On her way to work, she stopped at a light. A distracted twit on a bicycle didn't, and continued directly into the rear of her vehicle at an undetermined but considerable speed. He stood up, took off his broken helmet, staggered a bit...and promptly barfed all over the place.
Suspecting he had a concussion, she called the paramedics. He did, they hauled him to the hospital.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
I would be serious money that the cyclist has no idea what happened...no accident report, no paperwork exchanged, and I doubt he knew HIS name, let alone hers.
Rear ending is strict liability, anyway. The one who rear ends is at fault, period. One should not follow so closely that they can't stop short if necessary without hitting the vehicle ahead.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
bigskygal wrote:Rear ending is strict liability, anyway. The one who rear ends is at fault, period. One should not follow so closely that they can't stop short if necessary without hitting the vehicle ahead.
I was the behind person in a "nearly rear-ender" and I dispute your claim that the person who rear ends is at fault period.
I was following a person into a car park at the building I work in when all of a sudden they slammed their car into reverse and started reversing INTO me.
They were using the carpark as a convenient point to turn around without actually using their mirrors to see if their move was viable.
I landed heavily on my horn and they stopped when their bumper kissed mine. It potentially could have lead to impact damage and there is no known way I would have accepted ANY liability for their stupidity. (Luckily I had witnesses. I am sure they wouldn't have admitted to their actions.)
I should have clarified; as a matter of law in the US, is what I meant. However, the situation you describe is not what is generally contemplated by rear-ending accidents. I meant when the car in front becomes stationary and the one behind continues forward into it.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
I was happy that I had witnesses as I am sure without any, the accident would not have been portrayed by the other driver as it actually occurred. I am SURE they would have said I ran up their rear. (So to speak.)
What a coincidence! One of our machinists was in an accident over the weekend- from cutting off cars so closely on his motorcycle, when changing lanes, that the passed vehicle clipped his back tire. I understand he did quite the sideways spin on the asphalt, that really forked up his hip. It was so bad he was in for surgery on Monday.
We'd always told him, he was crazy cycler.
The talk is hopefully, he didn't have any current warrants; or else the PD will be there, in the recovery room, to take him to 'the county'.
He stood up, took off his broken helmet, staggered a bit...and promptly barfed all over the place.
