DEAR ABBY: If you're walking down a hallway with a full plate of hot food and someone who is texting comes around the corner and bumps into you, sending your food to the floor, who should clean up the mess? And should the texter be obliged to reimburse the victim whose lunch was lost? -- SPILL SURVIVOR IN SAN FRANCISCO
DEAR SPILL SURVIVOR: Since you are asking me, I suspect that the person who bumped into you took no responsibility for what happened.
People who perambulate are supposed to watch where they are going. That the texter didn't offer to reimburse you for the meal or at least help clean up the mess shows a distinct lack of class. While the texter should have felt obligated to help, there is no way to "compel" someone to do the right thing.