Daughter hit by car near Claddagh Church

paulgalway

On Thursday, daughter was walking near the Claddagh church on the left side of the road, going towards the swamp.

A female in a black 10 G VW golf heading towards the swamp also,was too close to the LHS of the road. As result, the passenger side wing mirror struck my daughter on the elbow.

The driver immediately increased speed and drove away; failing to stop.

This has been reported to the guards and they are looking at CCTV footage from cameras on all possible routes leading to the claddagh.

To the female driver of the golf, you will be identified !!!

Doom

Shouldn't be too hard to track it down through vehicle reg office, considering the low amount of cars reg last year.....should be really easy for cop to do
Hope shes ok

Diabhal Beag

Hope the daughter is OK. Is it a possibility though that the driver mightn't have seen it?

paulgalway

Daughter was with a friend and a guy from a near-by house came on the scene. Both said the driver increased speed when contact was made.

galwayrush

Hope you daughter's ok OP.

paulgalway

Went to A&E, X-ray was not conclusive, appointment for orthopedics(sp) in Merlin on Monday morning.

TheUsual

Blatant hit and run.
Gardaí do not take this as a minor accident. Your daughter could have been seriously hurt.

1mcampo1

Hope your daughter is a-ok op.

It's sad to hear that someone knew they hit a person with their car, and then instead of stopping and checking if they were ok/injured, they put the foot down...

brianthebard

Hope this ****er gets nailed for this.

emptybladder

It'll be p*ss easy to trace that car. Piece in the paper at Christmas with a breakdown of cars sold last year in galway... Think there were about 70 golfs. Im sure not all were black, and they can speed things up by checking only west city addresses first. Hope your daughter is ok OP. Do let us know when driver is identified.

Amhran Nua

I cannot believe how irresponsible some people are.

McLoughlin

Amhran Nua wrote: »

I cannot believe how irresponsible some people are.

I know similar thing happen twice in recent months down in Wexford with people driving up onto footpath in one incident a pram was hit and sent fllying into a garden the child was unharmed thank god and the driver of the car was later found after driving away.

Little My

TheUsual wrote: »

Gardaí do not take this as a minor accident. Your daughter could have been seriously hurt.

I wish that was the truth.

OP your very lucky they got the reg of the car.

I was knocked down in 2009 at a roundabout in Galway. Ended up unconscious in the road. Was taken to hospital and when the gards eventually turned up I was asked if I wanted to make a statement, and they made it sound like the most pointless thing in the world. They shrugged their shoulders and actually said 'hit and run, not much we can do'.

I went in weeks later after trying to get in touch many times and they gave me about 5 mins to make a statement before we were interrupted and the young gard taking the statement said 'sorry got to go we are going out in the car' like someone had just offered to take him to the circus. Obviously going on in the car was far more exciting than listening to my pointless statement.

Said they would be in touch, said they would follow up with 3 or 4 witnesses who got most but not all of the reg and a description of the car.

That was the last I heard from them.

CrowdedHouse

Little My wrote: »

I was knocked down in 2009 at a roundabout in Galway. Ended up unconscious in the road. Was taken to hospital and when the gards eventually turned up I was asked if I wanted to make a statement, and they made it sound like the most pointless thing in the world. They shrugged their shoulders and actually said 'hit and run, not much we can do'.

Shocking really - hope the OP gets better help somehow I doubt it

snubbleste

TheUsual wrote: »

Blatant hit and run.
Gardaí do not take this as a minor accident.....

Can you back this up?
Tbh an Garda don't care too much unless it's a life-threatening injury, the garda is a relation or you kick up a major stink.

emptybladder

snubbleste wrote: »

Can you back this up?
Tbh an Garda don't care too much unless it's a life-threatening injury, the garda is a relation or you kick up a major stink.

RTCs are *always* followed up on in this Garda district. Always.

Ev84

She (the driver) is a scumbag for not stopping, I hope she is caught and best wishes to your daughter in recovering...
Had it been my daughter i would be absolutely FUMING :mad:

If the cops don't do anything about it, you should try and get a letter published in the media - highlight the fact that they didn't bother and it would hopefully force them to save face.

snubbleste

emptybladder wrote: »

RTCs are *always* followed up on in this Garda district. Always.

Not been my experience.

amiable

snubbleste wrote: »

Can you back this up?
Tbh an Garda don't care too much unless it's a life-threatening injury, the garda is a relation or you kick up a major stink.

I think you'll find that's incorrect.
Alot of injuries may not look life threatening but there can be hidden dangers to an injury which may result in more serious injury later on or in extreme cases death.
Now i know this is extremely unlikely with an elbow injury but none the less the gardai should and i'd imagine will take it very seriously if they have enough evidence to proceed.
OP i genuinely hope your daughter only has minor injuries and recovers ASAP
Please let us know how she is.

Neyite

I had minor damage done to my car a few months ago. Dont really want to go into detail on a public forum but it was so minor it cost me less than €20 to rectify.

I rang Salthill GS about it, dunno who I spoke to, and left it at that. Didnt expect to hear from them again, but a few months later, I got a call from a very nice Garda who explained that they solved the crime. Someone who they caught in robbing houses also confessed when it was put to them about my car. It was almost comical the seriousness and respect with which they treated my minor damage, explaining when this person was likely to go to court, how I didnt have to attend, and if I wanted further feedback /information how to best go about it.

I have had other encounters with Gardai in Galway over the years - parking tickets /lapsed tax, (tut, tut!) where they had me bang to rights, yet I have been treated with courtesy and respect too.

My guess is that with the establishment of the obudsman, and increasing awareness of accountability, that more 'customer service' type procedures have been put in place, or perhaps training in 'people skills'?

In any event, it would surprise me greatly if the Gardai didnt pursue this further. Its a hit and run involving a child. I cant see Gardai being any way lenient on someone who f**ked off at the scene. That drivers first instinct was to put the foot down and escape. Somewhere in this city there is some woman who does not care if she injured a child. What a horrible person.

dafunk

Was your daughter walking on the footpath or on the road? Theres no path opposite the church and people often walk on the road. Of course that doesn't mean that they should get hit by a car or that someone should leave the scene but it's a dangerous thing for people to be doing.

Hope your daughter is ok. I saw some gob****e in a people carrier knock someone off their bike in the same spot without even noticing. She was too busy admiring her yellow hair and gucci sunglasses in the mirror to pay attention to the people she was plowing through with her Toyota Hiroshima. But to notice and not stop? I would be able to sleep worrying about the pedestrian.

amiable

dafunk wrote: »

I saw some gob****e in a people carrier knock someone off their bike in the same spot without even noticing. She was too busy admiring her yellow hair and gucci sunglasses in the mirror to pay attention to the people she was plowing through with her Toyota Hiroshima

Were you in the car with her?
God bless your eyesight:D

dafunk

Theres a database of reg numbers now. The tolls, car shops, insurance companies etc all have access to it. There's no reason why the guards couldn't have had that info in about ten minutes. How many 10 G reg VWs of that colour could be registered here? Chances are it's a Galway city west resident, the guards should have and could have had a list of potential suspects within minutes.

faw1tytowers

Little My wrote: »

I wish that was the truth.

OP your very lucky they got the reg of the car.

I was knocked down in 2009 at a roundabout in Galway. Ended up unconscious in the road. Was taken to hospital and when the gards eventually turned up I was asked if I wanted to make a statement, and they made it sound like the most pointless thing in the world. They shrugged their shoulders and actually said 'hit and run, not much we can do'.

I went in weeks later after trying to get in touch many times and they gave me about 5 mins to make a statement before we were interrupted and the young gard taking the statement said 'sorry got to go we are going out in the car' like someone had just offered to take him to the circus. Obviously going on in the car was far more exciting than listening to my pointless statement.

Said they would be in touch, said they would follow up with 3 or 4 witnesses who got most but not all of the reg and a description of the car.

That was the last I heard from them.

Id second that, you will have to call them and hound them daily if you want a result. My partner was jumped on a few years back randomly, i was htere and plenty of witnesses. The guy in question was high and known to Gardaí. We got his address and work place and all the details they needed to pres charges, my partner suffered a fractured spine as well as other injuries. About a week later when we asked howcome he is still out on the treets, they informed us they called to his place of work and he wasnt there..... (we saw him there or I did my partner was in hospital obviously). A month later we were told he is out of our jurisdiction cos he moved home to his family still county galway but not city. Soon he left for UK we found out he had previous GBH o no wonder he ran... but like 3 months after he incident! Not only that because I was a wreck and not fit to talk at the scene they refused to take me to the hospital with my partner and dragged him from the floor unconcious slumped him into the back of the squad car and dumped him in A&E in a wheel chair. A kind taxi driver also a witness kindly brought me I had no money as my partner had it. He kindly gave me a free lift to a&E and gave me 2 solphadol. To this day I wish I could thank that man. In a&e I was told my partner was left there by the guards as a "john doe" and they presumed he was just drunk as he was no coherent... they soon kicked into actin when I told them. I used to respect the Guards as a whole till that day.

Anyway my point keep onto them! Sorry for rant.

dafunk

amiable wrote: »

Were you in the car with her?
God bless your eyesight:D

Heheh. They could have been imitations, I'm not the type to know the difference but I am stereotyping of course.

faw1tytowers

My guess is that with the establishment of the obudsman, and increasing awareness of accountability, that more 'customer service' type procedures have been put in place, or perhaps training in 'people skills'?

In any event, it would surprise me greatly if the Gardai didnt pursue this further. Its a hit and run involving a child.

I hope you are right!

inisboffin

Op, is your daughter a minor or an adult? Sorry to hear this regardless

Bosco boy

OP, its quite possible that even if all 10 G golf owners are interviewed that the culprit (if they happen to be interviewed) will flat deny being responsible or even being near the location and you cant beat a confession out of them, In the absence of any CCTV or witnesses who got the reg of the car it may be difficult to find who was responsible. The fact that the gardai do not find the culprit doesnt mean they did not take it as far as they could. Your daughter who obviously has injuries and medical expences can make a claim to the motor insurance bureau of Ireland who deal with cases of hit and run where the offender cannot be found. The process can take a bit longer and the compensation on average is a bit lower but you should get something. hope to culprit is found, contact the investigating garda for updates if they dont contact you.

Fighting Irish

Hope they catch the person!

Was your daughter on the footpath?

filmbuffboy

Keep us posted as to how you get on OP. Lets hope the driver is caught. Shocking to think someone would drive off without any regard to someone elses care or safety. Mé féinism is well & truly alive....

Wompa1

Is there any chance at all the woman didn't notice. Unless it was a bit thud I doubt I'd notice my mirror taking a knock. Wouldn't be looking at the mirror going across the bridge. Or at least I wouldn't.

I know people say she sped up but it could be a coincidence. Either way I hope she is brought to answer her case

Svalbard

I hope your daughter is not seriously injured.

There are a few things about your post that don't add up for me:

- You say your daughter was walking towards 'the swamp' on the left - do you mean towards the park? If so that would put her on the side of the road without a footpath.

-You mention she was with a friend - walking two abreast or single file I wonder?

-She was struck by the wing mirror, so it's entirely possible the driver did not realise she had struck anything.

-Those present may have perceived the driver sped up to get away, but it may have been coincidence.

-Did the incident occur during the day or night?

That road is busy, narrow and dimly lit. Pedestrians would be well advised to walk on the footpath at all times.

paulgalway

Yes, they were on the left and she was on the outside; but she did have a bright red jacket on her.

Incident happened at 10:45am approx.

mikemac

Not going to help now and I'm going to come across as smug but realy, next time the footpath is on the right side

Hope you get satisfaction with the gardai. You should get a letter with a pulse number and garda name and rank so you can follow up if it's going nowhere.

Amhran Nua

It doesn't matter if pedestrians are walking down the middle of the road, motorists have no right to muscle them out of the way or run them down, none whatsoever. The onus is entirely on the driver to be careful, which is part of the responsibility that comes with the privelege of being granted a drivers licence. A privelege which can be taken away.

Likewise anyone that didn't notice striking a person, wing mirror or not, shouldn't be let on the roads.

yer man!

Could the driver have slowed down a bit as there was 2 pedestrians walking 2 abreast on the left side of the road and once she passed/overtaken (badly) she had a clear road again and could increase her speed. Seems to me the driver didn't really notice or think it was serious enough to stop.

Chicken1

Guys I dont want to back any hit and run driver but as you know most cars now have folding mirrors, its possible the driver did not know that someone got hit with a mirror, I was driving into my house one day and struck the left pillar and did not even know until I got out to shut the gate.

tribesman78

Amhran Nua wrote: »

It doesn't matter if pedestrians are walking down the middle of the road, motorists have no right to muscle them out of the way or run them down, none whatsoever. The onus is entirely on the driver to be careful, which is part of the responsibility that comes with the privelege of being granted a drivers licence. A privelege which can be taken away.

Likewise anyone that didn't notice striking a person, wing mirror or not, shouldn't be let on the roads.

Pedestrians have a responsibility too on the road. If what you say is correct then would you walk across the middle of a motorway and expect that hey im the pedestrian no car is going to muscle me out of it.....I think not. The footpath is there for pedestrians and it should be used. Now fair enough if she did speed up and drive away, knowing that she hit someone she should be punished but with the types of wing mirrors that are on cars these days it is possible that she may not have noticed.

Amhran Nua

tribesman78 wrote: »

Pedestrians have a responsibility too on the road.

No, they don't. You have to expect them to do anything including leaping out windmilling their arms and singing the national anthem. This is the reality when there are minors, small children, and people of unstable character walking around.

You might think you haven't got any responsbility if you are driving past a row of cars and a small child leaps out from nowhere - you do have responsibility, you should have been driving at an appropriate speed to be able to either avoid striking the child or to avoid causing real damage. If a pedestrian walks out in the middle of a motorway, you do not have the right to mow them down. At best all you can do is call the guards and drive slowly behind them, and I sincerely hope you aren't driving with an attitude like that.

Only one person in this encounter was driving a one-ton lump of machinery. These are the facts of the situation and I hope no pity is shown to that motorist in the likely event they are caught.

tribesman78 wrote: »

with the types of wing mirrors that are on cars these days it is possible that she may not have noticed.

Then she wasn't paying proper attention. Again, I see no reason why negligence like that should go unpunished.

ciotog

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Then she wasn't paying proper attention. Again, I see no reason why negligence like that should go unpunished.

Exactly, if a motorist is passing that close to a pedestrian and is unaware they struck them then they're unfit to be on the road. Folding mirrors or not.

Bosco boy

Being dead and having the right of way isn't much of a consolation to a family! A bit more cop on and common sence by pedestrians could save a lot of lives!

Happyman42

Very unreasonable OP....sorry your daughter was injured but there are huge variables that maybe at play here. Two abreast on a road where a footpath was provided is foolhardy to say the least. And a rap from a wing mirror could easily go unnoticed in the cabin. Loud radio/music, hearing difficulties, prevailing weather at the time...a strong wind would easily mask that sound in modern insulated cabins. Best to find the person and question them first. Like any accident, it is unfortunate & avoidable but they do happen. Much as the driver may need to see the error of their ways, so too does your daughter. You may not think a pedestrian has any responsibilities in an ideal world, but in the real one they most certainly do, if they want to stay alive!

Amhran Nua

Bosco boy wrote: »

A bit more cop on and common sence by pedestrians could save a lot of lives!

Happyman42 wrote: »

Much as the driver may need to see the error of their ways, so too does your daughter. You may not think a pedestrian has any responsibilities in an ideal world, but in the real one they most certainly do, if they want to stay alive!

Ye can try explaining that to a judge folks, see how far you get with it. And you'll probably have to sooner or later if that's the attitude. Assume every pedestrian and cyclist is a lunatic with a death wish, and you'll have a long and happy driving career.

Happyman42

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Ye can try explaining that to a judge folks, see how far you get with it. And you'll probably have to sooner or later if that's the attitude. Assume every pedestrian and cyclist is a lunatic with a death wish, and you'll have a long and happy driving career.

Ask the judge who he would choose to teach his/her son/daughter how to cross the road! You or me? If my son or daughter came home and told me that they had been walking two abreast (while a car passed) on a road where a footpath was provided, a whack from a wing mirror would be the least of their worries! A little bit of cop on required by your whole family maybe?

Amhran Nua

Happyman42 wrote: »

Ask the judge who he would choose to teacher his son/daughter how to cross the road! You or me?

The judge would tell you that a sizeable minority of pedestrians are not competent to show due regard for their own safety, whether they are drunk, on drugs, minors, or mentally unstable. Therefore the onus is always on the driver to proceed in a manner which takes this into account.

There might be odd exceptions like that time in Limerick where two lads were on the ground around a bend in a motorway far from urban areas, at night, struggling with one another, wearing dark clothing, but in general it's an ironclad rule. Clipping a child with a wing mirror in broad daylight on a city street is completely unacceptable.

Bosco boy

Amhran Nua wrote: »

Ye can try explaining that to a judge folks, see how far you get with it. And you'll probably have to sooner or later if that's the attitude. Assume every pedestrian and cyclist is a lunatic with a death wish, and you'll have a long and happy driving career.

I expect you'll have a short lived career as a pedestrian with an attitude like that!

Happyman42

Amhran Nua wrote: »

The judge would tell you that a sizeable minority of pedestrians are not competent to show due regard for their own safety, whether they are drunk, on drugs, minors, or mentally unstable. Therefore the onus is always on the driver to proceed in a manner which takes this into account.

There might be odd exceptions like that time in Limerick where two lads were on the ground around a bend in a motorway far from urban areas, at night, struggling with one another, wearing dark clothing, but in general it's an ironclad rule. Clipping a child with a wing mirror in broad daylight on a city street is completely unacceptable.

Since when did what happens in a court of law have anything to do with real life? Maybe get down of the high horse and teach your children to have the utmost respect for the road. Never assume anything when it comes to the road. I do the same when driving and I know that that might not always be enough to avoid an unfortunate accident.

the_syco

Happyman42 wrote: »

And a rap from a wing mirror could easily go unnoticed in the cabin.

The driver was completely at fault. If overtaking a cyclist, a pedestrian, etc, they must ensure they give them enough room.

If they did not see the pedestrian, they should either get an eye test to get glasses that will enable them to see the pedestrians, or should be banned from the road.

Chicken1

the_syco wrote: »

The driver was completely at fault. If overtaking a cyclist, a pedestrian, etc, they must ensure they give them enough room.

If they did not see the pedestrian, they should either get an eye test to get glasses that will enable them to see the pedestrians, or should be banned from the road.

How do you know that, were you there and are you a witness to the event, there could have been any number of reasons why it happened like being too far out on the road when walking with no footpath when one was available on the opposite side. The driver is not always the person at fault here

Amhran Nua

Bosco boy wrote: »

I expect you'll have a short lived career as a pedestrian with an attitude like that!

Happyman42 wrote: »

Since when did what happens in a court of law have anything to do with real life?

The most surprising and worrying thing about this is that someone actually needs to explain this stuff to some drivers. I'll say it again - when a pedestrian bumps into someone they don't run the risk of maiming or killing them. Operators of large and fast moving pieces of machinery on public roads do run that risk.

You, as a driver, have the responsibility to watch out for random pedestrians, and proceed in a manner and at a speed which takes unexpected movements into account, from unexpected quarters. If you can't handle that you'll end up a pedestrian yourself, probably after a visit to prison. If that's not real enough for you, I don't know what more can be said.