Club run crash & driver left scene

[GrasB]

One non-impartial witness here, witness to a driver close passing while one member of the ride signalled right resulting in broken fingers. That doesn't mean that your statements are invalid, it just means that they will be treated with a little more suspicion towards one side or the other than normal.

 

[Lizban]

Blimey bad luck I hope you and the bike get well soon. Drivers like this make be so angry.


What makes it worse is you can hear his defence being constructed.

I passed a number of cyclists giving them plenty of room, they all started shouting and waving, I assumed that my car was defective or there was a problem, so I stopped to investigate.

One cyclist hit the back of my car (as all drivers know they must be travelling to close not to allow a safe stopping distance therefore it was his fault)

Next thing I know 10 blokes are surrounding the car, I locked the doors and drove off - would you get out?

Expect a claim for damages to back of the car next).
(all a load of cobblers of course but that's how the defense will run I'm sure)

 

[HLaB]

One non-impartial witness here, witness to a driver close passing while one member of the ride signalled right resulting in broken fingers. That doesn't mean that your statements are invalid, it just means that they will be treated with a little more suspicion towards one side or the other than normal.

Ouch, I hope their fingers are healed.

That makes sense, I hope it is handled that way.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Don't know about the 'angry young men' average age of the group was probably 50! There were two guys standing in front of the car trying to stop him leaving, one who's a 61 year old retired RAF sargent was shouting 'stay there, we're calling the police' when he drove forward, at slow speed forcing them out of the way.

If he felt threatened, which I accept is possible he could easly have stopped a few miles up the road and phoned the police or done it as soon as he got home.
Or stayed in his car with the doors locked till the police turned up. No one attempted to open the doors or banged the windows or anything like that, although I was eyeballing him and looking pretty beligerent I'll admit.

OK he may yet get in touch with them but my feeling is that he thought he'd teach these non-road tax paying cyclists a lesson by scaring them and did a runner when it turned out more serious than he'd intended, hoping he wouldn't be identified.

This was a 50-60 year old bloke in a rural area in a new'ish car so I doubt the plates were iffy, but maybe there are issues re. his legallity to be on the road.

Anyway, if they don't catch him I'm sending the bill for a new set of wheels to Jeremy Clarson

 

[fossyant]

Hope the driver get's the book thrown at him ! Barsteward.

 

[Dave Davenport]

If I send the wheel back to Navigator and say it just broke while I was riding along.......do you think they'd send me a new one?

 

[fossyant]

Oh dear - proper 'pringled'.

 

[Night Train]

If I send the wheel back to Navigator and say it just broke while I was riding along.......do you think they'd send me a new one?

They might have done but no doubt they would have read this thread by now.

Has there been any news form the Police?

 

[Davidc]

Time our liability laws were brought into the 21st century. Several other European countries have suitable models.

 

[HLaB]

If I send the wheel back to Navigator and say it just broke while I was riding along.......do you think they'd send me a new one?

That'll take more than a spoke key

 

[Lizban]

Time our liability laws were brought into the 21st century. Several other European countries have suitable models.

This is worthy of another thread, but I've seen the mess that changing the burdon of proof (which I assume you mean rather than strict liabilty) has made in other areas of UK law. ON these grounds I'd object to them being applied to criminal matters such as these

 

[downfader]

This is worthy of another thread, but I've seen the mess that changing the burdon of proof (which I assume you mean rather than strict liabilty) has made in other areas of UK law. ON these grounds I'd object to them being applied to criminal matters such as these

I presume he did mean insurance wise.

That wheel is a pretzel.

 

[Dave Davenport]

I presume he did mean insurance wise.

That wheel is a pretzel.

It's not obvious from the pic but the rim actually broke clean through when I landed on it, have spoken to a couple of people today who said I reached quite a good altitude before doing so.

We have CTC insurance cover via the club who will handle things when/if the police catch up with the driver, not heard anything yet.

 

[Arch]

The driver might have left because he felt rather intimidated when he was surrounded by 10 angry and aggrieved young men. It might be worth seeing if the driver actually reports the incident to the police himself, before we break out the pitchforks.

True, but he perhaps should have thought of that before he acted like an idiot. I think it more likely that he was the sort of coward who is full of bravado in a car, but completely chicken otherwise.

 

[Headgardener]

I would think that this car would have a bike shaped dent in the back end so I will keep an eye out for it. As Pete says some rather unsavoury characters in this neck of the woods.