At first, he suspected his teenage kids who had been driving it that day. Then, he checked his Ring camera video, and it showed a surprising culprit.
It was not someone you'd expect to hit your car and then flee the scene. But that's what happened, and months later, this family is still trying to recoup their loss.
Brady Muir of San Ramon got the urgent call from his son. "I just want you to know something's wrong with the car -- the back is all smashed," the teen said. Their Volkswagen Jetta parked in front of the house was mysteriously damaged.
"I was hard on my kids. I was like, 'OK, just tell me what you did,'" said Muir.
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His teenagers said they were not responsible. They'd gone to get burgers and returned safely. "Literally we went to In-N-Out, and then came home," they said.
Muir scrolled through his Ring camera video. "All of a sudden, I see the post office (truck)," he said.
He was shocked at what he saw. The video shows a mail delivery truck with no driver inside slowly rolling away from the curb. The driver runs back and jumps inside.
"All of sudden it just went out of control," said Muir. "Then you hear a large bang, and the Volkswagen moved like four or five feet. Oh my holy cow, like, it was the post office - I was in complete disbelief."
The driver backs up and slowly veers around the damaged car, then drives off.
"Just right in front of our house, where we've been parking it for over 10 years, and boom! Did we get a note, did they ring the doorbell? No. The person just drove off, right?" said Muir.
Muir contacted the local post office to make a claim. An employee came and took pictures. According to Muir, they said, "I'm gonna turn this in, we'll get back to you." However, no one ever did.
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"I was like, well, this is a hit and run. So, no matter if you work for the government or not, like, you know, I don't care if it was the Army (that) came in and they hit my car, ran, you know,'' said Muir.
Muir contacted the Postmaster General in Sacramento. Muir said they told him, "What you need to do is take the car to get two estimates, and then we'll get back to you."
Again, no one did. So he called back.
"He's like, 'To be honest, it's gonna take six, nine months for us to get going on it," Muir said.
Six to nine months?!
"I was like, yeah, that's not going to work," said Muir. "I need the car for commuting."
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The damage seemed minimal. But the impact had bent the frame. The car was a total loss. And the insurance payout didn't cover the replacement cost. Muir had to settle for an older model.
That's when reality hit. Muir had lost a perfectly good car, plus the insurance deductible, rental car cost, lost hours at work - all through no fault of his own.
And months later, still no word on from the Postal Service.
"Crickets," said Muir. "It's on video. Clear cut case."
7 On Your Side asked why the Postal Service never responded to his claim.
A spokesperson said it's all because Muir never filed "standard form 95." He can't file a claim without it -- which no one had mentioned to Muir.
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So Muir quickly filled out standard form 95. But that was back in July. As October ended, still no word.
"I haven't heard back... They know they're at fault. There's a video showing that they are at fault. But now here I am, October 24, no communication. No, no nothing," said Muir.
So we contacted the Postal Service again. This time a spokesperson said his claim would be reviewed that very day and Muir would get a check in a few weeks. They said, "We sincerely apologize, and thank you for bringing this to our attention."
"Yeah, fingers crossed," Muir said.
And in case you are wondering, the U.S. Postal Service says the driver who caused the crash retired immediately after that incident. Muir says he filed a police report but did not pursue criminal charges.
If you have a complaint about a federal agency, like a delayed claim, let 7 On Your Side know. We can help you sort it out.
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