Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 44 total)
  • Off my A game last night…
  • TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    Hi. You might remember me from such posts as

    which is better a hope hoop wheel or a border collie

    and

    bordering on the ridiculous

    So I was going round a largish roundabout on the way home last night and a Mercedes A class pulls out of the entrance prior to my exit and takes me out 🙁

    I bounced off his wing and dove into the road as my bike went to the left, got myself up and went back over to him as he opened his door.

    I asked for his details but he feined indifference because he was Italian without good English. As there was no progress being made after several demands I reached down and turned the keys in the ignition to kill the engine.

    I then said that I was going to have to ring the police in case my bike was damaged and I had to make a claim – at which point he started wailing “No, no, please, my family, my family” and then he out of the car and down on one knee in front of me and carried on begging !!!

    So I made the 999 call, gave them his reg no., told them where we were, told them my shoulder was fair aching at this point, so ambulance ordered, and they said a police car would be here shortly.

    Anyway – I recognised the logo on his hat and shirt – he was from the Italian takeaway that opened in our village a while ago – Milano.

    I said to him “you realise you have just hit a customer – how could you?” and he possibly looked a little sheepish, or maybe not.

    He then made a phone call and soon another car pulled up with another Milano employee. He asked if there was any damage to the A class and then took the pizza that was sitting on the passenger seat of the A class, got back in his car and I assume went on to deliver it – so I apologise if it was a forum member that had a luke warm pizza from Milano last night.

    He then made another call to the shop, and then waited some more. The police hadn’t yet turned up and he then walked over to the A class and got into it. I thought maybe he is moving it to the side of the road some more (he had already moved it once) but no, he drove round the roundabout and back the way he had come!

    Anyway the police turned up, took my story and then went round to the pizza place to see what was happening. I then went for an XRay to see if my collarbone, which I broke 18months ago, was OK, as the bit near my neck was swelling up quite a bit by now – but luckily it is just soft tissue damage and I couldn’t feel anything moving around like the last time when it was like a packet of cornflakes in there.

    Interestingly, none of the other cars that managed to see me and not come onto the roundabout as I was passing had stopped, but as I was standing on the grass verge waiting for the police, with my helmet and folding bike lying flat on the grass 20 feet away, and it being dark, another cyclist approached the roundabout and stopped and asked me if I was ok.

    I must have been radiating ‘hurt cyclist’ vibes and he was in tune with them??? Or maybe he spotted my cycle clip, although I wear it very discreetly from the back of the leg.

    Then today I have to go for a ‘flexible cystoscopy’ just to cap it all off 🙁 Luckily it wasn’t a day earlier as it was my birthday on Monday…

    argoose
    Free Member

    Are the pizza co holding their hands up or playing hands

    McHamish
    Free Member

    There could be a few explanations for his grange behaviour…

    1. Not insured on the shops car
    2. Not supposed to be working.
    3. No driving license.

    Or 4. Thinks he might get into trouble for hittig a cyclist.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    not sure – the copper said he would give me a call today about how the pizza joint reacted, but nothing so I will have to chase it up and see what happened.

    Thought the pizza delivery bit and the begging bit might amuse forum members 🙂

    mrplow
    Free Member

    You called a police car for a bike that “might” be damaged and an ambulance for a sore shoulder?

    mintimperial
    Full Member

    You called a police car for a bike that “might” be damaged and an ambulance for a sore shoulder?

    Don’t be a ****. He called 999 because he got run over, which is fair enough and the right thing to do as you’re supposed to report all road traffic accidents, and they called the ambulance for him. 🙄

    float
    Free Member

    when the other car turned up i though he was going to bribe you with pizza 🙂

    mrplow
    Free Member

    That is not the way he wrote it. If he can call the police and had a sore shoulder I’m sure he could have called a cab etc if required. I doubt an ambulance performed on the spot miracle care for a sore shoulder. Can you not just call an accident into the local police station if you need to make an insurance claim for a bike repair?

    jimmy
    Full Member

    Coppers turn up at Pizza shop…?

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ygEyn7T04[/video]

    neilnevill
    Free Member

    Eek. Hope it works out and you get a good apology and any damage to bike, clothes etc sorted by the driver. Most importantly, I hope the injuries heal quickly and you get back to enjoying the bike riding! Chin up.

    CHB
    Full Member

    mr plow: trolling or ignorant?
    Standard practice for a police car to attend if potential injuries. 999 dispatcher will have also sent ambulance a routine, the risk of internal injuries or concusion is there and they wont take the risk.

    organdonor
    Free Member

    It took me a minute to read that, I’ll never get it back 😥

    pinches
    Free Member

    mr plow

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    If you want the cops to attend then say you are injured. they have to attend accidents where folk are hurt. given that I bet the car driver was not insured for the deliveries I do not think thats unreasonable

    Have you got a witness / taken photos of the car and driver? Always best if you can.

    mrplow
    Free Member

    I don’t think I was trolling. I was asking a question as I would not have called 999 on the premise there “may” have been damage to my bike without actually checking. I also would expect or want an ambulance for the situation that has been described.
    This is simply my opinion. I’m not offending the OP, or wishing anything bad on them, just finding out the normal thing to do. As the driver was uncooperative with giving details I would have taken the reg plate and checked the bike over then decided if I should call the police. As said, I would think before calling 999 and probably just call the local station to report it or call in on my way home.

    pinches
    Free Member

    i was hit maliciously by a taxi driver 2 weeks ago who “left the scene of the accident” shall we say, and my instinct was to ride to the police station 1min away and report it.

    In retrospect, i’d have been better off staying where i was, calling 999 there and then and letting the police deal with it – essentially once i got to the desk sergeant, she just dialled 999 and called an ambulance while i sat in her office, she asked me to check the bike for damage. I sat there for 3hrs waiting for an ambulance, with claret pouring out of my face!

    mrplow
    Free Member

    Bear with me – I’m still trying not to take this on a trolling crusade to nowhere but it is heading there as I am terrible at typing my thoughts. 😆

    Pinches – Your situation was different to the original post. Could you not have invoked your concious decision making to say that you would get yourself to the hospital and sped up the process to a final care solution? I guess maybe with the shock of the incident you can’t. Hindsight is also a wonderful thing.

    In general – is the advise that if you have had a tumble on the road involving interaction with another party then no matter how small it was, you should always call an ambulance as you may have concussion or internal injuries and there needs to be a clear action so that the “guilty” party can’t get blamed for your death and then further negligence etc should the worst happen further down the line? Or something like that, you have me rambling now. It is a shame that common sense can be ruled out of the situation imo. Just an opinion. I am not saying that there is no occasion where an ambulance be called.

    It seems odd given the massive spills and injuries me and my friends have had on mtbs yet always got ourselves to treatment one way or another because it was our own fault. Although we could probably go on to blame whoever put the trail features there etc etc.

    Maybe I am just voicing an annoyance at a nanny state or common place litigation.

    I hope you are all mended after your incidents. You will be glad to know I am out on the road all of tomorrow so there shall be no more ramblings for a while! :mrgreen: I also don’t think the bike forum is the right place for gripes so I am further annoyed with myself for starting lol! bloody troll!

    pinches
    Free Member

    Some very valid points made actually the plow.

    At the time i had already sprinted after aforementioned cab on the bike trying to get the registration, it was only because there was a police station so close, and i hadn’t realised the bike was damaged at the time i rode there. I did actively suggest just riding the 3 miles to the hospital they later took me too anyway, but the police officer had other suggestions (and it was 1am and -5 outside)

    It does appear that upon presenting yourself to the police, should you have been involved in any accident their generic response is to call 999 for an ambulance. I believe you are partly correct in both what you say about hidden injuries, and that you must be assessed officially so that if any further actions are required, its documented by the relevant qualified person (e.g a Doctor).

    as for the injuries i had 2 black eyes (one less noticeable than the other) selection of light cuts/bruises/swelling to my forehead split the skin on the bridge of my nose and fractured it at the same point. Most of which has gone, apart from the nose is still a bit tender (particularly annoying when you require to blow your nose, suffering a bout of influenza).

    dirk_pumpa
    Free Member

    Plus one for plow too.. Getting the ermergency services involved because you were feeling righteous is a bit lame imo.

    You had all the info you needed to sort it out off the road.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    Have you got a witness / taken photos of the car and driver? Always best if you can.

    there must be witnesses but as nobody else stopped apart from the A class then I don’t know who they are.

    I was just about to take a photo of the A class as when it drove off, overlooked taking ones earlier.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    Getting the emergency services involved because you were feeling righteous is a bit lame imo. You had all the info you needed to sort it out off the road.

    Actually I didn’t.

    Initially I was trying to get his details – I demanded them several times but nothing was forthcoming. As things weren’t looking fruitful at this moment I decided it was a good idea to turn his engine off as the thought of him driving off had entered my mind as he was being so difficult – especially if I went off to examine my bike.

    When I reached for the key in the ignition and turned the engine off he made a panicked grab for the keys. At this point I said that I was going to have to report the incident to the police, as that seemed my only option now.

    If he had been at all cooperative and I had examined my bike and there was no damage then that would probably be it (and then I would have noticed my arm was hurt later…), but I couldn’t see if my bike was damaged, I couldn’t get his details, any witnesses had driven off, I hadn’t got possession of his keys to stop him driving off, and I was getting pretty p1ssed off with him by now.

    The bike is a Birdy folding bike, with a complicated front fork which is like a parallelogram with a set of bushings to help it fold. There was a possibility that it might have been bent in the collision and, based on previous experience, it can be slightly bent but still look straight.

    A bent fork would cause the ride to be unstable and therefore I would need a replacement fork, which might be £250 maybe or possibly more as it is a German bike. Needless to say I wasn’t feeling charitable enough to let the bloke off having to replace my fork if he had caused the accident.

    If I wanted to make a claim for a RTC I believe I would have had to report it, especially as no witnesses had stopped. As I didn’t feel able to examine my bike for damage, and actually couldn’t ride it because my arm was hurting, I decided to just report the incident and told him that was what I was going to do – thinking that this might prompt him into giving me his details.

    It was then that he started wailing and begging and getting on one knee proposal style, and this made me think that it was definitely the time to call the police as maybe he shouldn’t have been driving that vehicle, or had no insurance.

    The police asked if I was injured so I moved my arm around some more and noticed some sharp pain and the swelling. So they called an ambulance for an assessment – I emphasised that I wasn’t in shock or anything to lower any priority on it but I didn’t object as I was fearful I could have broken the collarbone again – as it turns out I haven’t but it is still hard and swollen and a lot more painful today to move – I am going to have to work at home again which is why I am on the computer at this hour instead of the train.

    Although I haven’t ridden it the bike looks like it might be ok. Hopefully my arm will be ok in a few days time, and then that will be it.

    But if he had have stuffed up my arm I would have considered medical damages to get it fixed up – my medical insurance only has a limited pot of money for outpatient care and I might need that for later in the year in case I come up against another border collie.

    GlitterGary
    Free Member

    When he was on his knees you should have got him to give you a special favour. Missed opportunity there imo. You had the chance to turn an accident into a glorious situation and didn’t make the most of it. And I would have asked for a slice of pizza.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    My 2p is you did the right thing.

    The guy clearly didn;t want the authorities involved for some reason.

    It’s going to be a bit embarassing all round the next time he delivers a pizza to you, though.

    dirk_pumpa
    Free Member

    fair play.. i hope you get fixed dude.

    dirk_pumpa
    Free Member

    gaz is definitely right though.. you should of been dining for free that night.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    you should of been dining for free that night.

    I didn’t get back from A&E ’til 10 so I missed out on pancakes 🙁

    However I have just found some pain relief from when I broke my collarbone, and it is still in date 🙂

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Did the car driver give yo his details?

    If not he is guilty of leaving the scene of an accident

    go after him full throttle.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    Plow, police are supposed to show when there’s an injury.

    Driver wasn’t leaving his details and turnerguy was injured, not badly thankfully but he said collarbone was looking suspect for a while, needed A&E to check.

    A guy who hit me (might have been a lawyer dunno) called the cops despite me saying i was only grazed, they showed, made sure I didn’t need an ambulance, made sure all was in order and left. Reckon the guy made the call just incase I tried pulling a fast one later, cheek.

    TG made the right decisions I reckon (with the possible exception of not getting pics of car and driver – easily forgiven in the circumstances)

    poly
    Free Member

    Although we could probably go on to blame whoever put the trail features there etc etc

    Thats what I always do. And on natural trails I hold the church responsible (if they want to claim god made the earth they need to accept the consequences!).

    The original story sounds very much like:

    Call 999 to report accident (which I think is reasonable if a driver refuses to provide details, but otherwise 999 is not warranted if there are no SERIOUS injuries – it can be reported on a non-emergency number). Operator, says “well is anyone hurt”, OP realises that gets more ‘attention’ from the police and says yes – so ambulance crew get to waste their time for a sore shoulder…

    I’m sure the drivers version of events will be a little different, and how he couldn’t understand you (e.g. because you were shouting or being aggressive and tried to take his car keys)* and so he left the scene after establishing you weren’t seriously hurt and there was no apparent damage to your vehicle, having sought advice from his employer – it will all go nowhere!

    * not suggesting this is actually the case; but he’ll have had time to develop a story.

    spacemonkey
    Full Member

    he feined indifference because he was Italian without good English

    You sure it wasn’t this bloke?

    dabble
    Free Member

    Clearly an uninsured driver, didn’t want the police involved, pissed off before they arrived, i bet when the police got to the shop it was someone else they saw, more than likely the registered keeper. Pursue it to the full extent that you can and unless they’re amazing pizzas i wouldn’t be eating there again.
    Hope you get better soon.

    Ewan
    Free Member

    You did the right thing – badger the police to go after the guy.

    uselesshippy
    Free Member

    Hey, turnerguy, farmhouse in st johns are cheaper and nicer anyway.
    🙂
    Which roundabout was it anyway?
    Ps. You did the right thing.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    Lockfield drive roundabout…

    it has convinced me about front lights for commuting – I had a single, pretty bright, XML based light with a good flood (115degree) on the front, on medium otherwise it is too bright, but still pretty bright.

    Normally I have a couple of cateye EL135s on flash and angled slightly outwards to increase field of vision. Unfortunately the flash timings aren’t precise and annoyingly they go in and out of sync.

    I notice that with the two flashers cars and taxis don’t pull out on me so much, compared to one EL135 on flash or constant.

    So I might put another flasher on the front so I never have a period when they are in sync and therefore no light.

    Changing tack to something more important:

    I noticed no-one else stopped on the roundabout even though it is 3 lanes wide at that point and yesterday there was a discussion on LBC about people not wanting to get involved anymore and about this charity worker that died in 3 feet of water and no-one tried to fish him out (apologies for DM link):

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104358/Simon-Burgess-drowned-firemen-refused-wade-3ft-deep-lake-health-safety-rules.html

    dabble
    Free Member

    Police officer who went in to water was ordered back

    Surely human decency would mean you stick two fingers to your boss and save the bloke whos bloody drowning! 😐 I know theres too much of a blame claim culture but come on people, a bit of compassion for your fellow man wouldn’t go amiss. And if the officer was in danger of losing their job i’m sure the mail could start a campaign to force the bosses to allow the “offending” officer to return to work.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    sounds like there were almost enough people to link arms and form a chain to get him, if they were that worried.

    eyerideit
    Free Member

    You did the right thing.

    Glad you’re not hurt badly and it’s shame no one else stopped and offered to be a witness,

    argoose
    Free Member

    would you all say not to call 999 if it was an uninsured illegal, who next day ran over your kid, but could have been stopped by someone who thought something was not right.

    mrplow
    Free Member

    I said I would have reported it to the police without using the emergency service number. Last year my friend had to give CPR to another friend for 25mins waiting for an ambulance before the person was resuscitated by the ambulance crew with a defribulator. I would hate to think the person may have lost their life while someone was having their grazed shoulder looked at and a free lift to the A+E to again have their grazed shoulder looked at when they may have managed the trip themselves.

    What if your kid got run over and the ambulance was critically late as it was tending to a grazed shoulder?

    This could go in circles for ever. There seems to be a trend to remove some common sense from these types of situation in everyday life which makes me a little sad. Yes, it had the potential to be very serious but it should have been clear pretty fast that it was not. People jump to the conclusion that others should be penalized for making mistakes, something I thought only the criminal court could decide.

    On a side note. Demanding things and pulling someone’s keys out of their ignition against their will usually does not help defuse the situation and gain a positive outcome. It can be hard to be reasonable when someone has just accidentally risked your life but well worth trying to keep calm.

    bwaarp
    Free Member

    Oh FFS I know someone who banged his head slightly, thought he was okay, refused to see a doctor or paramedic and then dropped dead from a brain haemorrhage. Generally if you have any experience in this field paramedics are more than happy to come and check someone over who’s been involved in a minor traffic accident be they a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist. As he said, the Police called the ambulance, they do this routinely.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 44 total)

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