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It seemed as if a curiously long interval had passed since the last time an overzealous, lead-footed celebrity photographer had induced Lindsay Lohan into a fender bender, temporarily leading us to believe that the paparazzi had collectively lost the edge that has made them the scourge of any star unlucky enough to drive their own luxury automobiles. But today's Rush & Molloy item about the actress's latest vehicular run-in has restored our faith in local guerilla photographers' willingness to dent the occasional bumper in pursuit of the perfect shot of their Benz-bound quarry:

Sources tell us a photographer chasing the 20-year-old actress rear-ended her black Mercedes near the corner of Olympic and La Cienega in L.A. around 2 a.m. yesterday.

"She was apparently able to drive a short distance from the crash," says a source. "But she later pulled over and called a friend to pick her up."

Lohan's rep, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, confirmed the accident, but had no information on the "Bobby" star's condition or whether she had filed a police report.

Just a year ago, the marauding paparazzo would've been able to inflict much more damage to her vehicle than possible in a mere rear-ending, but Lohan's evasive driving skills seem to have improved through the sheer repetition of fleeing her reckless pursuers. After two or three more chases, she'll probably have mastered far more advanced maneuvers, like luring paparazzi to speed along both sides of her car, slamming on the brakes at the instant they're ready to crush her between their Escalades, then speeding off as their swerving SUVs collide, quietly laughing to herself the entire way to the next bar.