ATLANTA — After months of saving, Joe Luck was finally able to purchase his dream car: a Cadillac CT5V.
The military veteran's love for cars goes back generations, so he felt a sense of pride when he first got behind the wheel of his new ride.
"I've been waiting for a year-and-a-half for it," Luck told 11Alive. "These cars are very hard to get -- semiconductor shortages, cars have been on long wait times."
"It's a very special vehicle, but I've only had it for six months, and it's only got 4,000 miles on it," he added.
But last week, Luck drove his car to a restaurant in West Midtown where he ran into bad luck and where he said his date night turned into a nightmare.
Luck dropped his car off at the valet service outside of Bastone.
Not long after, he was told his car was involved in a crash.
Dash cam video from inside his car showed the valet driver trying to make a U-turn on Howell Mill Road, when another car slammed into the driver's side of the vehicle.
"The side airbags deployed on both side, and then the driver's side seat airbag deployed also," Luck said, describing the damage. "The rear quarter panels destroyed, the rear driver's axles off the car."
"It's in pretty bad shape, I can't even drive it," he lamented. "I have to figure out what I do from here."
Watch the video below:
Luck said so far, he has not heard any solutions from the valet company's insurance. The valet company, National Parking, said it fired the valet driver. The company sent 11Alive a statement, saying:
”National Parking has been proudly serving the southeast for 40 years, delivering the highest quality valet service in the industry to hundreds of thousands of customers every year. Unfortunately, accidents and damages are a reality of the valet parking industry. We recognize that, although only a small percentage of our interactions result in claims, every incident is an inconvenience on our customers. As such, we pride ourselves on our reputation as industry leaders in managing each and every claim that comes through and ensuring that they are resolved in an expeditious, fair, and efficient manner.”
Nonetheless, Luck said he feels frustrated, stuck and angry. He said he wants National Parking to pay for the value of his vehicle or help him get another one.
Insurance expert John Miller, chairman of Sterling Seacrest Pritchard, Inc., said Luck or anyone in a similar situation can ask the valet company's insurance, the business that partnered with the valet company or use their own auto insurance to recoup some of the value of the car.
“If the valet’s company pays it, facility pays it, or his personal automobile insurance pays it – and then doesn’t pay him what he thinks is the just value for the vehicle, his recourse would be to hire an attorney and file suit against the person that was the proximate cause of the damage to the vehicle." Miller explained. "Presumably, that’s the valet driver in this case. So, that suit would be against the valet driver, valet company and likely the institution that hired the valet company to make sure he got made whole relative to the value of his vehicle."
Miller advised doing a walkaround of a vehicle before and after dropping it off from a valet service or rental company. Take pictures or video with a cellphone so that it can mark the timestamp and provide better evidence of what may have happened. Miller noted to check tire rims, corners of bumpers and other parts of vehicles that get frequently damaged in crashes.
Miller also suggested checking the mileage of a vehicle to make sure no one has driven it further than normal. Finally, Miller advises identifying any personal belongings and locking them up to keep them safe.
"If a third-party damages your vehicle, there’s an expectation to not only fix the vehicle, but also to provide you with transportation and replacement of – because the concept of insurance is that you be made whole," Miller said. "They should put you back in the same position you would have been."
Luck fears he may be out thousands of dollars if working directly through insurance. When it comes to getting around, he hopes his luck changes soon.
"I know I’ll never valet a vehicle ever again," Luck said. "I’ll figure out something, even if I have to pay extra to park my own vehicle. I won’t trust them with the keys to my car ever again. You’re just going to be kind of stranded with the way this system works. But keep fighting. You’ve gotta find a way around it and a way to help you out.”