I (late 20s M) was going to the mall with my gf (late 20s F), and she was driving her car.
While pulling into a parking spot, she turned a bit too wide and accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake. She clipped the car next to her and then bumped into the one in front. It wasn’t high speed, but there was definitely sizeable damage. Pretty quickly, people nearby started paying attention. A small crowd formed and several people were filming or taking pictures.
I decided to stay in the car instead of getting out. I really don’t like being photographed or filmed in public. I don’t even use social media, and I try to avoid ending up in random videos online. Seeing multiple people recording made me want to stay out of sight as much as possible.
I also didn’t think I had much to contribute. I wasn’t driving, it wasn’t my car, and there wasn’t really anything for me to handle. If she had been alone, she would’ve had to do the same things anyway (talk to the other drivers, exchange info, etc).
She got out and handled everything with the other drivers while I stayed inside.
After everything was sorted, she asked me to drive when we left. I declined. I don’t drive much (I don’t have my own car and only occasionally drive hers or rentals), and I still didn’t want to be seen after all the attention. She was fine to drive.
Later she said it was embarrassing dealing with that situation while people were watching and filming, and that I should’ve gotten out instead of staying in the car.
From my perspective, I stayed out of the way and didn’t think my presence would’ve actually helped.