Accident do I have to complete this??
Discussion
I was hit by another vehicle recently - details don't matter too much but he did it on purpose. Minimal damage and company car so no major fuss - company not bothered to sort the scratches it's left.
I reported it at the Police station as the guy drove off and I gather it's my legal duty to do that should we not exchange details. I was asked back the next day to make a statement after spending 20 minutes giving the details to the receptionist.
I arrived the next day and gave a statement (30 minutes). Copper said it stacked up with what I said the day before and confirmed the other driver hadn't reported it.
I've now had a letter asking me to fill in a Statement of Witness or Driver form TPO 20. I called the admin whose name is on it and she said she'd not had the coppers statement and to fill this in if I'd not heard back from her by today - she was going to ask for his statement.
I have a couple of issues with filling it in. Firstly it's a very closed question form and only has enough room for a brief statement of the actual accident - There's not really room for the build up to the accident which is important, especially if he counters.
So do I have to complete this having already done a statement? I have this horrible feeling they're going to come after me for something and I'm wishing I never bothered reporting it!
I reported it at the Police station as the guy drove off and I gather it's my legal duty to do that should we not exchange details. I was asked back the next day to make a statement after spending 20 minutes giving the details to the receptionist.
I arrived the next day and gave a statement (30 minutes). Copper said it stacked up with what I said the day before and confirmed the other driver hadn't reported it.
I've now had a letter asking me to fill in a Statement of Witness or Driver form TPO 20. I called the admin whose name is on it and she said she'd not had the coppers statement and to fill this in if I'd not heard back from her by today - she was going to ask for his statement.
I have a couple of issues with filling it in. Firstly it's a very closed question form and only has enough room for a brief statement of the actual accident - There's not really room for the build up to the accident which is important, especially if he counters.
So do I have to complete this having already done a statement? I have this horrible feeling they're going to come after me for something and I'm wishing I never bothered reporting it!
Because it'll come down to my word against the other guy.
In short I was on dual carriageway, inside lane. I had a lorry in front which I was catching. To my right was a van and trailer. About 6 to 10 car lengths back was the van that hit me. When the van and trailer cleared me, I indicated and started to move out. The van behind, floored it (as well as a van can) and tried to close the gap - I was already in it by now. He gave it the lights, horn the lot and gestured me to pull over.
I ignored him and when I passed the lorry I indicated and pulled back into the inside lane. The van kept his distance and didn't gain on me but he stayed in the outside lane. Shortly after I was catching another lorry. I indicated and pulled out again. The guy in the van tried the same thing again, rushing up behind me, again I was already out by the time he caught up.
The lorry I was passing was being overtaken by another lorry which had about 5 cars behind it (I was the sixth car van was seventh). I had a safe distance between me and the car in front of me (we'd be doing about 50mph - 55mph). The van behind then rushes up behind me, swaps into the inside lane, comes along side and when he gets to the front quarter of my car pushes into the outside lane hitting the passenger wing / front bumper with the rear quarter of his van.
He doesn't stop and I'm now behind him. He slams his brakes on a few times but never actually stops. At the next island he's at the line and he stops. I'm behind but don't want to get out in case he drives into me. He sets off and stops abruptly a few times - presumably to get me to hit him and eventually drives off.
I'm worried he'll say something like I hit him or he'll suddenly have a witness!
In short I was on dual carriageway, inside lane. I had a lorry in front which I was catching. To my right was a van and trailer. About 6 to 10 car lengths back was the van that hit me. When the van and trailer cleared me, I indicated and started to move out. The van behind, floored it (as well as a van can) and tried to close the gap - I was already in it by now. He gave it the lights, horn the lot and gestured me to pull over.
I ignored him and when I passed the lorry I indicated and pulled back into the inside lane. The van kept his distance and didn't gain on me but he stayed in the outside lane. Shortly after I was catching another lorry. I indicated and pulled out again. The guy in the van tried the same thing again, rushing up behind me, again I was already out by the time he caught up.
The lorry I was passing was being overtaken by another lorry which had about 5 cars behind it (I was the sixth car van was seventh). I had a safe distance between me and the car in front of me (we'd be doing about 50mph - 55mph). The van behind then rushes up behind me, swaps into the inside lane, comes along side and when he gets to the front quarter of my car pushes into the outside lane hitting the passenger wing / front bumper with the rear quarter of his van.
He doesn't stop and I'm now behind him. He slams his brakes on a few times but never actually stops. At the next island he's at the line and he stops. I'm behind but don't want to get out in case he drives into me. He sets off and stops abruptly a few times - presumably to get me to hit him and eventually drives off.
I'm worried he'll say something like I hit him or he'll suddenly have a witness!
woodyTVR said:
In short I was on dual carriageway, inside lane. I had a lorry in front which I was catching. To my right was a van and trailer. About 6 to 10 car lengths back was the van that hit me. When the van and trailer cleared me, I indicated and started to move out. The van behind, floored it (as well as a van can) and tried to close the gap - I was already in it by now. He gave it the lights, horn the lot and gestured me to pull over.
OK, he's a prime bellend.woodyTVR said:
I ignored him and when I passed the lorry I indicated and pulled back into the inside lane. The van kept his distance and didn't gain on me but he stayed in the outside lane. Shortly after I was catching another lorry. I indicated and pulled out again. The guy in the van tried the same thing again, rushing up behind me, again I was already out by the time he caught up.
You already knew he was a bellend, so why did this come as a surprise? If he was showing no sign of actually catching, why not indicate, wait for him to react, then just let him get on with it before pulling out? Or why not just wait behind the truck until he got bored and went off to take his inadequacies out on somebody else?woodyTVR said:
The van behind then rushes up behind me, swaps into the inside lane, comes along side
...at which point, you were thinking "What IS this bellend doing?", and ready to get out of his way, right?woodyTVR said:
and when he gets to the front quarter of my car pushes into the outside lane hitting the passenger wing / front bumper with the rear quarter of his van.
Oh. No. You thought "Don't you try that on me, mate", and tried to block him.Shame there's no dashcam, because that might disprove this suggestion entirely, of course.
Good job you are reporting it go through with the process and let us know if anything happens.
I had a very similar thing a couple of weeks ago, insane driving on a dual carriage way by a new white van, KS12 XEJ. I tried reporting it by phone but never got anywhere and then forgot to go to a local police station.
I was in lane 2, he was trying to undertake in lane 1 but the van in front of him was going slowly and there was no way he could get into the gap in lane 2 between me and the lorry in front - next thing you know he swerves out, if I hadn't slammed on the brakes would have been a big crunch at 50+ mph, insane and pointless driving will cause a huge crash one day.
I had a very similar thing a couple of weeks ago, insane driving on a dual carriage way by a new white van, KS12 XEJ. I tried reporting it by phone but never got anywhere and then forgot to go to a local police station.
I was in lane 2, he was trying to undertake in lane 1 but the van in front of him was going slowly and there was no way he could get into the gap in lane 2 between me and the lorry in front - next thing you know he swerves out, if I hadn't slammed on the brakes would have been a big crunch at 50+ mph, insane and pointless driving will cause a huge crash one day.
2CV's comments are exactly my worry with this. It's his word against mine and it'd be very easy to jump to conclusions - the copper taking the statement commented that he was expecting to find a different set of events had been reported by the other driver.
He'd sat well back after the first incident, I wasn't going to continue at 50mph for the rest of my 80 mile journey!! I'd assumed when he came down the left that he was going to go off at the junction or take the 4 - 5 car length space in front of me. Not ram into the side of me. Had I not taken evasive action and braked / moved over in my lane he'd have spun.
He'd sat well back after the first incident, I wasn't going to continue at 50mph for the rest of my 80 mile journey!! I'd assumed when he came down the left that he was going to go off at the junction or take the 4 - 5 car length space in front of me. Not ram into the side of me. Had I not taken evasive action and braked / moved over in my lane he'd have spun.
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