It’s a chance Chicago drivers take almost every day-- parking on a busy street, and hoping your vehicle will be in one piece when you get back. Tommy Holl of Andersonville thought he found the perfect spot last month on Clark Street. But when he came back, his car’s bumper was torn off.
Luckily, what happened was all caught on video. Unfortunately, having proof of what happened, didn’t mean Holl wouldn’t be paying for the damage.
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WATCH HEREOn Aug. 18, Holl’s Friday brunch came with a side of pain.
“When I came back, my bumper was on the ground,” said Holl. “I was just kind of in disbelief.”
Holl found a note on his car, but it wasn’t from whoever hit him.
“There wasn't a mystery of who did it. [A nearby business] actually put a note that said ‘A FedEx truck hit your bumper and drove away. Please contact … Big Vity Optical for video footage’,” said Holl.
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The video shows a FedEx truck side-swiping Holl’s car before ripping off his bumper. The driver doesn’t stop.
“When you look at the video, it looks like it hit it pretty hard. It looked like someone took like…like they just peeled it off like a band aid. Like it took off the whole front,” said Holl.
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SIGN UP Holl filed a police report and had his car towed. Then he decided to share this video online- still in disbelief about what happened.
“I actually posted on Facebook that that FedEx my car and drove away. And I actually got an immediate response to contact them via Facebook. And they put it in an incident number, I gave him the police report number and the insurance number. But then they said that someone would be in contact within 48 to 72 hours,” said Holl.
Weeks came and went with no further response from FedEx. Even though he had video proof showing the FedEx truck was at fault, Holl ended up having to pay a $500 deductible to get his car fixed. The total repair bill was about $2,100.
“I think ideally… I shouldn't have to pay a dime. I shouldn't have to wonder when this is all going to get resolved,” said Holl.
NBC 5 Responds looked at all reported crashes in Chicago that police said were caused by commercial delivery vehicles. We found there was a sharp rise in these crashes in 2018, when accidents rose 61.04% from the year before.
It was only when COVID took hold in 2020, with far less traffic on the road, that accidents caused by delivery trucks fell, but they've been increasing every year since.
As for FedEx….data shows there have been at least 66 FedEx-caused crashes reported since 2016.
“They should have a protocol where you can click ‘my car got hit. Here's the steps. Here's your incident number,' because I'm sure in big cities, it happens more than we are aware of,” said Holl.
After weeks of silence from FedEx, NBC 5 Responds reached out on Holl’s behalf. In a statement, they said, “We offer our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused by this incident. We are working directly with the individual involved to address this matter.”
“This is just the, I guess, a day in the life of any Chicagoan,” said Holl.
The next time you park, Holl suggests looking for security cameras, on the street and in surrounding business just in case. It could save you the cost of your deductible, if anything happens to your vehicle.
“Maybe all stores need to have like security cameras. I’m even thinking about maybe getting a dash cam,” said Holl.
NBC 5 Responds reached out to FedEx, UPS, DHL and USPS about what drivers should do if they suspect their cars were hit by one of their trucks. We also wanted to know what their internal policies are for drivers who are involved in a crash. Here’s what they told us:
FedEx: There is no higher priority for FedEx than safety. Anyone representing FedEx is expected to follow all traffic laws, and we are reviewing the circumstances behind this matter and will take the appropriate action. While we do not comment on specifics related to our internal policies, we regularly issue reminders related to the safe operation of vehicles. Anyone wishing to report an incident such as this should engage customer service by visiting fedex.com or contact law enforcement if necessary.
UPS: Safety is UPS’s number one priority. Our drivers are trained to be aware of their surroundings at all times and are some of the safest drivers on the road. In the case of any incident involving one of our employees and/or vehicle, we work with the local authorities to investigate, and follow our internal process to determine if retraining or discipline is required. You can learn more about our commitment to training here.
We are still waiting to hear back from USPS and DHL.
