I need some opinions about something that happened.
I was pet sitting for a relative ("Jill") while she and her kids went on vacation. Since I do not have my own vehicle she allowed me to use hers as she knows I am a safe driver. The night that I went to pick up her vehicle, I ended up having a car accident on the way home where her vehicle had to be towed away. I was charged (given a ticket) by the police, but I'm nearly 90% certain that the other driver is at fault and I have evidence that seems to support that. Jill said she believes me and doesn't seem to be mad at me, thankfully. The cost of the towing and all the related charges is nearly $600.
I'm sure Jill is going to attempt to pay me for pet sitting and I think I should refuse payment. While I did go over a few times, another relative who lives there also helped out due to the circumstances. We just allowed Jill to think that I was going over more than I actually was for peace of mind. Her pets were perfectly fine, she's just overprotective and that's understandable. Do you all think I should refuse payment, and if so, how hard should I refuse? I think she will be rather insistent and may be upset if I refuse payment.
More importantly, it seems like I should pay for part of or all of the towing charges. Even if the accident wasn't my fault, I don't think the insurance company is going to pay. So even if it wasn't my fault, it doesn't seem right that Jill gets stuck with all the charges since I was driving. On the other hand, if I hadn't been pet sitting for her, I wouldn't have even been in an accident. So how much of the towing charges do you all think I should pay for? I do want to pay something, I just don't know how much I should pay.
I was pet sitting for a relative ("Jill") while she and her kids went on vacation. Since I do not have my own vehicle she allowed me to use hers as she knows I am a safe driver. The night that I went to pick up her vehicle, I ended up having a car accident on the way home where her vehicle had to be towed away. I was charged (given a ticket) by the police, but I'm nearly 90% certain that the other driver is at fault and I have evidence that seems to support that. Jill said she believes me and doesn't seem to be mad at me, thankfully. The cost of the towing and all the related charges is nearly $600.
I'm sure Jill is going to attempt to pay me for pet sitting and I think I should refuse payment. While I did go over a few times, another relative who lives there also helped out due to the circumstances. We just allowed Jill to think that I was going over more than I actually was for peace of mind. Her pets were perfectly fine, she's just overprotective and that's understandable. Do you all think I should refuse payment, and if so, how hard should I refuse? I think she will be rather insistent and may be upset if I refuse payment.
More importantly, it seems like I should pay for part of or all of the towing charges. Even if the accident wasn't my fault, I don't think the insurance company is going to pay. So even if it wasn't my fault, it doesn't seem right that Jill gets stuck with all the charges since I was driving. On the other hand, if I hadn't been pet sitting for her, I wouldn't have even been in an accident. So how much of the towing charges do you all think I should pay for? I do want to pay something, I just don't know how much I should pay.