Having a valet take and park your automobile is all the time a harrowing expertise, however that’s as a result of there are small cases the place a valet driver takes a automobile for a joyride and it ends in catastrophe. That’s what one man goes by means of as Atlanta’s NBC affiliate 11 Alive reviews how a valet driver allegedly took his CT5-V Blackwing on a pleasure journey that led to a fairly respectable wreck.
Joe Luck — an ironic title given the state of affairs — lastly acquired his dream automobile after a year-and-a-half of ready: a Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. However the dream ended pretty shortly the week of July 16, when Luck dropped his automobile off on the valet earlier than heading to dinner in downtown Atlanta. Issues took a flip for the more serious from there.
Luck later instructed 11 Alive that he went outdoors to seek out that his automobile after dinner, which had initially been parked in entrance of the restaurant, was not parked there. The valet service instructed him that his automobile had been sideswiped, so it wanted to be moved.
What Luck noticed when he acquired his automobile was finished by far more than a sideswipe. “The aspect airbags deployed on each side, after which the driving force’s aspect seat airbag deployed additionally,” Luck mentioned. “The rear quarter panels destroyed the rear driver’s axles off the automobile.
So, Luck, hoping to seek out out what actually occurred, took to wanting on the Blackwing’s built-in Efficiency Knowledge Recorder seize, which instructed a really totally different story.
You watch the automobile depart its parking spot in entrance of the restaurant and cruise for a couple of blocks. The valet places in a few spirited pumps of the throttle earlier than slowing down to try a u-turn. That’s when the Blackwing will get t-boned. For those who pay attention in, you possibly can hear the man behind the wheel grunt a couple of occasions earlier than saying, “Oh my god.” He locations a name. You possibly can’t hear who’s on the opposite finish at first, however after they bleep out his title he says, “This isn’t a very good one.” One other voice replies, “What’s up?” The valet replies, “I acquired **** t-boned.”
Luck, had solely had the Blackwing for six months and it had simply 4,000 miles on the time of the accident. Now he’s caught determining subsequent steps. The valet firm, Nationwide Parking, mentioned it terminated the driving force, and issued a assertion concerning the incident:
Nationwide Parking has been proudly serving the southeast for 40 years, delivering the best high quality valet service within the business to tons of of 1000’s of consumers yearly. Sadly, accidents and damages are a actuality of the valet parking business. We acknowledge that, though solely a small proportion of our interactions end in claims, each incident is an inconvenience on our clients. As such, we satisfaction ourselves on our popularity as business leaders in managing every declare that comes by means of and making certain that they’re resolved in an expeditious, honest, and environment friendly method.
Luck, nonetheless instructed 11 Alive he’s been left at nighttime by Nationwide Parking, and hasn’t acquired any of the corporate’s insurance coverage info, which the corporate actually says within the assertion could be “resolved in an expeditious, honest and environment friendly method.”
Whereas Luck awaits any type of assist or recourse on his destroyed Blackwing, he has made it very clear he won’t ever use a valet service once more. “…I’ll by no means valet a automobile ever once more. I’ll work out one thing, even when I’ve to pay additional to park my very own automobile. I received’t belief them with the keys to my automobile ever once more.”
