When TikToker Kaitlin (@kait.iness) was 16 years old and a junior in high school, she hit someone while driving her dad’s car. She grew up in a small town of about 5,000 people.
At the time, her first car was a 1992 Chevy Blazer, and she was embarrassed to be driving it because everyone else her age was getting brand-new cars.
Her dad also got himself a brand-new vehicle, a GMC Yukon Denali. She struck a deal with him to allow her to drive his new car on Fridays. He agreed, but she was only allowed to drive it to and from school.
“So, we kind of get into this routine of me driving his car every single Friday,” said Kaitlin. “One particular Friday rolls around, and I drive the car to school.”
“At lunchtime, we’re going off campus for lunch. I have my best friend with me. We decided we’re going to a Mexican restaurant in town. We get in line, we’re all leaving the parking lot, going to lunch. All kind of get caught up in traffic.”
Kaitlin decided to cut through an alley because the alley led straight into the parking lot of the Mexican restaurant. She had a proper grip on the steering wheel and was not distracted in any way.
But out of nowhere, a guy on a bicycle came barreling out of the bushes to her left, not paying attention to his surroundings.
She ended up hitting this guy with her car. She immediately parked the car, got out, and ran over to the guy. He popped right back up and started laughing. Then, he proceeded to hop on his bike and ride away.
“I’m from a very small town where you either do drugs or you go to church,” said Kaitlin. “There’s really no in between. You could definitely tell that he was on something.”
“Pretty sure that’s why he didn’t feel a whole lot from the impact at the time.”
The whole accident took less than three minutes, and she didn’t get his name. Kaitlin and her friend didn’t know what to do. In the end, they just went to the Mexican restaurant for lunch, returned to school, and pretended as if nothing had happened.
Kaitlin decided not to tell her dad anything. Everything was fine until a week later, when her dad called her out to the garage. He was fuming and angrily gestured to the dents in the hood of his new car.
The dents wouldn’t have been noticeable, but her dad had the garage door open, and the sun was shining at just the right angle.
Of course, Kaitlin started to deny everything, but she was a terrible liar. A week later, her dad told her that he was going to file a claim with the car insurance company and asked her to tell her what happened.
She revealed that she had hit someone with his car. Her dad said nothing, clearly trying to hold his temper together. They never talked about it again until many years later. It has been 14 years since Kaitlin saw the guy she hit with a car.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
