GREENSBORO, N.C. — The sign outside the shop pretty much says it all. Anything On Wheels is a car shop and they fix pretty much anything on wheels, “If it’s not working, we can fix it,” said owner Jamie Morris.
The shop doesn’t do bodywork but if it’s a mechanical issue they can probably help. In fact, there are often several cars in the lot waiting to be repaired or recently finished.
Zachary Odell took his Tahoe to the shop earlier this year, “I needed some transmission work done and some other stuff,” said Odell. The Tahoe was repaired and ready to be picked up but before Odell could get there something happened.
In the early morning, hours on June 16 police said two drivers got into a shootout on West Market Street near Anything On Wheels. One of the drivers lost control of the F-150 he was in and crashed into several cars parked outside the mechanic shop, “I’ve never seen anything like this, my parking lot looked like a demolition derby,” said Morris.
The driver took off after slamming into six vehicles in the parking lot. Police found shell casings all over the street and the parking lot. Several of the cars were totaled from the crash, “For one (truck) to do this it’s hard to believe,” said Morris.
One of the vehicles hit belonged to Odell, “I don’t know how bad it is,” said Odell. The impact of the crash pushing another car into the side of his Tahoe. Unlike some of the vehicles, his Tahoe can be repaired but his insurance won’t cover it.
Odell reached out to police to figure out who was driving the F-150 that crashed but was told the truck was rented and the driver (who took off) was not the person who rented it. Odell and the other drivers then reached out to Enterprise but that wasn’t working out either, “I can’t file a claim without the guy’s name and since they won’t give me that I’m kicking rocks,” said Odell.
Frustrated about what was going on and wanting to help her customers, Morris reached out to our Call for Action Team, “Someone needed to get them help,” said Morris.
Our volunteers and staff reached out to Enterprise and the Greensboro Police Department. The driver who crashed was never located and police have been unable to identify them. The problem obviously being if the police don’t know who he is, owners of the vehicles damaged can’t go after his/her insurance company.
When our team reached out to Enterprise it had been more than three months since the crash occurred and the case was not resolved, “I had given up,” said Odell. Our team sent several emails to Enterprise and provided information from the police report. Enterprise emailing back basically telling us they have been trying to obtain information and it has taken some time.
We then provided Enterprise with more information and put them in contact with some of the car owners. A couple of weeks after that we were told adjusters were getting in contact with the owners, “You guys did a lot of footwork I was not able to do,” said Odell.
It took almost four months, but Odell finally received a check in the mail from Enterprise, “Without you all, I would not have gotten that check,” said Odell.
Our volunteers and staff helped those involved collect more than $20,000 to repair or be reimbursed for their cars, “Everyone was paid thanks to you,” said Morris.
In North Carolina, mechanic or car shops are not allowed to carry insurance that covers incidents outside the building. If you are a car owner and are having some work done at a shop and it may be there overnight the only way your car is protected from something like this or vandalism is if you have comprehensive coverage.
In this case, Enterprise eventually settled with all the parties involved but to make sure your car is covered you may want to check your policy.
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