attacked !! This country is full of thugs

angry_cyclist

Yesterday, on a narrow country lane with no room to overtake anything I was overtaken by a escort van that then swerved towards me forcing me into the gutter and making me stop, I shouted and he skidded to a stop. At full pelt he reversed at me ! I got out the way and bunny hopped onto the kerb - next thing he stick it into 1st gear and comes at me again. If I hadn't leapt further up the verge I would have been hit. A following car slowed down the driver laughed at me.

Notching this up as another loon driving a car I carried on only to find the same van parked in the middle of the lane this time talking to the car driver who was laughing. On seeing me he rammed his van back into reverse and came out me again. I chucked my bike up into a embankment to stop it setting crushed and darted out of the way to the drivers window. Trying to turn off his ignition whilst fending off kicks the other car driver came up shouting "you took the road up". I said "your mate just tried to kill me". Next thing I know the van driver was throwing combination punches at my head. As I doubled over he launched a kick right at my cheek bome. Both drivers then sped off.

A passing van with 3 workmen stopped and watched. I said "thanks for helping me out" they said "no reason be sarccey".

After reporting it to the police I am sat here with a huge black eye thinking these idiots could have killed me. I've been cycling for 20 years and this has really taken any enjoyment I had from it.

carlstone

Got to say I would have done exactly the same as you. None cyclists just don't realise how vulnerable you feel when put in that sort of situation. This leads to you acting in a way that you may not normally do.

We all know the correct thing to do would have been to take the drivers number plate, not challenge them and then report it to the police. Which will then lead to a load of pent up aggression on your part and probably no action from the police.

All in all it is better (if you can) to let the p1llock go, report him to the police and tell yourself you will not demean yourself by stooping to their level.

Or carry a gun! :shock:

Monty Dog

Sadly, unless you can prove evidence of actually physical assault, the police are unlikely to even make charges. It's often one person's word against another - usually some lowlife who's had numerous run-ins with the law and claims he's the victim of social injustice.

mick_cornick

Why not post the vans number on the forum? If anyone sees the driver they can kick the **** out of the b******! :twisted: :twisted:

Crapaud

I don't know about posting the van's reg., but a description of the van and the area where it happened would be useful for others so that they can avoid these nutters.

What did the police say when you reported it? Are they going to follow it up?

angry_cyclist

The van was a red escort van (ette) type. All I got was the first two digits K3

It happened just on the West Dorset / South Somerset border. The police are going to do a press release and I'm going in to give a statement tomorrow. When I first reported it they got their SOCO to take photos of my swollen face so they are taking it seriously. Unfortunately the desciptions are too general (white males 6ft early 20s) that without the reg I can't see them being caught.

The SOCO said to me "Its a jungle out there now - 20 years ago things like this never happened". I don't know whether that's rose tinted glassess but for a road rage incident I've never come across anyone so out of control as the monkey who laid into me - if he had a weapon I'm sure he would have used it.

I'm p1ssed as I lost the prescription inserts to my adidas sunglassess in the kerfuffle - so !'m a hundred or so out of pocket as well. Suppose I should be glad all I've got is a black eye.

wafflycat

If you're a member of CTC or British Cycling, contact them at once. Your membership entitles you to legal assistance. If you're not a member, look in the back pages of Cycling Weekly for specialist solicitors. It matters not that the driver can't be indentified. You can make a claim for your losses against the Motor Insurers Bureau. Those of us who drive & have car insurance pay for the idiots that don't or can't be identified, as a little bit of our premium funds the MIB. It pays out in cases of unisured drivers or where driver can't be identified. My husband was victim in a hit-and-run and he successfully recovered damages via a claim against MIB. It was longwinded, but worth it in the end.

bigjim

Sorry to hear of this terrible experience. No consolation I know but these low lifes were probably looking for any victim, cyclist or not. Always worth keeping a mobile with camera within easy reach if you can use it without them knowing.
best of luck.

Jim

penugent

wafflycat wrote:

If you're a member of CTC or British Cycling, contact them at once. Your membership entitles you to legal assistance. If you're not a member, look in the back pages of Cycling Weekly for specialist solicitors. It matters not that the driver can't be indentified. You can make a claim for your losses against the Motor Insurers Bureau.


My husband was victim in a hit-and-run and he successfully recovered damages via a claim against MIB. It was longwinded, but worth it in the end.

This wasn't a motor accident, unlike your husbands, so I don't think this advice will apply.

Noodley

Really sorry to hear about your "encounter". Contrary to "Daily Mail" popular belief the Police will be taking this seriously (as you have hopefully found out).

Sounds like whoever is responsible requires an appearance before the court...

angry_cyclist

The local police are treating it as attempted GBH due to the dangerous driving (as well as and including the dangerous - although I was forwarned that the CPS would knock it down to ABH on charging) rather than investigating it as an ABH. They sat up in an unmarked waiting for the van the following evening at the same time the incident happened thinking that they were local labourers going home from a job but they never saw them unfortunately. A press release is going to be issued.

The general consensus was that they were up to no good anyway - two cars with 2 occupants they might of been out thieving perhaps and I caught up in their adrenaline rush. My desciption of the van is leading the thinking that it was a community car.

I'm getting back on my back monday but I am cycling a 5 mile detour to avoid these lanes. A shame really as the new alternative is a busy A road and my old route was great -scenic, quite and a good road surface. The only thing against it is the homicidal maniacs.

angry_cyclist

wafflycat wrote:

If you're a member of CTC or British Cycling, contact them at once. Your membership entitles you to legal assistance. If you're not a member, look in the back pages of Cycling Weekly for specialist solicitors. It matters not that the driver can't be indentified. You can make a claim for your losses against the Motor Insurers Bureau. Those of us who drive & have car insurance pay for the idiots that don't or can't be identified, as a little bit of our premium funds the MIB. It pays out in cases of unisured drivers or where driver can't be identified. My husband was victim in a hit-and-run and he successfully recovered damages via a claim against MIB. It was longwinded, but worth it in the end.

I did phone the BC legal helpline and they were helpful but they said I couldn't claim against the MIB as I didn't have a registration and I couldn't claim against the CICB as the agressor wasn't known. Either way they said there was a £300 excess fee on any claim relating to property - rather negating the cost of replacing the glasses myself.

Patrick Stevens

wafflycat wrote:

If you're a member of CTC or British Cycling, contact them at once. Your membership entitles you to legal assistance. If you're not a member, look in the back pages of Cycling Weekly for specialist solicitors. It matters not that the driver can't be indentified. You can make a claim for your losses against the Motor Insurers Bureau. Those of us who drive & have car insurance pay for the idiots that don't or can't be identified, as a little bit of our premium funds the MIB. It pays out in cases of unisured drivers or where driver can't be identified. My husband was victim in a hit-and-run and he successfully recovered damages via a claim against MIB. It was longwinded, but worth it in the end.

I think you will find that the MIB do not cover cases where a vehicle is used as a weapon and there is a criminal assualt. The correct port of call is the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in these cases.

Simon L2

angry_cyclist wrote:

I did phone the BC legal helpline and they were helpful but they said I couldn't claim against the MIB as I didn't have a registration and I couldn't claim against the CICB as the agressor wasn't known. .

I don't think this is right. I claimed for a hit and run, which left me unconscious; the driver was never found. Why not check with the MIB?

Anonymous

angry_cyclist wrote:

The local police are treating it as attempted GBH due to the dangerous driving (as well as and including the dangerous - although I was forwarned that the CPS would knock it down to ABH on charging) rather than investigating it as an ABH. They sat up in an unmarked waiting for the van the following evening at the same time the incident happened thinking that they were local labourers going home from a job but they never saw them unfortunately. A press release is going to be issued.

The general consensus was that they were up to no good anyway - two cars with 2 occupants they might of been out thieving perhaps and I caught up in their adrenaline rush. My desciption of the van is leading the thinking that it was a community car.

I'm getting back on my back monday but I am cycling a 5 mile detour to avoid these lanes. A shame really as the new alternative is a busy A road and my old route was great -scenic, quite and a good road surface. The only thing against it is the homicidal maniacs.

Don't let the barstewards win.
The chances of it happening again are remote.

Patrick Stevens

angry_cyclist wrote:

wafflycat wrote:

If you're a member of CTC or British Cycling, contact them at once. Your membership entitles you to legal assistance. If you're not a member, look in the back pages of Cycling Weekly for specialist solicitors. It matters not that the driver can't be indentified. You can make a claim for your losses against the Motor Insurers Bureau. Those of us who drive & have car insurance pay for the idiots that don't or can't be identified, as a little bit of our premium funds the MIB. It pays out in cases of unisured drivers or where driver can't be identified. My husband was victim in a hit-and-run and he successfully recovered damages via a claim against MIB. It was longwinded, but worth it in the end.

I did phone the BC legal helpline and they were helpful but they said I couldn't claim against the MIB as I didn't have a registration and I couldn't claim against the CICB as the agressor wasn't known. Either way they said there was a £300 excess fee on any claim relating to property - rather negating the cost of replacing the glasses myself.

They're completely wrong about the CICB - there's no legal requirement for a conviction first.

Eat My Dust

5 miles extra, f**k that!! I'd just take a sword with me, see how they react after you've chopped their legs off below the knees!!!!!!

NorwegianBlue

Sorry to hear that, what an absolute s***ter.

However, I have to tell you that this sort of behaviour isn't new and it certainly would have happened twenty years ago. How do I know? Well...

When I was about 14, so that would be 26 years ago (oops, that's a giveaway), a friend and I were waiting for a bus when an adult cyclist came past. Just as he passed my friend told me a joke and I burst out laughing. The cyclist skidded to a halt leapt off his bike and came running back yelling "What the f**k do you think you're laughing at?!" And then without giving me chance to answer started raining blows on my face and head. As soon as I fell to the floor he turned and ran back to his bike and rode off. The police were totally uninterested, they took statements, but told me that without a positive ID (like a car registration) and independent witnesses (note the plural) there was nothing they could do. Even if they found the bloke it would be my word against his. When I pointed out that my friend was a witness they said it wouldn't hold water in court since he was a minor and not independent. What a great legal system we have, an adult beats up a minor and is more likely to be believed by a court simply because he's an adult and the victim is a minor. Lovely!

So the moral of this story? It doesn't matter how you behave there are thugs around (and always have been) who are just looking for any excuse to throw a punch and they don't care who's on the receiving end.

angry_cyclist

whitley wrote:

Don't let the barstewards win.
The chances of it happening again are remote.

Thanks, that's now my line of thinking. All I need is 'EAT MY DUST' to design a retractable sword in a shape of a zefal hpx frame pump.

penugent

Simon L2 wrote:

angry_cyclist wrote:

I did phone the BC legal helpline and they were helpful but they said I couldn't claim against the MIB as I didn't have a registration and I couldn't claim against the CICB as the agressor wasn't known. .

I don't think this is right. I claimed for a hit and run, which left me unconscious; the driver was never found. Why not check with the MIB?

Quite so, the MIB have two agreements under which they operate - one is for untraced motorists. However, the point is that you have to show that the injury/damage was due to a motor accident - not common assault.

Norco_Hucker

Sorry to hear about your little.... incident, I've been put into a hedge before (had no choice), nearly run over + even chased, some motorists just have no cosideration for other road users, so now I just get in the way + if they try anything, they'll have to catch me :twisted:

giant_man

I echo the sentiments already left here and like the previous poster, don't let the barstewards win. Hopefully the police will come up with something like locating the van.

And don't let this put you off! Most drivers are ok just that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ghost Donkey

That's a real bad situation. I hope they get the barsteward. You have to remember this is the first and most likely last time this will ever happen to you. As everyone seems to be saying, don't let them win. Even if ythey see you again they'll probably just give you abuse at worst.Ii doubt they'd risk letting you get their details.

I'd have done the same in your situaution. I'd have got my shoes off too since it looked like trouble and the road doesn't have any obvious escape routes. if the van driver is stupid enough to have ago on his own I could leg it on foot over the fields if he looks nails of give him a swift but firm beating if not. If they're both out of the car I'm running and going back for the bike later in my car. The car driver then has the choice of what to do when I'm running away with a head start of his mate's on the deck.

geedub

This might be of interest

http://www.stoppa.co.uk/acatalog/Stoppa ... Spray.html

and is apparently legal in the UK

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

geedub wrote:

This might be of interest

http://www.stoppa.co.uk/acatalog/Stoppa ... Spray.html

and is apparently legal in the UK

Might be legal to own, but could probably constitute an offence of assault in use, if self defence could not successfully be argued. :?

mick_cornick

I had a little chav in his mate's chav mobile try and knock me off on Saturday I'd of liked a can of that spray! :twisted:






Cycling has left me knackered and skint!

Buggi

MattBlackBigBoysBMX wrote:

geedub wrote:

This might be of interest

http://www.stoppa.co.uk/acatalog/Stoppa ... Spray.html

and is apparently legal in the UK

Might be legal to own, but could probably constitute an offence of assault in use, if self defence could not successfully be argued. :?

yea, but you don't say it's yours, you say its theirs and you wrestled it from them!

Sorry to hear about this mate. had a similar incident with a car driver not long back, but the police were more bothered i'd thumped his window than that fact that this fecker had deliberately drove his car at me. the Great British Legal System!

northturton

And I thought having a cadburys pen recently thrown at from a passing car and hitting me on the leg me was bad enough!

They should make bike pumps sturdier then you can use them as a truncheon!

Regulator

Sorry to hear about this.

Patrick is right - the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (not Board any longer) is your port of call. You'll need to get a Crime Reference Number and report from the police. It sounds as though the local boys in blue are helpful so this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

However, it is unlikely you'll get much from the CICA as their 'injury' threshold is set quite high (and the payouts are fairly miserly thanks to recent budget cuts).

drewfromrisca

As a rather embarrased Police Officer I understand exactly what your saying about the British justice system...its pathetic. So much so that I am in fact looking for a change of career as the way things work now is pathetic!!! I spent most of Monday at Notting Hill carnival having bottles chucked at me but I'm sure the ones that were caught will get off with...well I was going to say a slap on the wrist but as you cant touch them these days it seems that they will get off scot-free!!! Anyway I digress. A few years ago I was involved in a hit and run incident where I was knocked down by a disqualified driver and left with a busted shoulder and two years of pain until an operation kind of fixed it but has left me slightly disabled and unable to use my arm normally. I used criminal injuries (I received an amazing 200 quid - wow!) and the driver wasnt even convicted of the offence on me as some lovely fellow el cid's did a deal and got him to admit to other offences if the CPS dropped the attempt GBH. I then contacted a solicitor albeit through work wko made a claim with the MIB and after a long period of time (almost 2years) I received 10 grand!!! So as for people saying you cant use the MIB then I'm a little confused as I did and my incident wasn't classed as an accident as it was done with intent. I'm really sorry to hear about hte incident but I'm afraid its one I hear on an almost daily occurence. Its pathetic the way people react to things and just another sign that society really is going...or gone to the dogs!!! Good luck in your quest for Great British Justice...said with some degree of sarcasm and hope!!!

drewfromrisca

Buggi wrote:

MattBlackBigBoysBMX wrote:

geedub wrote:

This might be of interest

http://www.stoppa.co.uk/acatalog/Stoppa ... Spray.html

and is apparently legal in the UK

Might be legal to own, but could probably constitute an offence of assault in use, if self defence could not successfully be argued. :?

yea, but you don't say it's yours, you say its theirs and you wrestled it from them!

Sorry to hear about this mate. had a similar incident with a car driver not long back, but the police were more bothered i'd thumped his window than that fact that this fecker had deliberately drove his car at me. the Great British Legal System!

It doesn't matter if you say it isnt yours...it is still an offence if you use someone else's weapon against them. If your going on the lines of self defence then its a sticky wicket as its open season in the box at court. Self defence has to be appropriate for the level of violence that your being attacked with. As for the can of red stuff if its velocity is over a certain degree ( I cant remember exact figure) then it could constitute a section 2 firearm as thats what Police CS and pepper spray is classed as so you could find yourself nicked for assault and firearms offences...pathetic isnt it?!?!?1