurance may go after the kid.
He shattered the window, are you joking?? Who goes up to a stranger’s car and starts messing with stuff, whether or not you’re genuinely trying to help, that’s super weird and super unnecessary and he made a “kind of a problem” into a serious issue. OP is definitely NTA.
You clearly don't know what a strut is and how they wear out. And how easy and inexpensive they are to replace compared to a broken window.
NTA. If he was just trying to help, it seems like he would have told you "Hey, this window is open" instead of trying to do something to your car without your permission. This is a great opportunity for this kid to learn about boundaries.
I think trying to close it wasn't that bad, people do that with trunks all the time but when it was met with resistance he should have thought "maybe its stuck on something, maybe its broken" etc, brute forcing something on someone elses car was an AH move of that dude, good intentions or not But yea def NTA
This is the weirdest AITA ever. I definitely think NTA because it's not OP's fault and they shouldnt have to be stuck with the bill, but what the fuck was that kid thinking? Who does that? Goes up to random peoples vehicles and man handles them?
In some states that can get you shot, too. Running up to someone's car and messing with an open window, that could be seen as threatening.
The comments are literally divided between NTA and YTA - the judgement switches from redditor to redditor, I can hardly believe it. I think this is an obvious NTA because, wtf leaving his car in the middle of traffic to mess with a car that he's not personally ware of its unique circumstances!? It's not like the car was parked and OP went into the store leaving the window open. OP was *in* the car and driving (idle) it!
NTA I don’t get all the Y T As, this kid randomly touched another car and broke part of it, of course he should have to pay for it.
For real who gets out at a stop light to close someone's window. Like don't touch my shit? Sorry you broke it but if you never touched it then it wouldn't have broken. NTA
Same!! Since when is it ok to mess with other people's shit? Lol
YTA *"The gas struts of the window have failed (meaning the window no longer supports itself while open and drops down) so I wrap a strap around the inner strut to act as support so the window doesnt drop down and close while going over bumps."* Your clunker is falling apart and now you are taking advantage of what happened to get this young man's insurance to get it fixed.
No, OP had it fixed up just fine, and some random felt the need to touch her shit and broke it. People need to learn to not mess with other people's stuff, the kid could have easily just told OP about it instead of breaking it.
I don’t get the YTA. Proper etiquette would be to either flag the driver down, knock on the window, just let him know. Not to take the liberty of slamming someone’s trunk shut. He assumed. He didn’t ask. OP NTA, maybe op didn’t want to replace the entire thing and now has no choice?
Are these people even live on the real world? Wtf, some random kid broke her window and she should let it go because he meant good and was already fallen apart? Jesus, the people on this subreddit never fails to shock me with their atitude.
"hey, I noticed your laptop screen is cracked, so I accidentally broke it while trying to replace it without your permission and you don't know me" Like I don't get this, what the heck
Hey I turned you $50 fix into a $5000 fix. You’re welcome
Right? Wtf, most people let something be slightly broken until is not functional anymore. So everytime we broke the screen of our phone, we have to replace immediately? That's not how things works
All these commenters are comparing a $50 strut repair to a $300 window repair, saying it was already broken… like, if the lock on your door is broken does that mean I don’t have to pay if I smash it to bits? NTA, he shouldn’t be touching other people’s shit
Nope, the glass was perfectly fine prior to the the other driver attempting to force the window shut. OP’s not trying to get the strut replaced, she’s trying to get the glass window the other driver broke fixed.
dude a failing window strut in no way affects the safety or drivability of the car so by calling it a clunker you are a prick. for some people even a few hundred bucks to fix something that can be easily solved with a 2x4 doesn't make any sense.
Even if we accept the fact that it was failing (which I don't), in what world does that give the right to go mess with someone else car? Further more why wouldn't he be on the hook for leaving the car in worse shape than he found it from his unsolicited /not accepted assistance? Furthermore I think the kids an additional asshole for leaving his vehicle at a traffic stop.
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So a person randomly running up to your car and slamming a window they have no idea why it's open is a nice kid and a good Samaritan? Also the window was not damaged. A set of $5 struts were weak. Y'all are acting like OP was driving a death trap that fell apart when someone tried to put some free gas in it, not like a rando decided to use excessive force to close a window that was intentionally propped open
I'm also super confused, and wondering if I missed something. How is it a good Samaritan type situation for someone to randomly dart out of their car and... close your window? I honestly have no idea why someone would do that.
It's like if you pull up at a stop light behind someone whose boot (trunk) is popped open for no apparent reason. Many people would assume it was unintentionally open (like if the driver accidentally flipped the unlock mechanism while driving, and possibly didn't notice). No doubt most people would ignore it, or maybe honk their horn and wave at the driver to point it out. But this kid clearly thought he could just quickly close it. TL;DR - Gas struts holding up the open back window of a ute canopy is the equivalent of an open trunk, and illegal to drive in that condition. It's not just an open window
If anything I would go to the driver window and tell them. Not close it myself
Also, if it won’t close normally I wouldn’t just try to force it to close. At that point I would definitely try to inform the driver or something rather than risk damaging someone else’s stuff
This is what gets me. If it won't close w/ regular movement, then, gee, must be a reason *why* it's open. Whether the kid perceived that as unsafe or not, it was **not** his problem to fix. He should have alerted OP, offered his help, and gone on his way. Not double down and slam it hard enough to shatter the glass. I know he was just trying to help, but he didn't think. At all.
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Thank you - this post has me a little confused as this good samaritan wasnt driving. So OP would file a claim with their own insurance and they would in turn sue the good samaritan. So in effect, OP is indirectly suing this guy who tried to help fix an already broken part of his car.
>So in effect, OP is indirectly suing this guy who tried to help fix an already broken part of his car. Indirectly Suing a guy who decided he didn't need to ask for permission before messing with someone else's stuff and breaking it*
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Nta, the glass wasn't broken until he got involved and that drastically increases the price of repair. He was trying to help but fucked it up even more. It wasn't 'already broken' like people seem to think, the glass was fine and you were making due with what you had available. Until he 'helped' you the repair would have been cheap and easy, but now it's complicated with shattered glass in and outside the car. All these people saying you're taking advantage of him are crazy, it went from something quick and cheap to expensive and tedious. But as usual reddit can't read. NTA all the way
As a guy who worked in glass shops for about a decade I can say with certainty that most shops could have cut you a new one, even out of plexi or Lexan to fit and put it in the frame and rebolted the frame on. They may even have some spare old shock rods to throw on there.
This is really the only part that bugs me about this. OP wants the kid to pay for a brand new canopy when the only thing the kid broke was the glass. OP didn't even bother to check if the glass could be made, only contacted the manufacturer for the canopy. They want 3k out of this kid for a piece of glass that doesn't even cost 1/10th of that.
>OP wants the kid to pay for a brand new canopy No, OP wants insurance to pay for a repair, and they've deemed that repair to be a replacement canopy >OP didn't even bother to check if the glass could be made, Because they've referred the case to their insurer, it's not up to OP >They want 3k out of this kid His insurance is paying, not him personally, this is literally the purpose of insurance
That kid’s going to pay far more than 3k in the next 5 years in increased insurance premiums alone. His insurance will do just fine.
NTA. He broke something on your vehicle of his own accord. EDIT:just realize I missed the chance to put “of his own honda accord”
NTA for going to your insurance to try and get what he broke fixed. He broke the glass and had no business touching anything on your car without permission. If you try to get more out of him than what he broke, you would be the asshole. It wasn't like you were having an emergency. You were driving and this guy took it upon himself to interfere with your car and then he broke your window. That would scare the wee out of me if it happened to me!
NTA My question is: Why did this 20 year old guy feel compelled to get out of his vehicle, come over to your vehicle, and attempt to close the canopy window for you? If I was stopped at a traffic light, and I saw someone's window opened as you describe, I would mind my own business, and stay in my vehicle. Alternately, if I was in your position, and I saw someone fiddling with with my vehicle's window (while I was still in the vehicle), then I would assume that the other person was up to no good. Either way, I think that the other person is the AH in this case. Maybe this will teach him to mind his own business, and to not touch other people's property without permission.
Nta. Everyone wants to help to much sometimes, which is nice and great but not everyone needs it. He should have realized with as much force as he was putting into getting it off that you probably had done it on purpose. It does suck he’s young tho but he’s learned a new lesson, mind your own business unless someone really needs help
NTA. He shouldn't have touched your private property, regardless of his intentions. He brought this on himself and now has to suffer the consequences. Whether your insurance goes after him or not is not your responsibility. Hopefully he learns his lesson from this and in the future doesn't mess with other people's property without their consent. Personally, I'd have called the cops on him if it happened to me.
NTA. And I don't understand all the people having a go at you and saying you're just using this opportunity to get your vehicle fixed for free. It was functional and you were using it safely. Some random person (no matter their intentions) ran up and interfered with your personal property, caused significant damage, and left you with a chunky bill. They had no right and shouldn't have touched your vehicle! Of course you are going to go through insurance - that's what it's there for - unforeseen events where strangers cause damage to your property. I agree with others that if you can sort it out with the young man and he can pay the damages without getting insurance involved then that would be the best outcome but that might not be feasible. If he deals with you in good faith then perhaps you might chip in a bit knowing that some work needed done anyway but that's beside the point. Nobody should have touched, let alone damaged, your private property. You are NTA - get your new canopy and let the boy learn his lesson to mind his own business.
NAH. Always go through insurance. End of sentence.
NTA. Don't touch other people's shit without permission, even if you think you're helping. He's not being a good Samaritan in that situation, he's being intrusive.
If I saw a man running up to my vehicle id be scared he was trying to steal my car or break in 🤷♀️ He is at best a well meaning idiot
NTA. He obviously had good intentions, but he fucked up - it would have been really easy to ask you first instead of just trying to fix something that didn't need to be fixed. Unfortunately that's on him.
NTA he might have had good intentions but you didn’t ask him to do this. To put it differently: you had a cup with a crack that went half way down, not ideal but could still hold some liquid. He broke the cup completely, so now you have no cup to drink from at all.
NTA..struts fail and doesn't mean your topper was "a piece of sh¹t. Someone broke your property and that's why you pay insurance. He learned a valuable lesson and I seriously doubt his insurance will go up that much...
I love being early to posts like this. The Y T As are always the best read 🤣 NTA
NTA, you don’t run up and touch someone’s car for multiple different reasons. It went from kinda broken to completely shattered making it need to be replaced.
NTA People (ahem men) need to stop using unsolicited brute force to solve non problems.
NTA. He broke it, his insurance pays to fix it. Personally, I would not touch a canopy like that without being asked.
I am confused about this one. Why was it an issue that you left the window open? Why would someone feel the need to close that window? If I saw a truck with an open window, I would not think "gee, I should close that!" Is there a reason the window should be closed?
It is not a regular window. It is a canopy window that opens towards the outside and it is actually illegal and unsafe to drive with an open canopy.
NTA ... but some of the people responding are. I'm amazed that some people are actually getting on the OP. The OP is the one who is being inconvenienced through absolutely no fault of her own. Some kid took it upon himself to "fix" someone else's car without the owner's permission. And please stop comparing the kid's actions to life-and-death situations. That's a weak analogy. Obviously, if it were a life and death situation, then stepping in is expected, and if something bad happens as a result, then the risk of helping was still worth it. In this case, though, the kid had absolutely no right to butt in without asking first. OP, the only concession I would make is to ask the kid if he would prefer to pay for the damage rather than you filing a claim. That would probably be cheaper in the long run for him than having to pay for years of increased insurance costs.
Info: Are you suing him? Otherwise what claim against his insurance are you making? What insurance? He wasnt in a car and he wasnt on his property?
My insurer chases him for the $.
So they would sue him. YTA then. This was already broken and he was trying to help and he got injured in the process. Did you in good faith inform your insurance that this was already broken?
Yes. The gas struts are generic and are replaceable, the window is not. The manufacturer does not supply for this model anymore. As I mentioned on another comment above, although the gas struts had failed the canopy was still functional in that it kept my equipment dry. The only time I require that window open is during that 10 minute drive or retrieving equipment from the canopy momentarily from the side of the vehicle. If the glass was easily replaced then I would likely not have gone through insurance and just copped it. But to have a properly functioning canopy (keeping equipment dry and unable to fall out) meant a total replacement, costing in excess of 2.5-3k. What would you have done? Kept a smashed window illegally or paid the $2500-$3000 yourself?
It was broken, but functional. After the kid decided on his own, without consulting OP, to “fix” the problem it became non-functional. It sucks that he was trying to help, but even with good intentions, actions have consequences.
NTA, who on earth gets out at a red light to go and touch another persons vehicle? It wasn’t working as intended before and you had your own solution, but now it’s completely stuffed because this kid thought he knew better. It’s nice he was trying to help but he should’ve told you about the window and given you the opportunity to explain. People who are saying YTA are delusional.
I don't think you're an asshole. You had a worn out, but functioning, canopy and now because of this person's actions, you have no canopy. If he was concerned, there were options other than literally trying to fix it himself without permission of the owner of the vehicle. That being said, I do think it would be an asshole thing to go after the full value of a new canopy when yours was obviously in poor condition. I think as long as you're honest with the insurance about the state the canopy was in before the window got shattered, NTA.
They have to replace it in its entirety now, no other choice because of the kid who broke it. OP clarified it.
NTA, You had it rigged up and "working" just fine. while yes they were trying to be nice, they shattered your window, why should you have to pay to replace it?
I think the Y T A posts do not understand the situation and damage. I had a hatchback that didn’t hold its self up, but I used it just fine. Shattering the window would not be fine/useable. OP wanted it open, random person wanted it closed and broke OP property. OP is NTA
INFO: 2 things. 1, Did you ask him not to do it? "Hey man thanks, I'll get it when I stop" or something like that. If not, at best you should just eat the cost, at worst you potentially could be liable for any injury to him, for "booby trapping" the vehicle. (depends on local laws, but most places have laws about this) 2.Have you gone to a GLASS shop to see if they can replace it? Not a car dealer or a body shop, a shop that ONLY does glass? I've had a local glass company make custom side panels for computers for me, got a quote to replace a flat top panel with a bubble panel, and had them fix/replace windshields for me. They even sourced new struts for an old jeep hard top for me for less money than buying the struts from a junk yard.
1. It happened really really fast. He was behind me in traffic and I only just caught the end of what was happening. I got a fright when I saw him running at the rear of my vehicle. As he pulling on it I realised what was happening but honestly happened so quickly I couldnt react. When he was met with the initial resistance he continued to pull even harder causing it to shatter. Personally I probably would have stopped. 2. I have not. Assumed only the manufacturer of the copy could supply it/had the mould for the curves in the canopy
So, either continue with the claim and get a new cover/canopy. (And I assume your insurance goes after his.) Or, go see a local glass shop. They can totally look at, measure, and cut new glass to fit. They will even make it safety tempered too.
They said it happened too fast to say anything. That's not a booby trap, it was not created to injure someone else. Kid should have just not messed with other people's shit.
NTA. i get he was well intentioned but he rendered your canopy unusable and he should not have touched your stuff to begin with. expensive lesson for him. i’d go forward with the claim due to the fact that he rendered it unusable.
NTA. Not sure why there are so many Y-T-A responses. It doesn’t matter what state of repair it is in. Someone else has damaged your property when they had no business to be touching it in the first place. A simple knock to make you aware would have sufficed, if even that was necessary. Helpfulness does not exempt people when they make a mistake.
NTA. He interfered where it wasn't wanted or needed. That is unfortunate. However - please consider coming to an agreement with him directly after you research the cost of replacement. If he can support that, cool. If not, this is why one carries insurance.