tdsherman325

Dude decided he was going to speed up and make a right turn in front of me rather than wait for me to clear the parking lot entrance. He instead collided with my front wheel, knocking me down. The guy then proceeded to park his car where I couldn't see the license plates, get out, and yell unintelligible obscenities in my direction, at which point he got back in his car and left.

I called the police, but Abilene's legendarily worthless police department refused to get off of their butt, instead instructing me to get a ride down to the police station where I can file a report in person.

I'll bet money the guy works there. He was wearing a mechanic's uniform and pulling in to a body shop when he hit me. I'll stop by there on my way to the station and see if I can get the license plate #.

Broke a couple of spoke on the front wheel, so on the bright side I can finally justify buying a new wheelset.

tar wheels

Hope you're OK!

Yo Spiff

He right hooked you and probably thought you were at fault. Sheesh! At least you are ok.

wphamilton

Won't respond to a hit and run, that's a pretty sad commentary. I'm glad you weren't injured - I'd bet that a 911 call would have gotten them there.

After you get his plate number are you going to file a report? I think I would, and take a photo of any scratch or dent on his car if that's feasible.

gerv 

I'm glad you're OK. That's the most important part, but if you emailed your local paper with this information.... Did they first ask if you were OK?

Mark Stone

OP Glad you're OK!

sbslider

X2, it has been that kind of day I guess . . .

tdsherman325

Went by the body shop where I got hit - the car wasn't outside. Dollars to doughnuts he's in the garage fixing the dent. I didn't get the plate #. I did go in and talk to the people in the shop. Naturally, they disavowed all knowledge. I pointed out that the guy who hit me was wearing one of their uniforms but got nowhere.

Abilene PD continues to uphold their reputation for utter uselessness. I went down to the police station and told the officer at the desk what happened. Apparently, a description of the car and the driver as well as where it happened "Is not enough information for us to investigate". They flat out told me to my face that they weren't even going to try to do anything about it. They did say that they'd give me a call if the guy who hit me called in to report the accident. Cause that's a thing that happens. The desk officer even criticized me for not stopping the guy to get his info, which I was apparently supposed to do somehow.

fotooutdoors

Where is this? Did the police file a report at least? Sorry to hear about this; it is bad enough to be clipped by a car, but for the police to basically write you off is ridiculous and scary.

noglider 

I guess the lesson is that you have no rights unless you're in a motor vehicle.

tdsherman325

Yeah, he filed a report. He asked if anyone was injured (no) and if anything was damaged (my wheel, car's door) and punched it all into his computer, although he told me that they were only filing a report in case the driver called in to report the accident.Really that's about what I expected out of Abilene's finest. I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone I know that doesn't have a similar story. I've already got a couple.I'm just glad I'm OK and the bike's easily reparable. It may be a cheap Murray but I've ridden it thousands of miles and I'm too attached to it to let it go at this point.

maak

Keep us posted on the outcome! Hope you find him.

scroca

So a hit and run requires a confession**********

I think I'd call the mayor's office and ask him or her to explain it. I'd be polite. But if I felt I wasn't getting anywhere, I'd mention that maybe someone at the newspaper could help me understand it... or possibly some of the voters who read letters to the editor could explain it. "Thank you very much, and have a wonderful day."

fxkrait

I think it's time to get a helmet cam. https://www.amazon.com/Contour-ROAM2-...s=contour+roam

wphamilton

This is Abilene Texas, right? If it is, even if it's improved from when I lived there in the 80's, the city government and courts won't be much more helpful than the police were. Hopefully tdsherman can track this guy down on his own - wearing a mechanics uniform and pulling into a body shop, he's almost surely local and maybe not that hard to spot.

tergal

This , when in doubt go up the chain . Make sure you let the company that he works for know what you intend on doing as well.

Eric S.

Riding in Las Vegas an SUV slowed down for the passenger to throw a 1/2 full paper cup of soda at my back in a neighborhood with bike lanes. I got the license plate # but when I called the police the person on the phone (not 911) first asked if I was injured and at the hospital. Since I was not, she said they couldn't do anything.

Burton

What they meant was that they WOULDN'T do anything - because the apparent damage to you wasn't worth the departmental costs to them of even taking a report.

Perception and context can lead to some pretty bizzare results: Since 9/11 was a singular occurance in which 3,000 people lost their lives - it seemed perfectly justifiable to declare war against a whole country. On the other hand, over 35,000 people die every year in the US in automobile accidents - but since that's not one singular occurance - it's somehow completely socially acceptable.

009jim

It's astonishing. Police are prepared to chase you through the streets when they get excited about a traffic offense but when you need their help, they do a cost / benefit assessment. Say the Governor's wife was riding through town and gets a half-eaten burrito thrown at her - how many squad cars are going to attend that one?!?!

ara_biker

If it happened in my country I would get up check wheels and ride away or walk off as the responsibilty for the mistake would be eventually pinned down on the cyclist, such is the state of affairs.

wirespot

I'm sorry to say but in such cases (no contact, no damages to any vehicle, no injuries) it's couldn't, not wouldn't. Without proof there's not much they can do, it's his word against the driver's. If he had filmed proof it would have been different. How different, it's hard to say, it could range from littering to reckless driving.

As for the OP's case, been there myself (on the other side of the planet, if that's any confort). Again, without filmed proof it's difficult to make a case. Sure, if the damage is investigated promptly it can yield proof, but most times cops have enough on their plate so they take the approach "if everybody's ok, why bother". Not to mention that many times the driver will quietly remove the damages, even though it's a criminal offence to do that (at least around here), so by the time a cop takes a look at it it's too late.

In a country with a predominant car and driver mindset most people (including cops) tend to think about such crashes from the point of view of drivers in a car -- so a small scratch or a dent is nothing to worry about. Of course, as a cyclist you worry about "what if" and "coulda". You worry that you were inches from serious injury, that the next time you might not be so lucky, and that a driver who's so irresponsible as to cause such wanton damage to a cyclist deserves to stay off the road. But you're in the minority.

Get a helmet camera, get pictures, get witnesses. That will give you decent chances of actually making a case.

Burton

In this case its not a motor vechicle incident - its assalt by the passenger. Throwing anything at anyone regardless of if it connects - is assault. At least it is where I live. https://www.criminaldefencelawyers.ca...activities.php

At the very least that qualifies as 'mischief'.

When I was a kid I was out driving and some yahoos coming back from a game of broom ball thought it might be smart to smack me across the backside as they drove by. I wasn't hurt and didn't end up in the hospital. Maybe the police here are less busy - they didn't tell me there was nothing they could do - they took the license number and dispatched a car to pick him up. Even if there were no charges laid, there were consequences to a complaint being made, and some action taken to discourage a repeat offence.

ItsJustMe

In my fantasy world, I'd probably continue the conversation with the officer with something along the lines of "Wow, really? So, as long as I don't send people to the hospital, I can do anything I want to on the road? Do I have to make sure there's not a cop around first, or are you OK with it even then? That's cool, in the future I'll just slash their tires rather than talking to the police. As long as they don't wind up in the hospital, all's OK right?"

I imagine I should make sure I haven't given them any identifying information first.

whitenhiemer

https://www.kens5.com/news/SA-officer...184497081.html

My home town is getting better about bikes in town. My new home of Seattle luckily has been very bike friendly. Bike lanes every where, I've not had a bad experience yet, but I do fear it. Glad to hear that you were unharmed.