EVERETT — At 22, Martin Consul watches his dad toil beneath the hoods of various cars and pickup trucks at the mom-and-pop auto shop on Evergreen Way.
Joe Consul works long hours, typically six, sometimes seven days a week. He grew up in the Philippines, where he became a mechanic. In Everett, he started a decade ago with one lift and a yellow toolbox, gradually building up a base of loyal customers.
His hands and coveralls are smudged with streaks of black. Clarita, Joe’s wife, handles the books for the family business, Maynila Auto Services.
“It has been 10 years,” Joe said. “I think it is working.”
His hope is to turn the garage over to his son some day.
Martin absorbs his father’s knowledge, both inside and outside of the garage.
One lesson he learned long ago was to own up to his mistakes.
He just wishes that whoever crashed a black pickup into their parking lot in the 6900 block of Evergreen Way would do the same.
It is hard for him to comprehend someone causing so much damage and driving off.
Neighbors living in a nearby apartment complex reported hearing the screech and sound of crumpling metal around 3 a.m. Sept. 27, a Sunday.
Days later black skid marks could still be seen on the roadway leading over the high curb and through the low bushes into the parking lot. Five vehicles were damaged. Two — a green Silverado pickup truck and silver Mercedes Benz — are considered total losses.
The Silverado belonged to a customer. Joe said he agreed to buy it after the insurance company said it wasn’t liable for the damage because it didn’t cover hit-and-runs by strangers in a parking lot.
Joe recently had bought the 1998 Mercedes Benz. All it needed was a new side mirror before it would be ready for the road. It hadn’t yet been registered. It, too, wasn’t covered by insurance.
“It made my blood boil,” Martin said, describing his first impressions of the scene. “Our goal is to see that justice is served.”
Martin thought that justice would be swift. A license plate was left at the scene. It apparently fell off the black pickup. Based on the friction marks on the top of the hedges, it appears the driver quickly accelerated in reverse and made a hasty retreat.
The Consuls handed the license plate to Everett police, who took a report.
It turns out the pickup is part of a fleet of vehicles owned by Asc Hauling in Bellevue.
It is one thing to know who owns the truck but another to know who was driving it at the time of the crash. And for it to matter, you have to be able to prove it in court, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said.
“We are still working to get additional evidence,” Snell said. “We are trying to get the evidence to move forward with a criminal case.”
The Consuls don’t know if they ever will be compensated for their loss.
“I don’t want people to feel sorry for us,” Martin said. “I do want them to be aware of hit-and-run law and what to do and to read the fine print” of insurance policies.
It just doesn’t seem fair to him that his dad could be left to clean up the mess.
Mainly, he said, he wants the driver to take responsibility.
“We all make mistakes,” he said. “We can’t always be right. The way I was raised, it was live up to it and learn from it.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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