Hit-and-Run Driver Leaves Courthouse With Bill

An errant driver has taught Gordon Park-Li a thing or two about courthouse insurance.

The chief executive of the San Francisco Superior Court, Park-Li has been exchanging e-mail recently with people who manage real estate that’s owned by county taxpayers.

The damage, as captured by the  camera phone of vigilant reporter Matthew Hirsch.

He was trying to figure out who has to pay to repair a giant crack in the granite edifice near the entrance of San Francisco’s Civic Center Courthouse.

“I always thought the city was self-insured. But it turns out certain buildings are required to have outside insurance,” Park-Li said.

Park-Li said the damage appears to be the result of a driver who badly misjudged the intersection at McAllister Street and Polk around the beginning of the month.

“We reported it to the sheriffs, and I think they turned it over to their investigative unit,” he said.

Alliance Insurance Services is the lucky carrier that should expect a claim soon for granite repair. Park-Li said San Francisco’s public works department recently pegged the damage at $73,600. If repair workers find additional damage once they remove the granite, Park-Li said cost could increase another $10,000.

—  Matthew Hirsch