Wife Rear-Ends Some Guatemalan

I got a call yesterday during my Spanish lesson that Kristin and the kids were in a slight car accident near Mallory’s school. I was able to hitch a ride to the scene (our other car is in the shop again) to find the rear window of the other guy’s SUV busted clean out, along with a nice dent in his back door. Now it’s important to note the general rule of thumb regarding accident clean up in Guatemala: never wait for (or call) the police. If there are injuries, the police take both parties to jail until a proper judgment can be made, which can take up to a week. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but I felt hurried to get on with the negotiations lest one of Guate’s finest showed up. I was also fortunate enough to track down Byron Sanchez (an acquaintance of ours) by cell phone, who studied law in the U.S., and has a reputation as a troubleshooter for some of the gringos we know. It’s good to have a short list of “troubleshooters” here—I have a whole page full in my Moleskine.

Turns out I had to sign a contract stating I would pay the other guy’s insurance company for the damage. The contract failed to mention in what time frame I would pay, or the amount. Byron also pointed out additional loopholes, finishing with, “This is Guatemala, Dan. There are half a dozen ways out of this contract. Pay them a hundred Q a month if you want, it doesn’t matter.”

For the record, Kristin claims it was the other guy’s fault.