Just got hit while out on the bike

bibhigh

I have just been out on my bike to do some training when a small white van coming from a junction on my right pulled out on me to travel in the same direction as me.
I shouted at him to make him aware that I was there.
He then decided to swerve his van in my direction whilst shouting abuse at me and proceeded to knock me off my bike.
I took impact from the side of his van on my right elbow and cuts on my right hand where I put my hand up to protect my face from his wing mirror as I tried to push myself away from his van.
As you can imagine there was a heated argument and I phoned the police.
An ambulance also turned up and treated the minors cuts and bruised elbow.
This bit I don't entirely understand. The Police went over to the driver first, spoke to him, and got his side of the story. Then she came into the ambulance to speak to me. Asked me briefly what had happened but didn't document it . Then took down my details and said she would be in touch later tonight.
I said to her are you not going to take a statement from me and she said that they don't do that anymore as it's too time consuming.
They would decide whether or not to press charges against him.
I have just had a call from the Police saying that they will not tie up public money pursuing it and it will be dropped !
Can anyone give me some advice on this matter?
Regards.

Flasheart

OMG are you okay? I know nothing about this kind of thing and would do the same as you and post here for advice too.
I'm glad that you are in one piece but I'm astounded at the shocking treatment that the Police have given you.(recent encounter has made me wary of the fuzz)
Experts ( and I know there are a few here) will no doubt steer you along the correct course of action.

Take care matey

phil s

Horrific.
Take the name of the police officer. Make sure you have the driver's number plate. Contact a solicitor.

redvee

Go to the station and report it over the counter and ask for a senior officer to look into the matter.

MRadd

You could always contact the police complaints commision. I'm sure they'd be interested in an officer that hasn't taken his/her duty seriously enough. And to use the words "Time Consuming", what a load of b***ox.

Frank the tank

I'd go to the local nick and report it, ask for the officers name and number also who came in attendance.

Contact Bikeline Alison France, they're no win no fee. Do that tonight, they'll get back to you. They did me proud when I got knocked off.

Hope you're ok, take some photos of your injuries and damage to your bike and clothing.

All the best mate, and keep us all posted.

wicked

Since when is it too time consuming to prosecute someone who has committed an offence! If your tax disc is out of date the bloody police are all over you! And they wonder why they have lost the support of the public.

Makes me so angry my piss is coming in lumps :evil:

passout

Before complaining go in person to the station and see if they'll sort it out properly: give them a second chance. Complaining about the police officer will distract from the major issue here - the dangerous driving. If this fails, then complain. If you are in the CTC I'd contact them for advice - they have legal clout. Might be worth contacting them even if you are not a memeber - they are good at this sort of thing.

Frank the tank

wicked wrote:

Since when is it too time consuming to prosecute someone who has committed an offence! If your tax disc is out of date the bloody police are all over you! And they wonder why they have lost the support of the public.

Makes me so angry my wee-wee is coming in lumps :evil:

When I was knocked off my bike they tried to tell me it didn't constitute a RTA because (wait for it) I WAS ON A BICYCLE. :evil:

hells

I am in the ambulance service and normally the police go to the driver first whilst we attend to the cyclist in the back of the ambo or work on extracting the cyclist and then getting them into the back. I presume this is so that the more important thing, getting the injured party safely out of danger (the road) into a place of safety (the ambo) and assessing wether it is life threatening, life changing or minor and treating the individual is done first. However in everyone of these jobs I have done so far a police officer has come into the ambulance to find out what if any injuries are and to take a statement if possible from the patient. They have also if serious accompanied us in the back of the ambo or followed us in their car to hospital and if not serious have visited the patient in hospital (if they choose to go). I think you should definately find out who the officer was and make a complaint. If you do not have a copy of the ambulance paperwork I think you should be able to obtain a copy by calling HQ. I always write the patients version of events onto my paperwork. The van collided with you and caused you an injury, you have their registration, soemthiong should be able to be done.

I think the police are great but they are pretty rubbish when it comes to dealing with RTCs. Someone ran my foot over whilst I was at work (thank god for steel toe capped boots) it was night they were driving on the wrong side of the road with no lights on and they didnt stop. It is not being investigated becuase although I have two witnesses I dont have the registration.

andyp

Read this excellent thread on lfgss;

https://www.lfgss.com/thread4213.html

It should give you an idea of other options to pursue. Heal fast.

awallace

Go to local nick and ask to speak with duty inspector. There may be good reason why no investigation or it may be just poor service. Either way there needs to be better communication.

andy162

If he deliberately swerved into then that's a pretty serious offence surely??

It's obvious Van Man has given a slightly distorted view of the event...W@nker!

You could always pay £2.50 to DVLA & they will disclose the keepers address, go round to his house & torch his van, or at the very least pour Nitro-mors on it...That'll teach the varmint!

GavH

Sounds to me like the female PC couldn't be bothered with this and has just chinned you right off. I'd definately take myself to the nearest solicitor who wants to pursue it for you. And since when did PCs get to decide what does and does not constitute a waste of public money - When did they stop investigating crimes and start becoming budget managers???

cougie

+1 on using Alison France at bikeline. Get photos of your injuries and all damage and ring them tomorrow . And yes - go back to the station - that's just not right. There are a few police on here so I'm sure they will be on. Just a lazy wpc I reckon ?

Smokin Joe

I'd visit the police station, ask to see a senior officer and tell him you are not happy with your treatment and you are going to take it further by contacting both your local newspaper, the cycling press and your MP.

The last thing they will want is to get involved in a public fuss with a load of bad publicity.

Pokerface

Very troubling.


Please keep us updated on the outcome or any progress and I'd like to know what to expect if this ever happens to me.


And I hope you feel OK tomoro.

dilemna

Sorry to read you were run off your bike and angry for you that the police are as every bit as useless as they are usually made out to be when it comes to cyclists injured on the roads.

Make a formal complaint against the officer who spoke to you that they were rude, unprofessional that she prejudiced her decision that she decided she was not going to do anything before she had even spoken to you to get your version of events and refused to document anything. Dereliction of duty. Make a substantive complaint. This fecking cop deserves to be reprimanded and with any luck thrown out the force. What a disgrace and what a B1TCH. Just like the two coppers who started jail sentences for torturing a woman they arrested and took down the nick. They dragged her by her hair, held her head down on the desk and forced her hand cuffed arms up behind her causing her excruciating pain. The sargeant just looked on and did nothing. They closed ranks to try to cover it up as well. B4stards.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rture.html


And then there's the fecking copper who killed Mr Tomlinson.

Make a complaint.

Pokerface

dilemna wrote:

Sorry to read you were run off your bike and angry for you that the police are as every bit as useless as they are usually made out to be when it comes to cyclists injured on the roads.

Make a formal complaint against the officer who spoke to you that they were rude, unprofessional that she prejudiced her decision that she decided she was not going to do anything before she had even spoken to you to get your version of events and refused to document anything. Dereliction of duty. Make a substantive complaint. This fecking cop deserves to be reprimanded and with any luck thrown out the force. What a disgrace and what a B1TCH. Just like the two coppers who started jail sentences for torturing a woman they arrested and took down the nick. They dragged her by her hair, held her head down on the desk and forced her hand cuffed arms up behind her causing her excruciating pain. The sargeant just looked on and did nothing. They closed ranks to try to cover it up as well. B4stards.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rture.html


And then there's the fecking copper who killed Mr Tomlinson.

Make a complaint.

OK. OK!!!! And then there's all the perfectly nice and competent officers out there that go above and beyond to serve the public. It's a sh!tty job at times and we don't give them a lot of credit.

I'm sure not everyone in your line of business is perfect at what they do either. Good and bad people all around.

Let's not turn this into a giant cop-bashing thread. (Even if it might be deserved in this case.)

incog24

Woah vicious post! Chill out...

For the record, when 5 of us got wiped out by a car we had a police van, a panda car and two traffic cars in attendance within 15mins. The police were exceptional dealing with it and saw it through to an eventual prosecution.

They're not all bad!

GiantMike

Find out where the driver lives and take slow and painful revenge. After all, the Police are far too busy to investigate!

jgsi

Such things can happen any time any place.... to anyone of us
Just out of the blue.
Now the dust has settled you really have to get some kind of result from this.. you have damage to yourself and your bike after all?

Let us know if you have got legal backup and what is going to take place.

This is what really put things into perspective, the fact that you might be there , crooked on the public highway and desperately trying to get photo evidence and witness names and addresses to back up what happened, because the other party or their legals, you know, are going to make every effort to squirm out of their responsibilities to the injured and wronged party.

This is what drivers forget.. there they are sat on their fat lardyarses behind the wheel picking their feckin noses and it's us that end up a bloody pained mess on the road.

shmo

incog24 wrote:

For the record, when 5 of us got wiped out by a car we had a police van, a panda car and two traffic cars in attendance within 15mins.!

Damn! I want to hear more about this. Was it intentional by the driver?

Reason I ask is because I'm positive this will happen on a group ride soon. Over the last few weeks I/we have been dive bombed (driver accelerating past dangerously close while blasting the horn) four times and I sense a huge crash is imminent. Literally starting to feel under attack out on the road.

Frank the tank

Shmo wrote:

incog24 wrote:

For the record, when 5 of us got wiped out by a car we had a police van, a panda car and two traffic cars in attendance within 15mins.!

Damn! I want to hear more about this. Was it intentional by the driver?

Reason I ask is because I'm positive this will happen on a group ride soon. Over the last few weeks I/we have been dive bombed (driver accelerating past dangerously close while blasting the horn) four times and I sense a huge crash is imminent. Literally starting to feel under attack out on the road.

Only last year (I think) four cyclists were killed in Wales while out on a group ride and the motorist got off relatively light. If memory serves (Sure someone on here will put some kind of link or confirm).

SteveR_100Milers

JGSI wrote:

This is what drivers forget.. there they are sat on their fat lardyarses behind the wheel picking their feckin noses and it's us that end up a bloody pained mess on the road.

I drive a car, and ride a bike. Get over it. This kind of attitude is what fuels the flames of tribalism, and every time you are right: the cyclist will lose out. Don't get mad, get smart, its not hard.

Frank the Tank wrote:

Only last year (I think) four cyclists were killed in Wales while out on a group ride and the motorist got off relatively light. If memory serves (Sure someone on here will put some kind of link or confirm).

Do you mean *that* tragedy in North Wales where a club ride was hit by a car the skidded in ice?

zanes

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Frank the Tank wrote:

Only last year (I think) four cyclists were killed in Wales while out on a group ride and the motorist got off relatively light. If memory serves (Sure someone on here will put some kind of link or confirm).

Do you mean *that* tragedy in North Wales where a club ride was hit by a car the skidded in ice?

IIRC (and quite possibly i don't! ) he had three "defective" tyres on his vehicle. Having hit ice on 4 brand new tyres, I don't think it made much difference, and was a tragic cock-up with the road not having been gritted when it was supposed to have been or something.

SteveR_100Milers

zanes wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Frank the Tank wrote:

Only last year (I think) four cyclists were killed in Wales while out on a group ride and the motorist got off relatively light. If memory serves (Sure someone on here will put some kind of link or confirm).

Do you mean *that* tragedy in North Wales where a club ride was hit by a car the skidded in ice?

IIRC (and quite possibly i don't! ) he had three "defective" tyres on his vehicle. Having hit ice on 4 brand new tyres, I don't think it made much difference, and was a tragic fool-up with the road not having been gritted when it was supposed to have been or something.

That's my view too. He was not found guilty of driving recklesly or with excessive speed - arguably the local authority could be to blame for not gritting the roads, but then who made the ice in the first place....

rake

he was picking his nose.

dommccabe17

happened to me. Got hit by a car who turned in front of me. I was going in the opposite direction in the cycle lane and the driver just didn't look before turning. Hurt my lower back and neck and an Ambulance was called. There were 3 witnesses to say it wasn't my fault. Police still didn't pursue it any further (my girlfriend had to call them to find this out)
Thats the MET police in Walthamstow.
I find it very comforting to know the law doesn't give a flying fook about me!

incog24

Shmo wrote:

incog24 wrote:

For the record, when 5 of us got wiped out by a car we had a police van, a panda car and two traffic cars in attendance within 15mins.!

Damn! I want to hear more about this. Was it intentional by the driver?

Reason I ask is because I'm positive this will happen on a group ride soon. Over the last few weeks I/we have been dive bombed (driver accelerating past dangerously close while blasting the horn) four times and I sense a huge crash is imminent. Literally starting to feel under attack out on the road.

It wasn't intentional, but he wasn't at all sorry! We were rolling down a long straight road at 30mph, and he was coming the other way and indicating to turn right. He completely misjudged how fast we were going and basically parked in our lane when we were 5-10m away...The first guy stayed up but the rest of the group came down.

I came off quite lightly really, I was doing an endo when I hit the car at ~20mph so pivoted onto the bonnet rather than going through the windscreen. Thankfully it was a Volvo estate not a 4x4 otherwise my ribs would have been toast!

Exceptionally wary of cars pulling out/turning in these days. Compensation is looking quite reasonable though. Taken a while to get sorted out because the guy initially pleaded not-guilty!

jgsi

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

I drive a car, and ride a bike. Get over it. This kind of attitude is what fuels the flames of tribalism, and every time you are right: the cyclist will lose out. Don't get mad, get smart, its not hard.

I will thank you....
just saying anyone anytime can get decked.. and I am so glad you have made it clear that it is not an
Us and Them situation out there on roads, I can rest peacefully now.
I will ride as I have always ridden and treat anything else on the road as a potential threat... it has kept me safe since 1973.