I had an argument with a transit van and lost

mattsaw

The police sent me a text asking me to ring them (yes,seriously) and after 42mins I got through. They couldn't trace the van off the reg I gave them. A witness may have wrote it down wrong but I doubt it...........................

Can they not trace him from the name on the side of the van? Unless its a huge company there can only have been a few in the area at the time?

cornerblock

I really hope they can trace this lunatic. Even if he is on false plates, I am sure if the police take this as seriously as they should, they can find him. I am shocked at how slow the police seem to be responding to this. It is a hit and run surely, the fact it is only a bike that has 'died', is it seems, purely down to chance, because by the sounds of it he did not care for the consequences of his lunacy. This nutter needs to be found.

Karl2010

Oh the reason i mentioned Traveler is because i was almost killed by one!

After he nearly took me out on a cross roads, i mouthed off to him, and he got out the van and pulled a stanley knife out of his pocket, of course i just hopped back on bike and rode off.

ProfPing

its not the police that are the issue, it is getting the CPS to prosecute. I have been hit twice with witnesses and the CPS still WOULD NOT prosecute due to lack of evidence!!! Both witnesses saw everything. Just plain lazy - or not concerned with injuries to cyclists.

dilemna

What a pyscho. You are lucky to be alive.

If WVM drove over your bike surely there will be damage or paint marks on the front or underaide of the van? The police should impound it to examine it. All they have to do is trace the trade name on the side, pay them a visit, find out where their vans were on the day and at the time in question, who was driving and then take a close look at their vans.

CCTV - write to the local authority usually they retain footage for 28 days.
Also private companies or large properties might have CCTV who you could possibly approach.

Regarding the tardy indifferent police response - IPCC.

Write down all details you can remember and some you can't.

He literally drove over your bike :shock: ? Why weren't you on it?

petemadoc

I really hope you get some justice with this one.

Please keep us updated and don't let the police fob you off. Keep details of every witness and at the very least get hold of the WVD's insurance company (if he has one) and get the money for your bike.

It's not fair or right but I suspect you'll have to fight tooth and nail to the CPS or police to do anything about it. Good luck, . . . although luck sounds like the wrong word to use.

Valy

S O B!

Wow - that is too far. Hope everything is sorted out.

polocini

I haven't had the best nights sleep, so I got up at 5am and went up and down the road where it happened and wrote down details of all the cameras.
There is a proper local council cctv set up at one point but there is also a security shop. In the window of the shop there is a monitor showing various cameras. One of the cameras looks straight at the road. Hopefully it was recording. Even if the camera doesn't catch the reg it will have the guys face on it at the very least.

Dilemma-I was clipped in on my left foot. I was standing (right) side on in front of the van. He rammed me and I fell over. He drove his right wheel over the back end of the bike, around the crank. As the bike got dragged I crawled away to the right. There is some damage on the left cleat so I think the force may have ripped the bike away from me.

All I have is a really small graze on my right knee. I feel so relieved.

AL

fossyant

That's bad - hope you have some luck. Just before Christmas a loon in a golf tried to run me off the road, all because I was in a traffic queue, behind other cars and was in his way. Police were involved, and apparently, because I put my hand up (no fingers) the driver thought this was aggressive, so started revving his Golf V5 at me, then chased my and tried to ram me. 8kg of bike vs 1500kg of car.......

Police couldn't do any more, but the incident is logged as 'information' against the driver - oh and the car has 'previous' according to the Police.

Hope you get somewhere with this. Did the driver 'bugger off'. I'd have probably lost it and dragged him out of the van.

ademort

Firstly good to know that you are ok. I hope that the police have enough evidence to persuade the CPS to prosecute, this driver is a menace to the roads. Please let us know how you get on.
Ademort

dilemna

Polocini wrote:

I haven't had the best nights sleep, so I got up at 5am and went up and down the road where it happened and wrote down details of all the cameras.
There is a proper local council cctv set up at one point but there is also a security shop. In the window of the shop there is a monitor showing various cameras. One of the cameras looks straight at the road. Hopefully it was recording. Even if the camera doesn't catch the reg it will have the guys face on it at the very least.

Dilemma-I was clipped in on my left foot. I was standing (right) side on in front of the van. He rammed me and I fell over. He drove his right wheel over the back end of the bike, around the crank. As the bike got dragged I crawled away to the right. There is some damage on the left cleat so I think the force may have ripped the bike away from me.

All I have is a really small graze on my right knee. I feel so relieved.

AL

F'kin L! Surely this is attempted GBH s.18 with intent or even attempted murder ......, it can't honestly be anything else! The guy is a pyscho. He needs to be caught. Good luck with the CCTV hopefully one camera will have caught something of this dangerous idiot and his van.You must be a reck at the mo. Yet another story supporting cyclists carrying a camera or wearing a head cam.

polocini

I'm actually really chilled about the whole thing. I have had a really good day out with my mrs today.
I'll update this thread tomorrow when I know more regards the CCTV.

AL

*AL*

Polocini wrote:

They couldn't trace the van off the reg I gave them. A witness may have wrote it down wrong but I doubt it...........................

I'm sure you can confirmi the vans reg using ASKMID

petemadoc

fossyant wrote:

so started revving his Golf V5 at me, then chased my and tried to ram me. 8kg of bike vs 1500kg of car.......

Police couldn't do any more, but the incident is logged as 'information' against the driver - oh and the car has 'previous' according to the Police.

This seems to be the general attitude of the police. Try to hit a person with your fist or a stone and it's assault

Try to hit a cyclist (who is still a person incidentally) with a car and it's an "incident"

I wonder how many deaths or injuries to cyclists are actually deliberate but no one gets charged. . . lack of evidence bla bla bla.

polocini

The shop which had a camera facing the road wasn't recording the footage. I'm going to work out the exact value of the bike tonight. I have contacted a solicitor. It's just a case of waiting for the police now.

AL

paul64

Write down all the details of police calls and time delays including refusal to attend an attempted assault or worse, failure to take witness statements and so on. Negligence springs to mind and your solicitor should have a field day with it if you have the facts and witness contacts.

BigJimmyB

Cornerblock wrote:

a_n_t wrote:

Cornerblock wrote:

As for the name and shame request, do not!

Why not? I live in the same area so you never know our paths may cross.

Would it not be harmful to any legal proceedings to stick names out in the open, that's why I think it would be better to seek legal advice first. If you live in the same area just treat all white vans with caution!

Spot on - don't give any names here.

I'm 2.5 years and £3k in expenses into legal proceedings (albeit for different reasons) due to the fact that someone thinks I've Libelled/Defamed them.

Had I not done so, I'd be £6k better off now.

cougie

Is your solicitor experienced in bike claims ? If not it may be worth speaking to a specialist.

have you got pics of your damage ? Grazes, damage to clothes. Obv the bike pics will be handy.

Pross

I agree with Dilemna here :shock: If you genuinely feel the police response has not been as it should then take it to the IPCC. It's an assault and any other form of assault would have the police turning up, for some reason this type of incident seems to be trivialised to the limit of kids messing about in the street level. Glad you're OK which is the main thing - also a lesson to all those people on here who make comments about how they will deal with motorists who cross them on the road, it really isn't worth getting involved as they have a dangerous weapon!

polocini

I have spoken with the Police and it doesn't look good. I'm going to have to speak with a solicitor before doing anything else.

If and its an if they find him and then charge him with Assault I might not get anything for the bike.

I know it's not the individual officers fault and that it's the system but I am feeling truly gutted. I am going to look at claiming on my house insurance tomorrow.

AL

Anonymous

You should be able to claim from the MIB.

Really sorry to hear about this Allen

riggsy81

bloody hell mate theres some nutters out there....

main thing is your ok.. where abouts in Manchester did it happen?

polocini

On the A6 Hazel Grove.

I'm gonna speak with a solictor and check on my home insurance tomorrow.

AL

petemadoc

Polocini wrote:

I have spoken with the Police and it doesn't look good. I'm going to have to speak with a solicitor before doing anything else.

If and its an if they find him and then charge him with Assault I might not get anything for the bike.

I know it's not the individual officers fault and that it's the system but I am feeling truly gutted. I am going to look at claiming on my house insurance tomorrow.

AL

What's the problem? Why can't they trace him?

Anonymous

There are numerous ways to try and trace him... Shouldn't be a problem...

rc856

Glad to hear you're ok.
Always amazes me to hear about English police forces.Remember that it was more than likely just a civilian employee who took the call in a contact centre so not the police per se. You wonder where the logic comes from with not having someone attend.
If that happened in my area you would get someone to you unless it was so busy that no-one was available.
We would be doing all the checking for CCTV for you.
As said....name on the van should make things easier. T'internet and all that.
Hope it works out for you.

dilemna

Polocini wrote:

I have spoken with the Police and it doesn't look good. I'm going to have to speak with a solicitor before doing anything else.

If and its an if they find him and then charge him with Assault I might not get anything for the bike.

I know it's not the individual officers fault and that it's the system but I am feeling truly gutted. I am going to look at claiming on my house insurance tomorrow.

AL

If you can ID the van it MUST be insured. Then you make a claim against the insurer. If can you trace it, but there is no insurance in force then the driver should be charged with driving without insurance. The vehicle should be impounded and crushed. I fear you may be being given a huge fob off by the police. As has been suggested if van is not traceable then a claim against the Motor Insurance Bureau begins. Whether the driver is actually caught is immaterial in this instance AFAIK. I wish I had known this when I was knocked down by a builder's van which pulled out of a line of stationary traffic into a bus lane along which I was riding at 25mph down Denmark Hill back in 1996. Brixton police were worse than f'kin useless, telling me that they had traced the van but as the owners and occupants were very unsavoury not to pursue the matter ............. Sorry NapD and other plods on here but that advice was unforgiveable IMHO.

If you claim on your house insurance, if indeed your bike is covered for damage, then your premium will absolutely rocket next year. You need to find out the insurer of this vehicle. If this is not possible then claim for repairs, replacement etc from the MIB.

polocini

It's not the police that are useless it's the system. Let's face it at the time it happened on a Saturday afternoon how many officers would be dealing with teenage shoplifters in topshop or wherever. Or drunken morons in hospitals. Somebody in an office somewhere who doesn't have a clue decides on police procedure.

The whole text message and me having to contact the police was seriously frustrating. I rang nineteen times before getting an answer. Someone has thought of that to save having someone making calls etc. But it just annoyed me and I was already frustrated before I spoke to an operator. So I ended up having a right whinge at some poor bloke on the other end of the phone!!!

AL

Anonymous

Dilemna, don't apologise about your opinion of the police! People are entitled to their opinion and there are some crap officers out there. Just as there are crap staff in any organisation.
There's also some fantastic officers out there. You just haven't met them yet.

Kaise

Mate that looks bad!

I feel like i got away withit today!

Heading down southmead road to work this morning, guy in a van overtakes and then brakes really hard infront of me for no reason and then pulls up on the left about 10ft in front of me.

So being full of the rage i pull up along side him and punch his side window, he gets out and walks up to me as i am getting off my bike having pulled over directly in front of him. I dont think he was expecting me to be 17st and bigger than he was and he apologised but only after a few choice words with spit flying and my face was probably bright red.

now i am at work and have seen this i am lucky he didnt just mow me down!