There was no dispute who was at fault in the July 30 accident that severely damaged Eduardo Cabrera’s 1999 Ford Escort.
Cabrera was turning right into a Shell station on Dempster Street in Morton Grove when a car pulled out in front of him. He stopped, but the Pace bus behind him did not.
The bus swerved, but it struck the left rear bumper of Cabrera’s Escort. The impact caused an estimated $3,583.13 in damage to the car.
A Pace representative quickly arrived at the scene and Cabrera, from Park Ridge, said he was fine — but that his car wasn’t. The Pace employee gave him his card and told him to call to file a claim.
Cabrera figured it was a no-brainer. In the police report, the responding officer made it clear the Pace bus driver was to blame, saying the driver failed to reduce speed to avoid the crash.
Despite the report, Pace, which is self-insured, dragged its heels paying, Cabrera said.
Each time he called, he was given a different excuse for why it was taking so long, Cabrera said. At first, the Pace employee said she didn’t have the police report, Cabrera said. Then it was the damage estimate. Then it was the Escort’s mileage.
Cabrera said he faxed, mailed and called in information to Pace, but the bus service was unresponsive.
When he still hadn’t received an offer by late January, Cabrera e-mailed What’s Your Problem?
“Since July, I have called more than 30 times,” he said. “I don’t know if they want to pay me or they’re just trying to ignore it.”
Although his car still runs, Cabrera, a caregiver, said he has been reluctant to drive it for work because it looks unprofessional. “I have refused some job offers because they’re in Chicago and I don’t want to drive into Chicago with a car like that.”
The Problem Solver called Pace spokesman Patrick Wilmot on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, Cabrera called the claims representative at Pace and was told the bus company was offering a settlement of $2,665.
Cabrera said he immediately accepted the offer.
Pace said its records don’t match Cabrera’s version of the case.
Wilmot said the bus company offered Cabrera the “total loss value” for his car on Oct. 27, but Cabrera never responded. In fact, Wilmot said, Pace had not heard from Cabrera at all between Oct. 27 and Wednesday, when he called Pace and accepted the $2,665 offer.
“Our claims representative is a meticulous note and record keeper, and her account matches up with investigations of computer and phone records when we investigated Mr. Cabrera’s issue,” Wilmot said.
According to Pace, there were only six phone calls between Cabrera and Pace in the months after the accident, and none since the fall.
“Quite simply, the ball was in his court ever since we gave him a monetary offer for his car in October,” Wilmot said.
The spokesman said Pace phone records show Cabrera called several times since October, but never left a message.
“Without a message, we have no way of knowing that he’s been trying to call,” Wilmot said.
Cabrera disputed Wilmot’s version of events, saying he called repeatedly since October and left voice messages with his name and number each time, but no one from Pace called back.
When asked if Pace made him a settlement offer on Oct. 27, Cabrera said no.
“No, they did not,” he said. “They did not offer anything.”
The first offer, Cabrera insisted, was on Wednesday.
Wilmot and Cabrera agreed on one thing — both are glad a settlement had been reached.
“If Mr. Cabrera is able to drop off the forms today … everything will be processed quickly and I’m told he could have his check by the middle of next week,” Wilmot said Thursday.
“We’re glad he’s pleased with the settlement offer and hope to have this resolved for him as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said.
Cabrera said he’s pleased with the $2,665 offer.
“I’m satisfied with that,” he said. “No problem. I’m happy with it.”
