My friend was hit by a car.... Driven by a COP

[Oni_Ryu]

So my friend calls me up today.

He updates me on the status of his car. Its been having problem after problem lately and he's been constantly buying parts and getting it fixed.

So while his car has been out of comission, he has been riding his bike. Earlier yesterday, he was riding it through his parking lot when a car came up from behind and hit him.

Now I don't really know all the details, I know he wasn't hurt and the bike only had the frame bent. So, the guy driving the car gets out and talks to my friend about it. He asks my friend how much the bike was worth. My friend said it was a 700$ bike (and it was too, its a damn good bike.) But he said since he didn't need the bike that much and the frame was only bent, that 300$ would be fine.

The guy tells my friend that he's an off duty cop (shows him his badge and everything.) And says that he can have him arrested for trying to scam the cop (WTF?) He then calls another cop to the scene, that cop proceeds to side with the off duty cop and tells my friend that he has to file a police report if he wants to be paid.

I know alot of people on SRK have had bad experiences with cops, is it worth him persuing this? He thinks he should just leave it alone. I for one am pretty pissed off about it and think that he should definetly take action. I mean who hits somebody with their car, then proceeds to get the other person in trouble for it?

Btw, I should mention that my friend is black.

[Pinion]

If he can get proof as to how much the bike costs he could get himself a nice lawsuit I'm sure.

[ChairHome]

As long as he can prove the worth of the bike, hell yeah he should pursue it. Getting hit by a car is not something you should just let roll off your back.

[Oni_Ryu]

If he can get proof as to how much the bike costs he could get himself a nice lawsuit I'm sure.

As long as he can prove the worth of the bike, hell yeah he should pursue it. Getting hit by a car is not something you should just let roll off your back.

Yeah thats what i'm thinking. Does anybody know a website or anything that would list the values of specific bikes?

[Shadow Ace 50]

damnit being black has nothing to do with the cops.....wait what am I saying..lol..yeah the police are dicks so you should take action...if your friend has a reciept or can find the exact same bike on the internet then that should prove his case or go to a store where he got the bike from....getting hit by a car and letting it slide is not cool...did your friend get the cop's information? name, department he works in,plate number? Id have that guy's badge if that where me

[Mixah]

I say fuck the police, that's how i treat em
you buy your way out of jail, but you can't buy freedom.

[ChairHome]

Just google the make and model, that should give you some info on the bike's actual worth. If anything, the cop should get in trouble for trying to pay him off, right?

[The Green Trench Coat]

Btw, I should mention that my friend is black.

Insert a black woman into your story then I'll consider reading it.

[J-ride]

Find proof of the cost of the bike, then go ahead. The cop is full of shit, I'm pretty sure he can't charge your friend for anything. What is he going to charge him with, scamming him into hitting him then offering to fix the bike? But, it is always a good idea to speak to attorney when these kinds of things happen, so I would go in for a consultation and see what he/she thinks.

[Raz0r]

Lol?

[thurst]

your friend is lucky he just left with a bent bike fram instead of 41 holes in his body.

[b1gazn]

should have gotten his information:

badge number
license plate


for both cops

oh yeah, according to Chappelle, they should of also sprinkled some crack on him too.



If you were hit in a parking lot it is the COPS FAULT. I remember watching a judge show where the judge resided with the person who got hit simply because if he was going the speed limit, he would of had enough time to slow down.

The case was over so fast that if a person is hit in a parking lot, its usually 100% the drivers fault.

I would definently get their asses in trouble.


Remember that the car does not have the right away in ANY parking lot.

[Pablo_the_Mex]

The bike is ruined, probably flashed his badge to scare him, shit I would be too. I would make a report just to make sure its all on paper. Get the proof of the bike's value and you should be alright.

Sort of a fucked up situation, so just have your friend play it safe.

[Doc Holliday]

Well, your friend shouldn't have been riding around in a parking lot with a cop driving in it....























Seriously though, cops are shitheads.

[Taichi]

You should change the title to "My friend is fucked beyond belief." and get verifiable proof of the bike's value.

I've got a Hoffman Condor (Bike worth about 600 bucks) in my garage.

if It got wrecked by a cop, you better believe he's paying for the full value.

[Ryudo]

**** cops. They're dicks to anyone under 25, I swear.

Though on that note, a on-duty cop almost hit my mom's car last week. Fucker went right through a stop sign without even slowing down. My mom just got a brand new car, too.

[UltraDavid]

How retarded. Tell your friend to do everything he can to not only get his money back but to make the cop face penalties for threats or abuse of power. From the facts you've given, your friend is clearly in the right.

[Arsenal]

Oni-Ryu -

I work at a personal injury law firm in WI. From experience, find out if there was an independant witness to the accident. Because this can boil down to word vs. word, and I GUARANTEE that the insurance company will side with their insured's version and deny liability.

Example:

Driver A: "I had the green light, you had the red, you hit me."

Driver B: "No, I had the green light, you had the red, you darted out in front me."

Insurance for Driver B: "Our guy says he had the green, you cannot prove that he didn't, we are denying any/all claims."

I can foresee a similar situation arising, especially from a low-impact, non-injury accident.

Cop A: "This kid swerved right in front of me, no hand signals were used to indiciate a deviation in travel."

Your friend: "No, you sideswiped me, I didn't move at all until you hit me."

Try to see if there's a witness. If so, then GREAT. If not, good luck proving what actually happened, and proving any misconduct.

[Biolink]

Your friend needs to do something.

If he does nothing,he gets nothing for a ****ing $700.00 bike

[UltraDavid]

Screw the bike. Take it to the cop who thinks he's above the law.

[Arsenal]

Screw the bike. Take it to the cop who thinks he's above the law.

But proving police misconduct is going to be the issue. This guy simply "claiming" that the police said or did this/that isn't enough. There has to be some type of actual proof. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that.

Oni_Ryu, if your friend "claims" his bike is worth $700.00, you better be able to prove it. Take it to a bike shop, have them give your friend a BLANK RECEIPT (something documenting what that particular bike, or a similar bike to it, would cost if purchased).

I can say my watch is worth $2838283. That doesn't mean shit to anyone. But if I can provide a receipt showing that I paid $2838283 for it, then I bet people would take my claim a bit more seriously.

[SlayerofBodom]

This is so funny; I've lived in LA for two years, encountering the worst goddamn drivers in the whole world, and the closest I ever got to being run over was several hours ago, when some asshole ran a red light at a quiet pedestrian crossing, going 60+ mph in a 25 mph area.

That asshole was driving a police car, WITHOUT a siren.

The mother****er almost ran over my leg, and then had the ****ing nerve to honk as he or she went past.

I usually support and respect the police, but in this instance, I would love to beat the shit out of that driver. I guess the moral of the story is that cops are dangerous behind the wheel, regardless if someone's a criminal or not.

[UltraDavid]

He can probably prove how much the bike is worth, but yeah, proving that the cop hit him from behind might be difficult.

I guess the moral of the story is that cops are dangerous behind the wheel, regardless if someone's a criminal or not.
The moral of the story is that cops need to face harsher penalties for breaking the law than civilians do, because otherwise their monopoly on force will end up in violations like these.

[Arsenal]

Exactly, when it comes to auto accident, that's what I do for a living; gather facts, analyze, and fight with adjusters about liability and negligence.

Oni_Ryu, your friend, under normal circumstances, is pretty much shit outta luck. Having the cops as a party involved just stacked the deck even more. Find a witness to confirm your friend's account of the accident, have 3rd party documentation about the bike's worth (to support your friend's initial claim of "it's a $700.00 bike, pay me $300.00 and we're even), and try to find out more about this accident.

[b1gazn]

when at the scene of the crime look for witnesses. GOT IT

And I can't believe that the kid just let this thing go as if the cop is above the law.

P.S. Can this be considered a hit and run since the cop did some damage but didn't do anything about it? Assuming that you can find a witness.

[Pablo_the_Mex]

Sad thing is cops ARE above the law, and that is what makes these situations so frustrating. Not to say that all cops are bad, but bad cops are always the ones bringing attention to their profession.

[Arsenal]

P.S. Can this be considered a hit and run since the cop did some damage but didn't do anything about it?

I don't know anything about Michigan, but in Wisconsin, a reportable accident needs to meet certain criteria;

1.) Over $1,000 in property damage to at least one party involved

2.) Injury is reported (no matter how minor)

Hit and run is when you are directly involved in an accident, and leave the scene before (a.) exchanging contact info with the other parties, or (b.) the police are called.

edit: Here's WI statute about reporting accident upon striking person/vehicle.

346.67
346.67 Duty upon striking person or attended or occupied vehicle.

346.67(1)
(1) The operator of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close thereto as possible but shall then forthwith return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until the operator has fulfilled the following requirements:


346.67(1)(a)
(a) The operator shall give his or her name, address and the registration number of the vehicle he or she is driving to the person struck or to the operator or occupant of or person attending any vehicle collided with; and


346.67(1)(b)
(b) The operator shall, upon request and if available, exhibit his or her operator's license to the person struck or to the operator or occupant of or person attending any vehicle collided with; and


346.67(1)(c)
(c) The operator shall render to any person injured in such accident reasonable assistance, including the carrying, or the making of arrangements for the carrying, of such person to a physician, surgeon or hospital for medical or surgical treatment if it is apparent that such treatment is necessary or if such carrying is requested by the injured person.


346.67(2)
(2) Any stop required under sub. (1) shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.

[Oni_Ryu]

^Arsenal-

Thanks for all the info, definetly a big help.

I still haven't gotten to talk with him yet as to what he's going to do. I'm not even sure if he's going to want to do anything about it. I still think its wrong and he really should try to pursue something.

As for PROOF. Here is a big issue that I really would like to ask him about. He said that another officer was brought to the scene. I would like to know if that cop actually wrote any details down. If he did, then its possible the proof is already on paper.

Of course if it isn't, he's screwed. The cops can easily make something up on the spot and then it would be his word vs. theirs.

As for the value of the bike. I'm going to get the make and model from him and look it up. If he says its 700$ i beleive him, but of course we need the evidence.

If we're not careful, I could see the cops claiming he swerved in front of his car, got hit on purpose, then lied about the price of the bike as a scam. Then he'd be in real trouble.

[Bedfast Emperor]

If you were hit in a parking lot I don't think you can file any police report.. at least where I come from the only thing that police get involved in in parking lots is if person's drunk. Other than that it's tough shit

[Oni_Ryu]

If you were hit in a parking lot I don't think you can file any police report.. at least where I come from the only thing that police get involved in in parking lots is if person's drunk. Other than that it's tough shit

That doesn't sound right. What if he was hurt? Of course a police report would be filed.

[Arsenal]

That doesn't sound right. What if he was hurt? Of course a police report would be filed.

Bedfast is correct. 9/10 times, if an accident occurs on private property (company-owned parking lots are considered private property), the police won't respond UNLESS there's criminal activity or something MAJOR went down (like, a HUGE accident w/ multiple injuries and fatalities).

edit: This is WISCONSIN law only, you should check up on Michigan law. Could be totally different.

[Taichi]

**** cops. They're dicks to anyone under 25, I swear.

Though on that note, a on-duty cop almost hit my mom's car last week. ****er went right through a stop sign without even slowing down. My mom just got a brand new car, too.

Agreed, but I'm 27 and they were just as dickish to me.

of course it was my lil' bro behind the wheel at the time (he's 23), but they tried to cite us both for no seatbelts, when I hadn't even touched the damn things (I just re-adjusted the damn thing when I leaned forward to get in the glove box).

cocksuckers.......Harold and Kumar were totally right about these **** pigs.

[Rhio2k]

your friend is lucky he just left with a bent bike fram instead of 41 holes in his body.

BA-BANG!! :rofl:

[Colt Steele]

Sad thing is cops ARE above the law
Um, yeah. Saying your friend should take the cop to the cleaners for misconduct on top of the reckless endangerment sounds wonderful on paper. Now if only you could find a judge that would actually side against someone in law enforcement....they're as much a myth as the female orgasm. You could have video footage of the incident and the cop would still walk, that's just the nature of the beast.
Thurst was right, your friend was lucky he didn't get a few dozen rounds pumped into him for his trouble.