Cops

Cody · #1 07-09-2005, 08:07 PM

About 5 weeks ago, i was in a rush, pulled upto the intersection at the end of my street (its a dodgey one) i was turning right, as i pulled up i looked left, looked right, looked left and i pulled out, this 4wd came from nowhere (i think she was hidden behind my b pillar when i looked, then my a pillar when i looked again) i pulled out and she hit me in my front headlight as i was sort of merging, my front went straight into her bullbar/front wheel arch...

i pulled over, as you do, my headlight, bonnet and front left quarter are all pretty rooted.. i looked at her car, hers had alot of my paint on one of those big fat plastic flares that landcruisers have above their wheel arches..

she took all my details, and as i was running late, i told her i'd be back in 2 minutes, i had to drop my mate off at the bus before it left, and i'd be back..

i came back, she was gone, i went home, kinda shaken up, its now been 5 weeks and i got a fone call telling me i've been charged with careless driving and i got 3 demerits, $100 fine and a 3 month suspension...

now to my question.. its taken this woman 5 weeks to report it? me, nor my mate have been contacted by police to make a statement? she simply rang me, told me that i'd been charged... is this correct? according to WA laws.. wouldn't i be charged with failing to give way? and shouldn't i have atleast been contacted to make a statement of some sort? she had no witness, and i have my mate? so it was simply her word saying i hit her that got me charged? it doesnt seem right somewhere... can anyone clear this up for me?

holden_vp_man · #2 07-09-2005, 08:18 PM

four words mate HUNT THE B#@CH DOWN !!!!

Peanuts Inc. · #3 07-09-2005, 08:33 PM

now thats stiff....u should of gone down the cop shop nayway to make a statement about what happened. its not completely right to leave it up to one person. but still 3 months is a bit harsh....
how much damage was done to ur car?

Cody · #4 07-09-2005, 08:47 PM

need a new front left quarter, new bonnet, new headlight, new grill, new bumper
kinda sucks.. i'll head down there tomorrow

"her car had less than $200 damage (i thought) i didnt think it needed reporting"
"why has it taken her 5 months to report it?"
"may i see the report, is it her word against mine? no witnesses came forward? i had a mate in the car?"

i can get a parent to speak on my behalf, im only 17.. but yeh.. their cracking down on p platers, im pretty sure its cancellation of liscence for drink driving, and 3 months for any sort of reckless driving

hmm

Wombat · #5 09-09-2005, 10:46 PM

She's obviously trying to lay the pressure on you to pay up for her damage. I didn't think anywhere in the civilised world could you be charged and found guilty and fined without even being contacted beforehand by the Plod or the court...
Basically, if you've got the balls, refuse to pay anything and don't stop driving until you see a transcript of proceeedings or get official notification in writing. If you do, then go and see a solicitor and explain how you were never contacted and yet were found guilty in your absence...that should stir up a legal hornets nest I can tell you...Lawyers love that kind of thing!

My daughter recently went through all this, with some moron claiming she was "about to be arrested" for an accident in a work vehicle which wasn't her fault at all (and for which she had about a dozen witnesses...

). Nothing ever came of it...the insurance company just hounded the other driver for repair costs.
In QLD I think it is 2-3000 bucks before you have to call the cops, or of course if someone is injured.

Wombat · #6 09-09-2005, 10:53 PM

Hunt her down? I am shocked and appalled at that disgraceful suggestion.

To digress: funny story. A year or two back, a clown in a VN was renting a house just down our street. He started doing burnouts, massive smokey ones, getting the car going in circles, on the intersection outside our house. Day and Night. Kids played there, and this it was only going to be so long before she hooked up and dug in and flew through someones living room. The cops spoke to him a few times, but this was before the "hoon legislation" that would have seen his car confiscated, and it was his word against ours.
Then one day he got the pleasant surprise of coming out to back down the driveway from where he always parked it overnight, to discover that some reckless evil person had wedged a couple of six inch nails behind each of his four tyres....shame on them...

Here endeth the lesson...

holden_vp_man · #7 09-09-2005, 10:56 PM

lol nice one wombat

Patrio7 · #8 10-09-2005, 01:29 AM

would of added insult to the injury to be standing there and say "hmm must be deterated rubber from constant tempreture change *cough cough* :P

Secki · #9 10-09-2005, 02:24 AM

umm dude the cops cant ping you for neg driving if they didnt attend just on her story?

Shivaga · #10 10-09-2005, 12:54 PM

so did she tell you that info or did the cops. if she did, its bull ****, you should definatley have gotten somethings in the mail, and its never too late to go to the cop shop and set things straight!

habro · #11 11-09-2005, 01:27 PM

Yeah basically ignore anything that's happened. The cops would've contacted the owner of the vehicle and you as soon as she made her complaint. Also her insurance company would've contacted you [you normally hear from them before the cops even get to call you]. Take everything for gospel til you get something official in the mail, they always send you hard copy

Jesk · #12 11-09-2005, 02:43 PM

all sounds pretty iffy cos yeah to one accident ive been in I wrote off my fathers workvan when turning right (travelling less than 20kph) going head on into a speeding riced up little festiva, from that all i heard from was the cops once to fine me $250 for failure to give way and 3 demerit points, and their insurance twice once about the damage to the festiva which would've easily made $5000 and later on about injuries sustained, which from the situation I was the most injured cos dads old L300 got stopped dead so i got the whiplash, the steering wheel in the chest and the seatbelt bruises, while their car just kept on moving for quite sometime skidding on its underside cos its alloys got smashed, but nothing else can of that. except i learnt a helluva lot and it made a much better driver of me. I never heard personally from the other driver which im glad of cos i copped enough abuse from her at the scene, even while i was ringing the cops and ambos, then my parents

Shounak · #13 12-09-2005, 11:26 PM

I got into a bit of a nasty situation with my mums WH Statesman last year. I went forward without looking and got t-boned at about 90km/h on the drivers side.

It was a EB Falcon Wagon and it turned my car pretty much banana shaped. That's a fair effort for a WH.

Cops charged me for failing to give way, but left the part about demerit points blank. I paid my $187 and check my demerit point status later. None, whatsoever.

I think I was just lucky. Copppers were top blokes too..

VTSSDUDE · #14 13-09-2005, 01:53 PM

Umm I be taking further action. Until then don't do anything. I think that is harsh, typical woman who drives a four wheel drive.

Morgasshk · #15 13-09-2005, 04:34 PM

Stupid bi.tch of a woman...

Hope it all works out for you dude.