Help Me ! Did I SIN!

[pegley85]

I lost my wife a short time ago and things have not been going well with that and health issues…That is no excuse to sin though !!! I state this because I have much worry and anxiety !!!

I went to Walmart a short while ago today and went to park my truck…There was a Ford minivan in the parking spot behind the one that I was trying to get into…
I went slowly in reverse and my back bumper hit or tapped the front bumper of the Ford minivan behind me…
Remind you I have in the past a while back confessed my sins and repented and try to live as Christ would want me too…I don’t always succeed , but I do try…

The driver of the parked 2-5 year old minivan was around 80 years old. I am 55…
After I backed into his bumper, I immediated panicked , got scared, and got out of my car…I have a Ford F 150 pick up…

the elderly driver of the minivan also got out and in a panic I said that out bumpers hit and everything is OK…As I was saying this, I did notice 1 and possibly 2 thin cracks on the corner of his bumper…He looked, said O K and got back in his truck…
Like a little kid , I left the parking spot for fear that he may write down my liscense plate tag #…If he was younger he may have looked closer at the bumper, and I do not know for sure if the small thin cracks were there from a previuos occurrence…

After I drove away, my conscience srarted to bother me, so I went back to the scene… The 80 year old deriver was still sitting in his van, waiting on someone in the store…I parked next to his van and made small talk that parking spots are hard to find. Then I said that we just tapped bumpers and all was O K …

I drove away and again feeling bad I went back a few rows from his van and a woman , maybe his wife or daughter, was putting the groceries in the van and I think they both looked at the front bumper…
Just before they pulled out, I pulled up next to him and jestured if he was pulling out…he nodded yes…I wanted him to see me again in case he wanted to complain or get my insurance information…He just waved and pulled out, however he being 80 I don’t know if he realized it was me…

I feel so lousy if I did cause the thin cracks to his bumper…He did look, but I think he was too old to notice,or maybe the cracks were there a long time…

Either way, I do not feel that I was completely Christlike in the way I handled it… I was trying to minimize the situation, which may indeed have been minimal, but I was also trying to get away with something that I may have done wrong…
Did I commit a mortal sin,and did I anger God >>>>

Thanks
Ken

 

[Alindawyl]

God knows the heart and will absolve anyone who is truly contrite, whether their sin is mortal or venial.

I have a very simple rule in such situations. When something tears me up as much as this appears to be doing to you, I can either waste time wondering and worrying about it, or go to confession as soon as possible and make the question meaningless.

 

[gamesport]

If you had cracked his head…alright i’m just kidding, lighten up. Let it go dude. The guy probably saw it, and just decided not to hassle with it. I’ve had someone backup into my car in the gas station put a dent on the back of my car, and i let it go b/c i really don’t want the hassle of dealing with insurance and lawyers and whatnot. Venial sin at worst.

 

[promethius]

I went slowly in reverse and my back bumper hit or tapped the front bumper of the Ford minivan behind me…
…
the elderly driver of the minivan also got out and in a panic I said that out bumpers hit and everything is OK…As I was saying this, I did notice 1 and possibly 2 thin cracks on the corner of his bumper…He looked, said O K and got back in his truck…

First, bumpers in the US are certified as 5mph bumpers… that means at under 5 mph there is supposed to be no damage from an impact. When I asked how i knew how far to back up my driving instructer literally told me during parallel parking class “when you feel a slight bump of contact with their bumper”. Granted you said you were slowly backing up and that it was only your bumpers which touched, you shouldn’t have caused any damage.

Although, it’s better to play safe than sorry. I’d have given him your insurance and contact information and told him you think it looks okay but that if he notices any damage to contact you about getting it fixed.

Don’t stress about it TOO badly. The best thing to do at this point sounds like a trip to the confessional… not for backing into someone but for the pride and greed inherent with covering for your actions when you suspected you MIGHT have caused damage. Regardless of actual damage done, something was motivating you NOT to provide your information and that seems to be the worst part of it in my mind.