Idiocy...

...on my part. No excuses, although there were mitigating factors! I was waiting for an Amtrak train to pass in front of the car on Grape St just east of Harbor Drive (between downtown and the airport) when the railroad crossing guard smacked onto the roof of the taxi. I had no customers in the car at the time. That is just plain dumb. I felt like a fool.

I was stopped in the middle of a five-block traffic jam, a little ways back from a double set of tracks. When the bells and red lights went off, indicating a train was coming, the cars that had stopped on the tracks quickly pulled forward and to the side. I was well back, so I stayed. After what seemed like a long time, I realized the guard hadn't come down, so I started looking around for it. Just then the bar hit the roof.

I have a few small scrapes on the roof. And I did the right thing -- I drove the car to HQ and showed it to the owner. He shrugged and said he'd try to get me into our regular paint shop the next time he sends a car for a complete paint job. There was no talk about paying for the damage.

That was my first error as a driver in 2.5 years and over 4,000 rides. Very stupid, though.