D-Rider's Good News ..... D-Rider's Crap News

[D-Rider]

Still planning to be at Newark - though if I get there it will be in the car - I wouldn't try that distance as my first blast on the bike anyway.

As for minimising the time not riding, there is a cunning plan that involves doing other things that I've not been explicitly banned from. Having proved I can do them, this will leave little room to justify why I can't ride the bike.

Pedal Power here I come


____________________________________________________________

Still no response from Plod about the guy who hit me.
Phoned up at 22:05 .... got through to West Midlands Police Switchboard. Told them who I wanted to speak to .... they told me he didn't exist !
After some insistence it seems the copper I'd got the details from during the afternoon had written the police ID number down wrong.
That sorted I was put through to the appropriate police station. It rang about twice then went straight to answerphone.
I left a message explaining the situation and asking to be called back ....
you can guess the rest.
Now 10 days since the incident and I still don't know the name and address of the 3rd party.
Not happy.

Thinking of contacting the TV people that filmed me in hospital ......

[BikerGran]

I really can't see 3 months needed for ribs to heal - I was back pushing a pushchair and picking up a 2 year old after a month!

I think it's that anti-bike prejudice creeping in - what you need is a Dr like the surgeon I had when I broke my leg, who said that bikers make great patients because they have such motivation to get better!

[D-Rider]

Quite right BG.

I've already been fixing cars and bikes which has involved a bit of lifting etc.

There's no way it's a valid assessment of how long it will take to be capable of riding.

[HowardQ]

Was only joking Andy, it will be really nice to see you again, how ever you get there! Hope the pain is getting better by then.
This time it's gonna be a really nice day, so we will be happy to bring the food and drink out to you!

[HowardQ]

Daft I know, but I wonder just how far can you go with the "Freedom of Information Act", I know the police are always slow when you need this sort of information, but you are an obvious "interested party" and must have some rights. Could just be worth a try, as it seems to work surprisingly well in other areas.

[D-Rider]

Sorry for more self indulgent rambling on this ... but at least it helps me keep track of how things have progressed.

After a couple more phone calls to the police today, I eventually got a call from the officer responsible for this incident.
He was ever so apologetic .... but unfortunately he couldn't provide the info as it was held by the trainee who was with him when they attended the incident. Had it been classed as a serious incident, he would have had access but as it was originally assumed that I was just bruised it had not been elevated to that status and only the trainee WPC has the info at present.
Nevertheless he will get her to call me tomorrow with the details.

That's the good news.

I also asked to confirm whether the police were present when the guy who hit me said he hadn't seen me.
Doesn't sound as though they were. In fact the guy's story is that I must have been filtering up the inside of the queueing traffic and when flashed by a car in the queue to join it, he had done so and he maintains I must have shot up the inside.
Given the road layout and the position of the queue it's rather far fetched that I would have been filtering in such a way - it really makes no sense.
Also, any witness would be bound to confirm I was filtering responsibly up the outside of the queue.
The problem is ..... they have no witness details - despite this happening in a long queue and several people coming to my aid.
This could be a major problem as without witnesses it is just my word against his.

Now I've been thinking about this .... a woman phoned for the ambulance to come and she was certainly still there when it arrived.
I'm thinking that the call for the ambulance must have been logged and her details taken. If I'm right, that's one potential witness.

The Ambulance crew were certainly present when the guy apologised and said he hadn't seem me - so maybe I can get some comment from them (I think the driver rode bikes and they were both talking with me about the work they do at Mallory - anyway I got the impression that they were not adversed to helping bikers). That said, even if they can confirm that the guy said he didn't see me, I guess it doesn't completely prove him to be wrong in his assumption that I was filtering on the inside.

TBH I'd never even considered that he might argue that I was travelling anywhere other than I actually was.
I got the impression that the policeman I spoke with tonight realises that my version of events is the true one but has no hard evidence to back me up.

[Falcopops]

If you haven't already given the police a statement, do so ASAP, whether you are requested to give one or not. I've done this in the past an it helped.

I think TC mentioned a while back that writing it all down as soon as you can helps immensley. By providing this to the police early, means it's less likely to be any inference that your story is manufactured.

Good luck

[TC]

I think TC mentioned a while back that writing it all down as soon as you can helps immensley. By providing this to the police early, means it's less likely to be any inference that your story is manufactured.

Good luck

Correct! The longer you leave it, the more you will forget, and it may be key points that are forgotten. Likewise, if you can, get some photographs of the scene. These can act as terrific aid memoires.

You don't need to give them to the Police at the moment, as given their lack of investigation, it would not surprise me if they don't bother to obtain a statement from you, but your insurers or lawyer will want an account, so if you make notes and take pictures, date and sign them as these can then be used as evidence and shows that the notes were made whilst things were still fresh in your mind. As Falcopops says, this can be of great help later on.

[D-Rider]

Many thanks Dale and TC - I shall attend to this today
Actually, it's one of the reasons I've been writing things down here - so that I don't forget. I've also realised that this actually date stamps my memories too.
All I need to do now is collate all the things I've written here, fill in any missing details and take some photos.
I've already had a look on Google street view - it's not bad in showing the scene but is filmed from the wrong side of the road - so I'll go out today and take some pictures.

[TC]

It is worth bearing in mind to write down things even though they may not appear relevant at the time. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference, so if you can start your account of events from about 2 or 3 miles or about 5 minutes out from the point of collision.

[D-Rider]

It is worth bearing in mind to write down things even though they may not appear relevant at the time. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference, so if you can start your account of events from about 2 or 3 miles or about 5 minutes out from the point of collision.

LOL - it only happened a mile from home .... but I take your point.
Many thanks

[BikerGran]

when flashed by a car in the queue to join it, he had done so

By saying this he has already put himself in the wrong as the Highway Code says you shouldn't do this!

Minor things like this can be very important - when I was knocked off years ago by a bloke who came onto a roundabout without stopping, he claimed that he hadn't hit me (he only just caught the bars and tipped me off) but that "I fell off because I lost control when he entered my lane" - thus demonstration that he knew that he had entered my roadspace!

The argument went on for 2 years but I just kept repeating my - factual - version of events, and eventually a court date was set but his insurers paid up the week before the court date!

[D-Rider]

Hooray

Last night the Police actually phoned me with the details of the 3rd party - I can now make some progress with the insurance!


Data #@#@ Protection

Now I think the protection of our data in this increasingly spied-on society is generally a good thing.
But it's all gone a bit bonkers.
Last week the police couldn''t give me details of the chap who knocked me off - only the officer who took them could do that .... supposedly due to Data Protection.

Last night I suggested to the police that they could get a witness to events by finding out who rang for the ambulance.
Apparently, emergency calls to Fire and Ambulance no longer have caller details due to Data Protection (although calls to the police are recorded as these are exempt).
Looks as though this part of data protection is doing more to obstruct justice than to protect people.
Now the government are requiring phone companies to log all calls, that ISPs log all internet activity etc .... but when you actually need that info to serve the purposes of justice, it cant be given!

Chances of getting a witness now to confirm what really happened are roughly zero.


Oh, and BTW the speed camera within 200 yards of the accident wasn't much of a contributor to road safety either .... as if it ever could be.

[Aladinsaneuk]

all emergency calls are recorded - period
(The way all 999 calls are routed is recorded)

challenge that - and i would suggest that you inform your insurance company that a witness to the event can be contacted that way

at the end of the day, it is in the insurance companies interest to find a responsible party - and tell them that you are not happy to accept knock for knock

oh - re data protection act - i would write to the police asking them to explain or quantify that statement re release of information - i may well be wrong but i think that is bollocks

[BikerGran]

I worked in a police Accident Records department years ago, and things may have changed, but as far as I recall they would only release the records to the insurance co or solicitors.