That's what Mitch Goldstein said to me one cold morning in the winter of 1990. It was our senior year of high school, and I was driving us to school.
I had felt the bump.
"A car?" I asked.
"No," he said. "Some body."
He was right. My car had clipped a person—Delores Ritchie.
I was turning left from Audubon Ave. onto Tomlinson Rd. It was cold, and the windshield of my parents' powder-blue Subaru wagon was still partly iced over. Tomlinson runs east–west, and as I turned into the eastbound lane, the rising sun's glare blinded me just long enough.
Ms. Ritchie had the same problem. She had pulled over about a hundred feet past the intersection to scrape ice off her windshield. She was standing in the lane of traffic, on the driver's side of her car, when my passenger-side mirror clipped her.
I never saw her.
The police came. She left in an ambulance. Mitch and I went to school.
A few months later, as I left the public library next to George Washington High School, there she was—Delores Ritchie—standing at the circulation desk, chatting with the librarian.
I walked toward her to ask how she was doing, and then I heard this: "I was in an accident. A car clipped me and knocked me to the ground. I'm OK, but my lawyer wants me to keep going to doctors to run up my damages."
True story.
I slipped past her without being seen. I went home and told my dad what I'd heard. He told our lawyer.
The lawsuit disappeared.
Here's the lesson: if you're involved in litigation, watch your mouth. You never know who's listening—or when it will matter. Every offhand remark is potential evidence. Today's small talk can end your case tomorrow.
As for car accidents, that one was my first, but not my last. My daughter, Norah, away at college, was just in her first. To hear that story (and I promise it's just as good), listen to this week's episode of The Norah and Dad Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Overcast, Amazon Music, in your browser, and everywhere else you get your podcasts.
Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.
The Legal Landscape of HR 2026 with Jon Hyman — via DriveThruHR
The End of the Snow Day? Updating Your Workplace Weather Policy — via Dan Schwart Connecticut Employment Law Blog
AI's Biggest Shock May Hit the Middle of the Org Chart, Not the Bottom — via HR Gazette
AI and Negotiation: The New Frontier of Dispute Resolution — via ADR Prof Blog
AI and Negotiation: The New Frontier of Dispute Resolution — via ADR Prof Blog
A Chick-fil-a Job Title Looked Great on LinkedIn. Then the Internet Read $21 Per Hour Pay Rate — via Improve Your HR by Suzanne Lucas, the Evil HR Lady
How a Drug Test Exposed an ADA Compliance Gap — via Eric Meyer's Employer Handbook Blog
Polygamous working: why are people secretly doing two or three full-time jobs at once? — via The Guardian
When Tipping Becomes a Customer Experience Problem — via Harvard Business Review
Is it reasonable to be fired if your boss finds out you’re interviewing? — via Ask a Manager
Polygamous working: why are people secretly doing two or three full-time jobs at once? — via The Guardian
When Tipping Becomes a Customer Experience Problem — via Harvard Business Review
Is it reasonable to be fired if your boss finds out you’re interviewing? — via Ask a Manager
Has Beer Become Secondary? — via Secret Hopper
Minneapolis' Insight Brewing on Supporting a Community in Crisis — via Brewbound
Liberal Wisconsin brewing company promises 'free beer, all day long' after Trump dies — via Fox News
Billy Bragg Releases New Song "City of Heroes" Supporting Minneapolis Protesters: Stream — via Consequence
Listen to Bruce Springsteen's powerful new protest song, "Streets Of Minneapolis" — via UNCUT