unterhausen

this place is a defense attorney's dream.

I have hidden the thread about the county bus accident for this reason.

Arschgaudi

One of the threads you chose to hide was created based on a news report.

If I create a thread based on the Youtube video, which itself is created from a publicly released video, will that also be removed?

Are we only allowed to have threads where its clearly the drivers fault?

There are two sides to every story.

cudak888 

Is this related, or unrelated to the M-D bus incident?

-Kurt

mikeybikes

You mean this thread? : https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-with-cyclist

He clearly hid the one in which the guy who was suing someone started a thread before the case was over. Bad idea.

unterhausen

I closed and hid the thread started by the victim of the bus crash. I reinstated it per OP's request. My point is that if you are going to post about your accident in A&S, I guarantee it isn't going to help your case. You can do it if you want. I expect that thread to be closed again sooner or later because people were getting awfully close to blaming the victim.

It's just my opinion, but A&S tends much more towards blame the cyclist unfairly than blame the motorist unfairly.

Arschgaudi

Just because he's the injured party doesn't mean he wasn't potentially at fault. If your posting about an accident or asking for advice, don't assume the answer is in your favor.

Are you new around these parts?

gcottay

Wise advice!

apricissimus 

But in this case he wasn't at fault, so not sure what your point is. Sure he could have done more to prevent the incident, like, say, take the lane, or stay in his bedroom all day, but the driver of the bus is still 100% responsible for hitting the cyclist.

jefferee

I see a lot of discussion around what additional measures (if any) the cyclist could have taken to avoid a collision. Even in a case where the motorist is 100% at fault legally, there are often things the cyclist could have done differently--such as lane positioning, situational awareness, riding technique, defusing a confrontation rather than escalating, and so on. It's a pretty fine line between 'how will you handle that situation differently the next time' and 'blame the cyclist', but I'd say much of the discussion I see in A&S (including the thread in question here) is in the first category.

Of course, these sorts of subtleties are lost on defense attorneys and juries, so yeah, discussing the details of any incident while litigation is ongoing is rather unwise.

cudak888 

A&S stands up for cyclists only when theorizing. When an actual incident occurs, A&S members will always blame their own kind.

-Kurt

sudo bike

Join Date:
Aug 2008
Posts:
4,287

+

Join Date:
Apr 2010
Posts:
26

=

???

apricissimus 

Did the thread posted by the injured cyclist get deleted?

cudak888 

Yes. Link is dead.

-Kurt

Arschgaudi

You're new to the intratubes, aren't you.

Evidently spirited discussions aren't allowed.

unterhausen

I just joined so they could make me a forum moderator.

The thread was deleted again by a forum admin because it's not in the victim's best interest to have that thread open. There are other threads about the incident, take the discussion there. It was never about the discussion.

Tom Stormcrowe

I removed the thread, folks, and not because of the topic getting too spirited. I've dealt with insurance carriers before, and I removed the thread as unterhausen said, to protect the OP's interests in the matter. If you think lawyers for these kind of incidents don't trawl around in these and other boards looking for data associated with their case, you've got another think coming, trust me in this. Google can also be your enemy, as well as your friend. It can tell your opponents exactly what you are looking at or talking about, allowing them a strategic advantage.

Short lesson here: If you are involved in a suit, don't talk about it on a public, Google searchable discussion board. The only person you may hurt by it, is you.

I don't want these forums to ever be used as a tool to damage a cyclist or help his suit opponents gain an unfair advantage because of a datapoint they found here.

sudo bike

Don't make me break down the math again for you, please....

sauerwald

I'm thinking of suing you for violating my free speech rights.

San Rensho 

Very good advice. When I take depositions, I now routinely ask the deponent the forums/chatrooms, etc that they visit and also ask for their screen name. I haven't hit any gold yet, but I was able to dig up some fun, but non relevant info on a guy that was a scientologist and posted prodigiously to the scientology site.

I-Like-To-Bike

I think that there are a few denizens of BF who have permanently incriminated themselves prior to any actual incident, by their numerous posts about how they will not take guff from anybody on the street and are prone to dispense U-Lock justice (or its equivalent) on anyone who provokes their trip wire tuff guy attitude.

cudak888 

Yea, I remember when you advocated such behavior against motorists.

-Kurt

unterhausen

I know you're joking. However, since BF is not run by the government it's not possible for us to violate your free speech rights.

I-Like-To-Bike

I don't. Refresh my memory.

cudak888 

Sure.

-Kurt

I-Like-To-Bike

Sure indeed; post a bunch of phrases taken not only out of contex, but with no context. No wonder you can "remember" whatever you choose to remember. You make me laff. You should get a job as a script writer for Rush or Fox News