OMG 1Ds MK3 hit the concrete

xarqi wrote in post #7405984
You know who the real culprit is here; the one who should be sued?
Isaac Newton.

Nah, he only discovered gravity, or the rules surrounding it. Who ever made gravity is of course totally at fault, not those that have to live with the effect of it

kiwichris wrote in post #7406659
Nah, he only discovered gravity, or the rules surrounding it. Who ever made gravity is of course totally at fault, not those that have to live with the effect of it

We didn't have gravity before Newton.

-js

Hey, without gravity, how would Number Six get his sewer flowing again???

Everyone wants to make this black and white and its not. Yeah, its kind of a bummer the lady didn't stay around longer and ask if everything was OK or whatever but sheesh, what if I had a $5 million dollar item on the table that you knocked off and broke? The people advocating that you should pay for it are really saying you should pay for it as long as it is a price THEY consider reasonable. I'm guessing most people wouldn't be OK making a multi-thousand dollar payment to some person they walked too close to in a restaurant for the REST OF THEIR LIFE!!! Some things are just accidents. I don't care if this is a photography forum, it is NOT NORMAL to walk around with a $9000 camera. If you do, YOU should have insurance. Same thing if you drive a Rolls Royce. Driving a $1 Million car is NOT normal.

Neil_R "An old infirm man trips and to prevent himself falling he acciently damaged my camera, do you think I should kick him in the bollocks?"

Of course not. I didn't say a word o him. He never knew he did it. By the time I realized what had happened he was gone up the isle. I was just trying to make the point that things happen out of our control no matter how careful we are at times but I do try to minimize the exposure my gear has to an accident. Use the strap .... put it away as much as possible when not in use... things like that. Maybe I didn't word it correctly.

Here's an analogy. The photographers leave their car parked at the corner of a parking lot and when the lady parks, she causes an accident and damages the car. It's an accident. She says: "Oh, sorry" and walks away.

I see no difference between scenarios. I put my camera on a table as well, that's where the camera is parked.

TheHoff wrote in post #7397861
Please... you've been on POTN long enough. This thread is going at least another 4 pages.

Thank you, thread. Please continue.

DocFrankenstein's scenario differences:
1) There are hit and run statutes in place
2) A car is not a camera.
3) If you're in a parking lot, then you're supposed to be looking out for other cars. If you're in a restaurant, you're supposed to be looking out for cameras?
4) The car was parked where it was supposed to be. The camera was close enough to the edge of the table to be knocked off.

Sigh. I was about to unsubscribe from this thread, as it's become really, really repetitive.

My thoughts about the incident, as described in the original post (not as embellished by others) remains.

---------------

You want hypotheticals? OK. Here's mine.

- I walk past the table and brush the camera with my bag, causing it to fall to the floor.

- I evaluate the situation, and decide right away if it's my fault or not.

- If it is, "Sorry! Here's my card." (I have insurance, but for small stuff I'd pay out of pocket.)

- If it's not my fault, "Sorry", then I walk on. If I do, and the owner of the camera gets nasty I tell him "see you in court, then". I probably wouldn't offer him any ID, it's his problem.

- If he gets physical, I call the cops.

Anyone have a problem with this?

Wait, so the camera was on the table and not under it?

number six wrote in post #7408711
Sigh. I was about to unsubscribe from this thread, as it's become really, really repetitive.

My thoughts about the incident, as described in the original post (not as embellished by others) remains.

---------------

You want hypotheticals? OK. Here's mine.

- I walk past the table and brush the camera with my bag, causing it to fall to the floor.

- I evaluate the situation, and decide right away if it's my fault or not.

- If it is, "Sorry! Here's my card." (I have insurance, but for small stuff I'd pay out of pocket.)

- If it's not my fault, "Sorry", then I walk on. If I do, and the owner of the camera gets nasty I tell him "see you in court, then". I probably wouldn't offer him any ID, it's his problem.

- If he gets physical, I call the cops.

Anyone have a problem with this?

My deepest sympathy...

On the other hand, You should have taken a picture of the event and write OWN3D or POWN3D on it..

Once again, to anyone placing the least bit of blame on the passerby; The camera should have been secured. Leave expensive equipment unattended at your own risk!

Unattended includes unsecured. If it's not attached to you or out of others reach, it can go bye bye very quickly.

Reign wrote in post #7408415
DocFrankenstein's scenario differences:
1) There are hit and run statutes in place
2) A car is not a camera.
3) If you're in a parking lot, then you're supposed to be looking out for other cars. If you're in a restaurant, you're supposed to be looking out for cameras?
4) The car was parked where it was supposed to be. The camera was close enough to the edge of the table to be knocked off.

1) so are you implying that you think this situation should be resolved differently only on the basis of stated law?
2) ..and? they're both personal property.
3) why yes, when i am walking around, i usually make it a point to see where i am going and to assess my surroundings. this is why i say sorry if i bump into people on the metro, it's my fault for walking into stationary objects or people.
4) actually, per most state laws, as long as you run into a stationary or unattended vehicle, it is YOUR responsibility to leave contact information for the car owner. i can park my car some place it is not supposed to be parked but it is NOT MOVING and it is the responsibility of other drivers not to run into it. if a car is blocking a roadway, you are not free of liability if you use your car to nudge it out of the way. you call a towing company and you get that car impounded. if it is stationary, it is your responsibility if you collide with it. (it doesn't matter if i'm a foot out of my space and the rear of my car is widely sticking out of a spot, if someone hits it, they are supposed to leave a note.)

i just don't see a huge difference between these two accidental forms of destruction of property. one is just more common so it is protected by laws, the other is not.

brianch wrote in post #7382330
I hope that never happens to me, I don't know what I'd do...

I doubt that person would be able to get 1' from me before he/she was on the ground with my foot in there mouth while I called the police. That's a hefty damage bill right there. I hope everything works out for your bud.

Sorry, homeowners won't cover it unless you have a specific "rider" for your camera

DennisW1 wrote in post #7382235
You can file a civil lawsuit against anyone for just about anything. That's really the last resort after trying to resolve a situation and not having any success. The deciding factor is if the amount you're trying to recoup is worth the time and expense of it. The other option might be small claims court.
There's a large difference between bumping someone's table at a resturant and spilling their drink and bouncing almost $9k of camera gear on the floor. I certainly would not have just left it at her walking away with nothing more than "sorry", and I think just letting her out of your sight without settling the issue of responsibility was a mistake. Without witnesses she could easily claim that she was never even in the resturant or near the table where your friend had his camera.
At this point, if you're lucky enough to be able to track this woman down, it might be worth suggesting that she is responsible for the damages to the camera and lens, but lets face it a Best Buy employee is not very likely to have the money its going to take to repair either the camera or the lens much less both.
If your friend is a homeowner his homeowners insurance may cover the damages, check the policy.
My condolences to your friend also, just reading that made me a little bit sick.