When a Truck Bedliner Struck His Car Causing a Crash, This Struggling Student Was Desperate

Do you remember being at the spot in your life when you’re barely scraping by? Maybe you were going to school. Maybe you had just moved out away from your folks. Whatever the reason, each month you barely managed to survive on the money you had.

Then something happened. Did a tire go flat? Did you get sick?

Whatever it was, it was a disaster. You didn’t know how you could go on. Then somebody helped.

13015312_10207341729076050_3671279815434107386_nJust recently, Chris Allen was driving when his life changed suddenly for the worse around 5:45 p.m on April 13. He wrote, “Someone was leaving Eureka North bound, when the bed liner of their truck caught wind, flew across to the South bound side of 101, hit the front of my car, and slid under my tire, causing me to crash and total my car.”

He posted some photos of the aftermath and asked for help tracking down the owner of the truckliner (who may not even be aware what happened.) Allen explained, “I’m a poor student, barely able to pay my rent right now, and cannot afford to take care of the financial issues stemming from this.” He was hoping to be able to get compensation from the owner of the truck’s insurance. But…so far, no luck tracking down the owner.

Friends have suggested he post a GoFundMe page and ask for help. He did. He wrote on the page though, “Please, do not feel obligated, or even guilted, into giving me money.” He said he feels weird asking for help but, he said, “I owe the tow company for towing my car (and will owe them more and more until I can pay to get it out), and while I MIGHT be able to get reimbursed by my insurance for the tow fee, that is not a guarantee, nor do I have the money to throw down to do it to be reimbursed in the first place.”

He worries that he “may end up having to pay for the repair to the guard rail.” But most of all, he said, “I need a new car.  I live in between Eureka and Arcata, but I work in Eureka, as the Staples house call computer tech (so I drive around for my job, so I kinda need a car for that), and I go to school at CR.”

If you have any information on whose liner might have hit Allen, contact the California Highway Patrol. If you would like to contribute to his GoFundMe page, click here.

“Thank you, everyone,” Allen writes.

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The bedliner that caused the accident. [Photos provided by Chris Allen]

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12 Comments
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Chris Allen
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Chris Allen
7 years ago

If anyone has information it might be better to call CHP, as they’re the ones that took the report.

Chris Allen
Guest
Chris Allen
7 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Nothing to apologize for. Not like you knew.

hmm
Guest
hmm
7 years ago

Sorry to hear this.

Anna
Guest
Anna
7 years ago

The guard rail should be covered under his liability portion of his insurance. . I read he only carries liability.

watchingtoomuchfornsicfiles
Guest
watchingtoomuchfornsicfiles
7 years ago

Cops need to perform some forensic tests on the bed liner . Is there dna on it from the owner? Human hairs? Or think. The owners fingerprints are going to becALL OVER the rear of the liner by tailgate. Have they dusted for finger prints? Any rookie cop could do that …maybe they could narrow where the bed liner was manufactured …with triple magnification microscope find fibers linked to a particular midel or year…maybe there is a serial number on it that’s owner specific (?) Good thing no one was seriously injured or killed.

Shari Y.
Guest
7 years ago

Thank you so much for posting this to your page REDHEAD BLACKBELT. Awesome community involvement.

LeAnna Carson-Hansen
Guest
LeAnna Carson-Hansen
7 years ago

Wow, I did not realize that you have to pay for damages to a guard rail if you are in an accident you did not cause. Pretty lame for the state to assume the victim in the accident is liable. The fact that a truck driver’s bed liner lifted out his/her truck means it was not secured. Thankfully the young man in the article did not suffer physical damage as well.

Chica
Guest
Chica
7 years ago

U don’t have to pay to damages to the guard rail well I did not have to but u have to be willing to fight with ur insurance even with just liability they will work with u but it is a pain sorry about ur car man

judi
Guest
7 years ago

chris, i commend you on your ambition, sense of personal responsibility and busting your ass to accomplish your goals. sounds like you are most of the way to being a good man, and i thank you, sir.

i want to hear you got buried in donations. if ya feel real guilty about the sudden overflow of wealth, i imagine you’d have no qualms of paying it forward to someone else, someone with scruples and a sense of decency towards others, someone who has run into a brick wall situation that is gonna blow their life to bits for a while.

good fortune to you and yours, sire.

ps. i don’t use the term “fortune” as necessary financial. whatever you consider fortune to be…ENJOY SOME!

and please pay forward your responsible attitude, eh?
;^ }

Tall Trees
Guest
Tall Trees
7 years ago

He’s at $2180 right now!