Jack Suber Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Sometimes it's what it takes to show you won't just lay down and be a victim. Again often times it's used to get their attention. Which it did. She just elected not to let it go. Paul, Not sure how things work in Florida, but here is SC, we have to show up in court to ensure that the other person is convicted of their violation. In this case, I would go out of my way to make sure I was in court and that she got convicted. Here, if the person who is not at fault in a wreck like this fails to show in court, the charges are dismissed. I got rear-ended in my my new car (I had only had it a week and a half) by a girl. I was sitting at a light and looked in my rearview and saw her coming. Cigarette in one hand, cell phone in the other. Bam! She hit me hard enough to knock me out in the intersection. I was pissed but I was cool. It really screwed up her car and only scratched mine and cracked the bumper cover. She tells me she is late for her son's BDay party and asked if I would take her phone number so we could settle the incident later. I told her that I could not do that and I call the cops. I hear her on her cell phone telling someone that she got in a wreck and will be late because the guy she hit is being a "d*ckhead.' Now I am pissed. So, when the cop got there and completed the report, I told him that I normaly would not want to have her charged (just let her insurance cover the repiars) but I heard her call me a d*ckhead. Now, it was a matter of principle. He pulled me aside and explained to me that I did not have to show in court. However, if I did not show, the charges against her would be dropped (she would still be at fault in the eyes of her insurance but no traffic violation would be posted against her). You should have seen the surprise on her face when I showed up in court. She actually walked over and said, "I didn't expect you to be here." I said, "Yeah, well, I just like being a d*ckhead." The cop was there and had to leave the room because he was laughing so hard. So, she got fined and got her insurance rates raised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Seems to me the lesson has been mentioned before. He who calls first gets to give the story that is believed. Don't wait to call if a road rager is doing more than flipping the bird and taking off. I agree with what you say, but it is hard to dial with one hand on the wheel and the other drawing your pistol...LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 easy TL.... Paul W, My sad experience is that for the most part cops don't care. Even sadder is that folks who are willing to lie are believed. The logic here is pretty easy.... two different stories means both are lying. That one is stating fact never crosses the cop's mind. Aparently, witnesses are to be ignored. When a cop is presented with enough evidence to prove they are wrong in the conclusion reached, they walk away with their conclusion intact anyway. one last thing here, think about it, I think the answer may help calm you down some. What could the Officer have done differently? Believing your side is not on the options list.... Contact the witness and ask if they are willing to come to court. If they are willing, then file charges. It will be a long bumpy run. Justice is not free or easy. miranda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folsoml Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Not sure how things work in Florida, but here is SC, we have to show up in court to ensure that the other person is convicted of their violation. In this case, I would go out of my way to make sure I was in court and that she got convicted. Here, if the person who is not at fault in a wreck like this fails to show in court, the charges are dismissed. This is the case in Florida as well. If she chooses to take it to court you MUST be there or it will be thrown out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STInky Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Paul..... If you don't have your witnesses name, go get a copy of the police report and obtain it there. The report should have witness name/address and contact info. Then contact you local prosecutor and fill out an affidavit for a warrant, including the witness's name to be subpoenaed. Don't let that crazy bitch get away with that....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 Trust me I'l love to hang her out to dry. My witness only saw her come over into my lane and hit me. He did not see all the other crap that happened mile and a half before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Metal Only Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I wish some somabitch would come walkin' up to my window, He'd get my fatass .45 in his face. In Ok, You would get a legal kill if someone reaches in your window while your driving. Mabey next time pull them into the window and say they were trying to rob you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Paul why did you slow down to get behind the slower moving traffic Was there not room to pass the slower moving truck and merge into the lane in front of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted August 23, 2007 Author Share Posted August 23, 2007 I was already speeding and they run traffic control in that area pretty heavy. So I did not want to speed up even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scirocco38s Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have been in similar situation and I have found it is best to evade a person like that after the first confrontation even if it means making a turn and going somewhere that you didnt intend on going and the backtrack. They arent rational and they wont listen as you are inconveniencing their precious time, You are in their way and you should always move out of their way. As stated in others post, alot of cops could care less about the truth they just want to clear up a situation that they are in and you have created paperwork for them so youre not going to get alot of sympathy from them. Most cops dont like citizens carrying even though they wont admit it(The few we shoot with dont count in this matter as they are a definite minority). I am as type A an personality as you will encounter but I am smart enough to know that there are certain time and situations that when you are in the right you will still get the shaft, so I just avoid the situation by letting them get beside me and making a right turn on a street in a way that they cant recover to continue the confrontation and the continue back onto my original trip. This happens probably3 or 4 time a year as I drive 40-50k a year with my job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 We weren't there, he kept calm DIDN'T have to shoot anyone or get hurt himself, all the armchair quaterbacking after the fact won't change it. It ain't perfect, but it's over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 (edited) I think you did a great job maintaining your composure and only using the F word. If it had been me I would have followed up the F word with the C word and the situation would have escalated from there. Screw political correctness in this instance. Edited August 24, 2007 by Jaxshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 I'm sorry that happened to you Paul. If it were someone else, who perhaps was carrying a firearm illegally, the boitch would probably have been shot. The fact that you held the power to decide the final outcome of the situation and chose to act like a respectful (and pissed, who wouldn't be!) citizen is credit to all of us who are armed legally. She assulted you with a weapon that kills more people every year than guns. We've all seen footage of cops stopping a perp who was brandishing a car. I'm surprised the witness didn't carry more weight. I'm pissed thinking about it......thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Well dealing with the type stuff on a near daily basis. Yes we are cynical. Do all involved parties lie to us? That's a safe bet as it is 1 in a million that actually tells us the whole truth not the flowered up version to make them look good and the other guy look bad. Assault with the car, with a he said she said case....yeah try to prove that one in court...aint never going to happen from a crash. The judge would toss that out like IDPA would dump an open gun! Turn signal and a lane change citation is about the best you are going to prove. Like it or not you opened the window, exchanged words, Some how you get in front then she is in front, then behind you and trying to pass again??? Sounds like your typical game of F^&^ F&&^ in traffic. Luckily you didn't get hurt in the crash or end up in jail. As you said the witness only saw the crash so that is what the guy went on. Sorry but they don't issue us crystal balls so we have to rely on what can be proven. I'm sure she said you were acting like a nut too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 +1 Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Chriss, That may be all true, but he also obviously let the fact that Paul was legaling carrying cloud his judgement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted August 25, 2007 Author Share Posted August 25, 2007 I can respect and understand what your saying Chris. Tough job sorting out the details and the whole truth. And I KNOW I could have gotten her to confess to pulling over to allow me to catch up, but he kept us seperated and never even asked her (I could hear their conversation) about it. AND the fact that he never even asked her one thing about what happened before the crash, which she left out of course. She did not have proof of insurance, car registration was screwy somehow, and her and and her passangers story was obviously made up. A few hard questions and he would have firgured that out. My story had no holes because I was telling the truth. LEGALLY I did not even have to tell him I was carrying. I did it out of courtesy, maybe next time I won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Paul and Jake, You are both assuming that he made a decision because of the CCW. Maybe but not likely. I'm sure you could have got the confession....and I can find Bin laden too. Never heard either one of those lines before....right along with give me 5 minutes alone with him and..... He probably did you a favor by just handing her a citation and dealing with the crash. I probably would have handed you both a stack and let you argue it out in court. Your honor I wasn't there here are the parties and this is what they are stating. Please pay the clerk as you leave. It takes two people to have a fight and most people are willing participants rather than true victims. By your own statements you were pissed off and yelling profanity at her...not a wise choice. Somehow you stretch this into the cop is anti gun and you are a victim. Sorry after 18 years I don't buy it. Most cops could give a rats ass if you are carrying or not, we deal with the facts and move on to the next call. Take this as a lesson learned on driver manners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted August 26, 2007 Author Share Posted August 26, 2007 I never said he made a decision because I had a CCW. I did not like what he said about the road rage and me carrying a gun. I NEVER yelled anything at her until she crashed into me. Yes I was pissed, who would not be?? BUT I was still in total control of my actions and emotions. So after 18 years your still wrong, sorry just the way it is Chris. And my drivers manners are fine, especially for metro Orlando area which has become a very dangerous aggressive area over the past few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin40 Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Looks like we have arm chair quarterback. Wow, just amazing what has been said in this thread. First, cops are no different than any other person. The badge nor anything else that goes along with being a cop changes them from being just like every other person. They put their pants on the same way and take a crap just like everyone else. Its goes to say their ego's, temper, assumptions and just plain stupid behavior is just like everyone elses. For some reason people tend to think that the uniform and badge make cops instantly into moral, never make a mistake, have to be perfect person. Fact is this just flat out isn't true. Start looking at is a person saying and not a cop. You handled the situation just fine. You handled it just like any other normal person would. This is where in my opinion you made a mistake. After the initial incident and seen her still following you, you should of been on the phone to 911. Its alittle over board but this is how I look at it. What if when she came up to your window she started pounding on it or used something that could break it. Now your in a place where you don't know what her intentions are or worse the passenger gets out also. So your in a spot where you have to make a decision. There are alot of stupid people out there and you'll never know when your going to run into one. Having a CCW I would of called and give the location and have the cop car pull her over as she was following you. They could of seen more of what was going on then. F#$&% is used everyday, and used extensively in law enforcement. I have used to descalate fights, assaults, riots, hostage situations etc. Its works, if I deal with 30 situations in a day I might use it 5-10times depending on whats going on. Its used as tool, not an emotional response or outburst. You try dealing gang bangers, drug dealers, murders daily and saying "Please back up", "Please sit down" LOL. Of course those are used in the beginning but if it gets dicey then you might have to express yourself in a different way to let them know its about to turn serious. Flyin40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriss Grube Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Well I guess if you fall into the everybody else drives like that I'm just fine camp, good luck. Some people can justify damn near anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmap Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Well I guess if you fall into the everybody else drives like that I'm just fine camp, good luck. Some people can justify damn near anything. You lost us on this one? He said "drivers manners" not drivers norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 F#$&% is used everyday It is also one of, if not the, most vertatile words in the English language as the video demonstrates: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin40 Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 F#$&% is used everyday It is also one of, if not the, most vertatile words in the English language as the video demonstrates: Flyin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted August 26, 2007 Author Share Posted August 26, 2007 HUH.....what do I need to justify? Flyin40...You hit the nail on the head and that is the lesson I will take away from this. I should have either a) turned down another street ( but at this time I had no idea she was going to pull over and wait for me, after that I had nowhere to go), or B I should have dialed 911 when she walked up to my truck. Next time I will be more vigilant and try one of those or both to AVOID this type of situation. Rob your link, hmm, all I can think of saying is "cute f*#kin video". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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