Be Careful Out There

[Dottore]

It’s a gorgeous, sunny day here, and I’m driving down the street following a woman in one of those small Pontiac convertible cars. She has the top down, and I’m behind her in my Merc. ML looking right into her car. She’s juggling a day timer, cell phone and Starbucks latte, and trying to keep a small Pekinese dog in the passenger seat from jumping out of the car - while she’s driving. Her driving is completely erratic, narrowly missing some parked cars and crossing the center line several times.

All of a sudden, completely without warning or signal, she pulls the wheel to the left, and crosses the lane of oncoming traffic to duck into a dry cleaning shop on the left side of the street, and in the process completely nails a guy on a Triumph Bonneville who was slowly cruising towards us in the opposite direction. The driver of the Triumph gets catapulted about 30 feet and lands on a parked car. The bike is totaled and the driver seriously injured - possibly fatally.

Police and ambulance are there in seconds. The woman driver is hysterical and claims the bike “came out of nowhere” and “must have been speeding or she would have seen him coming”.

I saw this whole thing happen as if in slow motion - and the biker was clearly not speeding and not at fault. When I heard what the woman said to the police, I considered for a moment whether I should just walk away from the whole thing and not get involved. And then I thought “no way”. This woman just ruined someone’s life with her idiocy. Maybe even killed the guy.

So I asked to speak to the police, and told them that I had been following this woman for at least two kilometers, and how she was driving. Strangely there were no other witnesses, even though it was a fairly busy street. The police took a detailed statement from me, promised “to look into it” and “get back to me”. But my guess is they’re not going to press charges based on my statement alone, and this really pi$$es me off.

What would you guys do? Should I try to take this further somehow? Should I let it go and just see wait to see what the police do - if anything?

[RANDY P]

You've done everything you can. Answer the phone if they call.

rjp

[kimlangley7]

you should provide your statement to the bike rider.... if the cops take the easy way out and ignore your input > the rider [or his survivors] have the input and sue the lady.

[Noah930]

Agree with Kim. The police officer may or may not care. But you can bet the motorcyclist and his insurance company do. It's the right thing to do, and you're looking out for the safety of all of us in passing along your presumably unbiased account.

[CJFusco]

I hope the bike rider is okay. This is one of the main reasons I have not yet purchased a motorcycle (and a late 60s/early 70s Triumph is right at the top of my wish list) - "the other guy" scares me enough as it is on four wheels and in a German- or Swedish-built cage around me... especially in traffic-heavy, congested, overpopulated CT.

If you find out whether or not the motorcycle driver survived, contact him when he gets out of the hospital and let him know that you saw the whole thing and that you're on his side

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by kimlangley7

you should provide your statement to the bike rider.... if the cops take the easy way out and ignore your input > the rider [or his survivors] have the input and sue the lady.

This occurred to me too. But I don't even know the guys name etc. Will check out the main hospital tomorrow, but it may not be easy to get this information because of privacy laws etc. The police told me they couldn't give me his name - just described his injuries as "grave".

[Halm]

No matter what, you did the stand up thing. Excellent.

[VaSteve]

I would have pulled the ***** out of her car and beat her senseless.

[84CAB]

Originally Posted by noah930

agree With Kim. The Police Officer May Or May Not Care. But You Can Bet The Motorcyclist And His Insurance Company Do. It's The Right Thing To Do, And You're Looking Out For The Safety Of All Of Us In Passing Along Your Presumably Unbiased Account.

+1

[Paul K]

Originally Posted by noah930

agree With Kim. The Police Officer May Or May Not Care. But You Can Bet The Motorcyclist And His Insurance Company Do. It's The Right Thing To Do, And You're Looking Out For The Safety Of All Of Us In Passing Along Your Presumably Unbiased Account.

Originally Posted by 84cab

+1

+2.

[RoninLB]

Originally Posted by Dottore

All of a sudden, completely without warning or signal, she pulls the wheel to the left, and crosses the lane of oncoming traffic to duck into a dry cleaning shop on the left side of the street, and in the process completely nails a guy on a Triumph Bonneville who was slowly cruising towards us in the opposite direction. The driver of the Triumph gets catapulted about 30 feet and lands on a parked car. The bike is totaled and the driver seriously injured - possibly fatally.

Police

you gotta help the guy out.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by RoninLB

you gotta help the guy out.

It is an imperative...you'll have regrets if you don't.

[dzls rok]

if your statement and contact info is in the police report, i would think the motorcyclist's insurance company would be able to contact you. i would do everything possible to help the guy and his insurance reem this lady.

[Rick Lee]

As a rider, I'd love to have witnesses who could help out the cops and insur. co. Hopefully, this woman will be sued into poverty, even if she's not charged. Sometimes I worry more than being hit by a car that I'd be too injured to beat the pi$s out of the person who hit me.

[speeder]

In a perfect world, you would have been able to shoot her on the spot.

[Jeff Higgins]

Thank you Dottore, from another motorcyclist who has narrowly escaped a similar fate on a number of occasions. Believe me, the motorcyclist (if he survives) will find you. If not, his family will. It may take some time. With your name on the police report as a witness, you will certainly be contacted as the legal proceedings unfold.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by kimlangley7

you should provide your statement to the bike rider.... if the cops take the easy way out and ignore your input > the rider [or his survivors] have the input and sue the lady.

I did this exact thing several months ago. I was heading to the office, not quite awake and sort of droopy. My left turn arrow goes green and I am first, the car opposite me and myself begin to go and out of the corner of my eye I was a VW Bug (new model) blow the red light and nearly miss the other car, I hit my brakes as well because if they did connect I would have been collected up in it.

I followed this woman for 3 miles, and she kept running every red light she came up on.

Then she came up on the one next to my office and across the street from a High School, this light was REALLY red and she was going for it, she sideswiped a man taking his teenage daughter to school. She spun him around 180° and rang both his and his daughters bells good.

I stuck around, talked with the police, gave my official statement that included me making a sketch of what happened, I even wrote on the sketch this was her 3 run red light.

I then went over to the guy that got hit, I told him what I saw and gave him my business card in case he needed me.


BTW- The woman swore it was his fault and he ran a red light. There were too many witnesses telling them otherwise.

[Hugh R]

There is a question here, like you don't know the right thing to do????

Maybe I'm missing something... Call his insurance company, the difference in life savings/sustaining costs could be huge.

[Zeke]

Jim...so, what happened? You can't leave a story off like that!

I'm speechless about the woman who is the subject of this thread. I guess I hope she gets caned, but we don't do that here.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

This idiot damn nearly killed someone and you're having second thoughts about ratting her out because it "might not be nice"?

Are you frikkin' kidding me?

The reports to injured/police/injured's insurance/injured's relatives should be a Pavlovian response to this.

We cannot begin to change the stupidity that's so rampant in our society if we condone it. Please for pete's sakes, pick up the phone and make the calls.