A Billings man feels “helpless” after an old truck collides with a stolen vehicle

The high-speed chase that took place in Billings on Saturday evening ended with the suspect crashing into an old truck parked on Terry Street.

That chase began with the shooting of Brassard McCabe in a Lockwood neighborhood and extended 10 miles before ending in Billings, where the suspect crashed a 1985 Chevy Scottdale.

The truck’s owner, Donnie Kaiser, acquired it 17 years ago after his uncle died.

“Ever since I was little, I always remember driving it,” Kaiser said as he looked at the damage Wednesday morning. “So, I’ve been trying to keep it nice ever since then and then things like this happen. It’s bad.”

Kaiser said Saturday’s chaos caught his attention, and while he didn’t see the incident, he certainly heard it.

“I was getting ready to go to bed, around 10 a.m. and I just heard a bunch of sirens,” Casser said. “A few seconds later I heard a huge crash, sounding like aluminum could be crushed.”

Now, Kaiser hopes to make reforms. The truck was parked on the side of Terry Street and collided head-on, causing significant damage to the front bumper and hood area. Kaiser said he had already dealt with a stolen car crash with the same truck before and the financial assistance he received from insurance was minimal.

“It’s a feeling of helplessness. Like I said, it’s happened before and insurance was like, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it,'” Kaiser said.

Kaiser was able to repair these damages the first time due to the car colliding with the side of the truck. But this time, Kaiser feared that the reforms would be beyond his capabilities.

“I’m not a mechanic or anything like that,” Kaiser said. “Normally, there’s a lot of damage inside when things like this happen, and it’s outside of our wheelhouse.”

Unfortunately, Kaiser’s insurance concerns are well-founded. According to State Farm insurance agent Carrie Jones, a stolen car accident creates a difficult situation.

“So the liability goes to the car that was involved in the accident because that car was stolen,” Jones said. “That kind of creates a big mess.”

Technically, the suspect, 18-year-old Ashtyn Glenn, is responsible for the damage, Jones said. However, if Glenn is not insured, or it is determined that he was not at fault in the collision, it will fall to the owner of the stolen vehicle.

Jones also said that even if Kaiser received financial assistance, it likely wouldn’t cover the expenses because of the age of the truck.

“Of course, there’s sentimental value attached to it and there’s no way to replace it. But they’ll look at it like a truck that’s been damaged in an accident and try to evaluate its value,” Jones said. ”

A headache Kaiser is aware of, but is determined to solve. He said no matter what he hears about insurance, he doesn’t plan on leaving this truck.

“Every time I drive this truck, I think about my uncle,” Kaiser said. “I’d like to keep it as long as I can, but after that, it’s going to be a lot of work to be willing to put it back in.” together.”

His primary concern is with the victim and his family, in the hope that he can make a full recovery.

“I feel bad. This poor guy, you know, people coming into his yard, his property, stealing his property and shooting him,” Kaiser said. “This is not right. My thoughts are with him and like I said, this is nothing compared to that.”