On May 7, we parked our 1994 Chevrolet Corvette on the west side of the 700 block of Main Avenue to meet some friends for lunch around 12:30 p.m. We left the restaurant a little after 2 p.m. and headed for our car. My wife had already gotten in on the passenger side, and as I was approaching the drivers side, a man approached me and pointed out that someone had side-swiped the Corvette without stopping. This man, who turned out to be a good Samaritan in the truest sense, had not only jotted down the license number, he contacted the Durango Police Department. As a result, the person responsible was apprehended, a citation was issued and a police report was prepared, giving us the opportunity to have the damage repaired by the party responsible.
Because the city permits nonmetered parking on Saturdays, this good Samaritan had no way of knowing how long it might be from the time of the accident until we returned to our vehicle. Nonetheless, he stayed there waiting for us. He could have left a note on the car. He did not. After we realized what had happened, my wife and I thanked him, but we never got his name. So I want to thank him publicly for stepping up and helping us out. Durango is truly a great community to live in, but more importantly, the people here generally are more involved and help one another much more readily than in a larger, metropolitan area.
And to the person who hit my car: Corvettes are made of fiberglass, so any damage, no matter how small it may appear, is more costly than the average car to repair. You left behind the corner piece of your bumper. Had it not been for this good Samaritan, you would have gotten away scot-free.
Lastly, I want to thank the Durango Police Department for its assistance. Officers were dealing with another, more major incident than our accident around the same time yet took our information with the same attention. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Bruce C. Harris, Durango
