Oh how I wish I'd been wearing a helmet cam this morning

DonDaddyD

Bails,

You really need to distribute that video - twitter, facebook, link to it anywhere and everywhere there is a article (and comments section, I'm thinking news websites - BBC, Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail etc) about cyclist and our safety etc and/or the lack of police protection/action.

I criticise some of the footage people post on youtube but that is something people need to see. Looks like something out of a fucking horror movie. Wow.

I've never seen that before. I'm sorry that happened to you.

rick_chasey

DonDaddyD wrote:

Bails,

You really need to distribute that video - twitter, facebook, link to it anywhere and everywhere there is a article (and comments section, I'm thinking news websites - BBC, Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail etc) about cyclist and our safety etc and/or the lack of police protection/action.

I criticise some of the footage people post on youtube but that is something people need to see. Looks like something out of a ******* horror movie. Wow.

I've never seen that before. I'm sorry that happened to you.

Totally OT: spotted your avatar this morning.

Skindred.

Drfabulous0

Thing is I've seen that exact same thing numerous times, and experienced the same apathy from the police, these cnuts know they can get away with it so it won't stop by reporting it to the authorities. If somebody physically attacks you you have every right to defend yourself, I would have beaten the hell out of him, it's the only way these scumbags learn.

gabriel959

bails87 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

sorry, it wasnt a dig at you at all.

Don't worry, I know it wasn't.

I have retweeted it to my followers on twitter. Its the least I can do.

davis

DonDaddyD wrote:

Bails,

You really need to distribute that video - twitter, facebook, link to it anywhere and everywhere there is a article (and comments section, I'm thinking news websites - BBC, Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail etc) about cyclist and our safety etc and/or the lack of police protection/action.

I criticise some of the footage people post on youtube but that is something people need to see. Looks like something out of a ******* horror movie. Wow.

I've never seen that before. I'm sorry that happened to you.

+1 on all counts.

layzphil

bails87 wrote:

I'm surprised you lot can see anything. According to the police it was too dark to be of any use....

This is appalling. It is so obvious he hit you, I wouldn't give up here. IANAL but you could probably bring a civil suit against him for this your evidence is so strong.

DonDaddyD

gabriel959 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

sorry, it wasnt a dig at you at all.

Don't worry, I know it wasn't.

I have retweeted it to my followers on twitter. Its the least I can do.

If Bails doesn't mind I might go on a 'netstorm and post links to it.

OP, sounds like you did the right thing in terms of maintaing your safety. You did the right thing by avoiding any interaction with the driver.

Rick, Best. Band. Ever.

gabriel959

Here you go mate - you should do something similar.

https://twitter.com/Ezy_Ryder/status/237876657426411520

bails87

I'm really not wanting to make a big deal of this......

Thanks for the concern. But it's over, nothing's going to happen.

rick_chasey

DonDaddyD wrote:

Rick, Best. Band. Ever.

*waves piece of clothing around above head* or something.

gabriel959

bails87 wrote:

I'm really not wanting to make a big deal of this......

Thanks for the concern. But it's over, nothing's going to happen.

I am concerned, more so after I had 2 close ones yesterday myself.

Did you remove the video? I can't see it anymore.

bails87

gabriel959 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

I'm really not wanting to make a big deal of this......

Thanks for the concern. But it's over, nothing's going to happen.

I am concerned, more so after I had 2 close ones yesterday myself.

Did you remove the video? I can't see it anymore.

It's private now....

You've seen from that tweet what'll happen: "It was my fault for hitting the car". The the trolls will come out and it'll be my fault for being on the road in the first place. The police are aware of it, they know I wasn't particularly impressed with the way it was handled.

I mentioned it in the first place to show that the police generally aren't interested in policing the roads. If someone's dead or seriously injured then yeah, they will be, but no contact/damage/injury? They probably won't bother doing anything. It was to address the "I wish I had a camera because the police would have done something" naivety of the OP I still use my cam, in terms of insurance claims it's very useful (or has been on the one occasion I've needed it) but for reporting bad driving to the police? I won't bother now unless there's something really serious going on.

I didn't want to be this afternoon's twitter-ragestorm :P Like I said, what's done is done.

gabriel959

well, I passed it on to the Solihull police who said it was an awful incident. Keep fighting man!

Anyway - its your choice.

bails87

gabriel959 wrote:

well, I passed it on to the Solihull police who said it was an awful incident. Keep fighting man!

Anyway - its your choice.

Keep fighting what? The case is closed, the handling of the case has been investigated and that case has been closed as well.

I don't want to fight anyone, I'm not very good at it!

DonDaddyD

Your shout man, I can understand that you probably don't want to be made any more of a victim/target than you have been already and probably don't want to be reminded of the assualt.

Still, the revolution won't be televised!

Kieran_Burns

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

notsoblue

Bails, this is horrifying. I'm appalled the guy got away with assaulting you like that....

jedster

Bails,

Just to join the chorus but I'm really sorry that happened to you.
I accept that it is too late and you've "moved on". But if that happened to me I would:

a) contact the CTC and get them to kick up a holy stink plus set their tame lawyers on the problem
b) write to the chief constable
c) contact the PCA

That piece of utter pondlife would have been rueing the day.

J

gabriel959

Bails,

Solihull Police is asking me about it. They have asked me to provide them with your details to make sure this is dealt with correctly.

https://twitter.com/SolihullPolice/stat ... 5437111296

If you send me by PM your email I will Direct Message him it so he can look onto it.

rick_chasey

I should have never have mentioned it bails! Apologies.

gabriel959

Better late than never I say.

rick_chasey

gabriel959 wrote:

Better late than never I say.

They kinda did deal with it.

Got the bloke to write a letter, which bails accepted...

gabriel959

Properly.

graeme_s-2

I share everybody else's outrage about this, but it's entirely up to Bails as to how he handles it. If he wants to leave it be then he can. Sometimes you get so fed up dealing with these situations that you just give up. I've certainly felt like that with a couple of the incidents I've been involved in.

jonny_trousers

bails87 wrote:

I'm really not wanting to make a big deal of this......

Ah, but didn't our Lord, Jesus Christ, say something similar when the Romans came to arrest him?

Kieran_Burns

Does this qualify as the most stolen thread ever?

bails87

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Does this qualify as the most stolen thread ever?

I hope no-one reports the thread theft to the police. They might make me write a letter*




*This has become the joke response to 'crimes' spotted by me or Mrs Bails.

slowbike

Rick Chasey wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

Better late than never I say.

They kinda did deal with it.

Got the bloke to write a letter, which bails accepted...

Could be that Bails accepted it under duress?

Haven't seen the vid cos he made it private ... but if it is worth the responses that have been posted then it seems the Police have failed in their duty.
If they won't sit up and take notice then options are:
1) contact the local press - they often like a good story
2) contact the national press - if it's good enough it could go national
3) contact your MP - for no other reason that that's what they're there for.
4) contact the Independent Police Complaints Commission - if local plod won't deal with it then someone should
5) (should prob be 1!) contact a solicitor that deals with these sorts of cases - another good reason to be a British Cycling (or similar) member
6) If you've got a video then go for the social media broadcast - especially if the perp is easily identified.

I keep my phone in my jersey pocket - part of my "strategy" should something go pearshaped is to call 999 if it starts getting violent - 999 calls are recorded and I might just need an ambulance at the end of it...

bails87

I went to my MP, that's how the investigation of the investigation happened!

Seriously, the case has been opened, investigated, closed. Then reinvestigated, found to be "fine" and closed again.

6 months on from the event, when I'd all but forgotten about it, the bloke involved getting a caution or a fine won't change my life one bit. It would have been nice if they'd done something that seemed more appropriate at the time, but they didn't and that's not going to change.

Arguably, I should have
1. Refused to do what the police officer was telling me to do and not accepted the letter, or
2. used the fact I was wearing a helmet to my advantage and headbutted his face into rasperry jam before throwing his car keys in the nearby pond and riding off. But I didn't, so that's that. $hit happens, the only lasting damage is my lack of faith in the police to do anything to protect me.

This is nothing to do with identifying him either. The police know who he is, heck, I know who he is, I've got his name on the letter of apology.

gabriel959

Bails,

Sent you another PM - it would be great if you could reply

Thanks!