I am getting so fed up with this blame stuff

You may recall SWMBO took it up the rear a while ago from a ZZR1400.

The claim's still all going through, couple of grand to fix up the car.
Matey came out of hospital a while back and picked up the remnants of
his leathers and other bits and bobs I had saved for him.

Plod called up today and asked if we wanted to prosecute. Why, I mean
why? What good does that do *anyone*?

I despair.

 

victim culture, innit.

 

As long as Matey's insurance has admitted liability and agreed to pick
up the tab, I'd agree with you.

If they haven't, then I would go for a prosecution if only because you
might have a devil of a time getting payment out of them otherwise.

Meanwhile, I await with interest to see what Twatty and his Essex Dad
have cooked up together in their claim against me for being so stupid
as to run into his car door, which he decided to open in the middle
lane of the M25....

 

*Please* tell they're not seriously putting in a claim...

 

Once, on a particularly torturous journey down the A30 for some surf, we
got stuck in the mother of all hold-ups. This was back in the day before
it was all dual carraigeway, although at the time, we were on the dual
section. It was a hot, windless, summers day. After 10 minutes of not
moving, which had already followed 30 minutes of slow crawling, my mate
says "**** this, you drive", as he jumps out the car, grabs his skateboard
and starts riding through the traffic.

We never thought about the effect it could have on filtering bikers.

The funniest bit was when the traffic did start rolling. He just grabbed
onto the car through the open window for a bit of motion assistance. He
nearly came a cropper though when I edged out to the cat's eyes.

 

Looks that way.

Irritatingly, it buggers up your no-claims while it's active, but I'm
hoping my insco will see them off. If not, I'll bypass them entirely, as
we did when The Doctor was skittled, and unleash our Nasty Bastard
lawyer.

 

Your reply may be 'no', plenty of others would reply 'how much do you
think I could get?'. Depressing I know.

 

"We have no clue about traffic law but we're clearly the victim here".

Some people...

Given that inscos tend to work on the assumption that they're spending
other people's money, I'd put him on standby already.

 

Don't kid yourself. They certainly have a clue when it comes to shifting
blame and as the car driver in a car v bike incident, they've got a better
chance than TOG unless TOG does his Nasty Bastard Lawyer thing.

Bikes are already seen as being in the wrong even when they're parked in
your own garage and as we all know, all bikers are cunts.

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

A good point.

Bike filtering through solid traffic on closed m'way hits stationary car.

Definitely lawyer o'clock.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Simon Wilson

The interesting part of this (for me) is why are you involved in the
decision over whether to prosecute at all?

Either an offence has been committed, or it hasn't. The "victim" should
have no say whatsoever in the decision IMHO.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest"

I have already made the greatest contribution to the fight against climate
change that I can make: I have decided not to breed. Now quit bugging me and
go and talk to the Catholics.

 

Hear bloody hear.

We had a similar thing a while back - Nicky's car was broken into and
when we gave the statement to the plastic pigs, they wanted to know how
it made us 'feel' when we discovered it.

I told them to mind their own business and crack on with finding the
crim. Having said that, one of them them couldn't find their hat - so
the chance of them finding a stolen sat nav is pretty slim.

 

for criminal prosecutions, certainly. And in fact, the decision should
be made by the CPS, not the beak.

The decision on whether to procede with a civil lawsuit however, for
instance to gain recompense for damages should by definition be made
by the "victim".

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, darsy

Oh, sure. But this is plod asking about a prosecution, is it not?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest"

I have already made the greatest contribution to the fight against climate
change that I can make: I have decided not to breed. Now quit bugging me and
go and talk to the Catholics.

 

it looks that way. I ought to have ordered my two paragraphs above in
the opposite order. My point concerning the OP's suggestion that plod
were asking if he wanted /them/ to prosecute; but that it's not up to
them - it's up to the CPS.

If they used a phrase such as "do you want to press charges", and
Simon had said "yes", AFAIK all this means is that the cops could
arrest and question the bloke, not that they had any automatic right
to take him to court for whatever it is they're thinking of
"prosecuting" him for.

But, IANAL, so **** knows, really.

 

Perhaps the police are trying to determine if Simon will go through
the bother of giving statements, going to court etc.

 

I though it was some part of a Nu-Labour feel good iniative.
If you are going to try people in the court of public opinion,
get the public involved in the whole process as early as possible.

 

Trouble is that when it comes to any sort of bike accident it almost
always is lawyer o'clock as 'guilty until proven innocent' seems to
apply.

 

I didn't take the call, so can't be sure. But even as he was being flown
away in the helicopter plod were muttering about doing him. They had no
evidence so were possibly trying it on - but to what end I have no idea.

 

Heh. Well, events have changed.

Btw, got that paint mixed yet? 'Cos I've got to send you some dosh, if
so.