Taxi Driver

Souperfreak

Yesterday coming out of St James' Hospital a taxi driver hit my car. There were two lanes coming out of the hospital I was in the right hand lane with my indicator left I pulled up to the line when the taxi driver pulled out from behind a car in the left lane and but his car between my car and the car he pulled out from behind of. He then put himself into the junction box trying to cut me off. So I then pulled into my lane position and was not blocking anything and was squarely in my lane. He then inched forward until he hit the front left of my car with the front right of his car creating 2 nasty dents above my wheel well. He then looked at my own car and started shouting abuse at me saying he wasn't moving. I rolled down my window and said I am squarely in my lane what are you doing? He started shouting and I rolled up the window. He looked at what he did to my car then pulled off in the left lane.

I reported him to the garda by the taxi reg number as a hit n run?

The garda basically said if I want the damaged fixed they will get his name for me and I can deal with it.

But if I want to get him for a hit n run then they will get involved.

The husband says prosecute for hit n run. I say HELP what would you do?

hit n run or no?

Dingatron

He left the scene of the accident regardless that it was minor. I agree with your husband.

bill_ashmount

get them for hit n run, why should he get away with it.......

seamus

Prosecute for hit and run. Hopefully he'll lose his job. One less scumbag driving around.

skibum

If the "shoe was on the other foot" I bet that he would have no problem for doing you for a hit and run. Go for it and don't let him get away with it.

ciarsd

he knew what he done, he drove off...something so blatent and aggressive deserves the book thrown at him.Doesn't matter if its two small dents, principle is the same

Dub13

get him for hit n run,god only knows how many times he has did this kind of thing before

seamus

If you feel bad about doing something which could damage his livliehood, think of it this way - if you were caught stealing, imbezzeling, or otherwise doing something grossly illegal in your work, do you think anyone would have any qualms about firing you?

Alun

I was in the right hand lane with my indicator left

?????????????

Souperfreak

Here is the damage - see attached - file is too large....I will have to have the hubby help me compress it later. I will post it after work today.

Souperfreak

Alun wrote:

?????????????

There were two lanes to pull onto two lanes on the road. I was in the right lane to get into the right hand lane on the road. He decided that even though I had an indicator on showing I was turning into the right hand lane that he was going to make a third lane between the left hand lane and the right hand lane. When I took up the lane position I had waited for and indicated for he got pissed off and started nugging his way forward when I showed I wasn't moving to let him in he kept inching forward until he hit my car. Once he hit the car he and I heard the crunch. He strained his head upward looked at what he did shouted at me and pulled off in the left lane.

Is that a better explanation?

Interceptor

Get a solicitor and contact the Carriage office for this muppets details. Get the damage sorted and at the very least have the cops go to his house and caution him. He sounds like the sort of nob who would buy a neck brace and sue if that happened to him.

'c

prospect

Wait a few weeks.
Then keep an eye out for him. Book him to take you to the airport and have a friend go ahead of you and wait at the airport roundabout. When he is ditting at the lights of the airport roundabout, tell him he's a bollix, hop out, kick all his lights in and leggit to your friends car and drive off giving him the fingers

Sangre

Well you won't need to get a solicitor involved for any prosecution, just report the facts. But definetely go for the hit and run, he knew what he did and deserves it.
In fact, since it is a criminal not a civil charge then the Gaurds actually don't need your permission to prosecute but obviously have because you'll have to make a short court appearance.

Citizen Jake

He's in the wrong, he ran away from the scene, prosecute because it's all you can do right now. If it was anyone else even if who's in the right or wrong was disputed, they would hang around to swap insurance details and a guard would be brought to the scene.

This cowboy shouted a load of abuse - probably assumed he'd intimidated you into doing nothing - and drove off. You could have been injured, and certainly you're wallet will be injured if you have to pay up.

If he's successfully prosecuted, does that actually mean the victim's insurance company has the ground to pursue for costs for damage or does that require a separate civil case?

Paul (MN)

I actually think that prsectuing for hit and run is the wrong thing to do.

You have to stpe back and look at the reality of the situation.

1) He's a boll1x
2) There is small damage to your car

Now look at the consequences of your planned action

Go after him for damages:
- you get your car fixed
- you are proved to have been in the right

Go after him for Hit and Run:
- you get your car fixed
- you are proved to have been in the right
- he might lose his job

So what if he is a boll1x. If he loses his job then his innocent family (kids) might suffer too.

Go after him to a point but after that.... let it go. Life's too short.

If you were personally injured in an accident that is a different story. But in this case.... it's just a bit of metal.

seamus

Paul (MN) wrote:

Go after him for Hit and Run:
- you get your car fixed
- you are proved to have been in the right
- he might lose his job

So what if he is a boll1x. If he loses his job then his innocent family (kids) might suffer too.

He should have thought of that. You can't protect someone from damaging their livliehood if they've already made the mistake. As I said earlier, if you were found stealing from your company, do you think there would be any qualms about prosecuting you and firing you, despite how your children might suffer? No, **** him, he must live with the consequences of his actions.

20 Times 20 Times

hit and run , he would do the exact same thing if he was in ur position

Saturnine

**** him let the gaurds pursue it.One less maniac taxi driver on the roads can only be a good thing.

kdevitt

You can't prosecute him - you're not the DPP. You can file a complaint, I doubt it will go very far, in fact the last time I tried the Guards wouldn't take a statement. They will more than likely contact the guy and tell him to contact you with his insurance details, if he fails to do this they may follow up on it. You can contact the carriage office as mentioned below to report him too, not sure what the procedure is there though.

He merely needs to say that he didn't realise he hit you, and that he was shouting at you because you were blocking his way - this will end up being your word against his.

Phone your insurance company, register the details of the accident with them. If you're fully comp, you can probably get the damage sorted now, he can either pay himself to avoid affecting his insurance, or will put it through the insurance if its not that much.

Souperfreak

I am fully comp, but will this affect my premium when I go to renew? Even if he hit me?

I currently have no 'no claims bonus' so would it matter then? This would be my first year as a no claims bonus.

Should I bother getting it fixed if it will affect the insurance? Or should I get the driver to sort it out privately? but judging from his attitude he wouldn't because I obviously thought I was in the wrong until he saw the damage he did to the car.

kdevitt

Souperfreak wrote:

I am fully comp, but will this affect my premium when I go to renew? Even if he hit me?

I currently have no 'no claims bonus' so would it matter then? This would be my first year as a no claims bonus.

Should I bother getting it fixed if it will affect the insurance? Or should I get the driver to sort it out privately? but judging from his attitude he wouldn't because I obviously thought I was in the wrong until he saw the damage he did to the car.

Your insurance shouldn't be affected in any way. In all likelihood, the gardai will ensure he passes on his insurance details. You are obliged to inform your own insurance company or the accident under the terms of your policy though.

The other guy can sort it out privately if he so wishes, what can be done is that his insurance company sort it out, and then he pays them back - which won't affect his insurance, or he can make out a cheque to you or the garage that repair your car without going near his insurance company at all - if he goes with the second option, be sure that the amount you get covers the necessary work.

Out of interest, do you have any witnesses?? It could get messy if he decides to blame you for the accident.

seamus

If you claim off your insurance without chasing him, your no-claims will probably be affected*.
If you claim off your insurance, and supply his details to them, they should chase him up for the money, though your no-claims may be suspended until it's ironed out.
If you chase him up privately, you're still technically obliged to inform your insurance company of the collision, but it shouldn't affect your no-claims.

*Some policies allow you one claim under a certain amount in three years without affecting no-claims

ando

hit and run.. what are yas like :rolleyes: we only have one side of the story here

Souperfreak

kdevitt wrote:

Out of interest, do you have any witnesses?? It could get messy if he decides to blame you for the accident.

Plenty of witnesses, but I didn't stop in traffic to get information ya know? Similarly I didn't get their reg plates.

But surely from the placement of the damage on my vehicle it could be proved no?

He hit me above the left wheel well.

with the front right of his car.

seamus

Souperfreak wrote:

Plenty of witnesses, but I didn't stop in traffic to get information ya know? Similarly I didn't get their reg plates.

But surely from the placement of the damage on my vehicle it could be proved no?

Not necessarily. All that proves is that his car struck yours. It doesn't say, for example, that you didn't turn into his lane and hit him.

If you don't have any photographic or other evidence you may be better off leaving it.

css

What do you say if he denies ever being in the area at the time? You are screwed without a witness I'm afraid..

franksm

go after him. From the experience of others, they would AT LEAST do that to you if it was your fault. Also from the experience of others, if you do go after them with any sort of officialdom, they relent very quickly, taxi drivers are either very wary of having the spotlamp swing in their direction or else are more keen than joe public not to have any points on their license or other endorsements.

If you want the easy way out, get the Gards to give you his details, get an estimate for your repairs and then press a small-claims-court action. It's automatic after that, they'll pursue him.

Or... call the Garda Trafficwatch every 30 mins with his number and say that he's acting the goat on Dame Street, speeding/cutting up traffic/not signalling/weaving in and out of lane/breaking red lights

irlirishkev

Are there any CCTV cameras at that junction? If so you could check them.

Regarding insurance, be very wary of telling them anything. I crashed my car once, but wasn't going to claim. I just let the insurance company know in case it got back to them. Next time my premium was due, it had more than doubled!

K.

BaZmO*

seamus wrote:

Not necessarily. All that proves is that his car struck yours. It doesn't say, for example, that you didn't turn into his lane and hit him.

If you don't have any photographic or other evidence you may be better off leaving it.

But would the fact that he never stopped not go against him?

The way I'd see it is, she went to the police to log a complaint about somebody not stopping to exchange details, if she was the one that hit him surely he would've stopped to get her details, no?

ando wrote:

hit and run.. what are yas like we only have one side of the story here

:rolleyes: And as she's the one asking for advice here, would it not be courteous to assume that she's telling the truth?

B.

kdevitt

Your best bet is to let the Gardai contact him to get his insurance and personal details. Get your husband to phone him. See if he will settle without going through the insurance. Without firm witnesses you're going to find it hard to prove anything. Perhaps stick an ad in the free papers in that area - have seen it done before - and see if any witnesses will come forward.

For this to go smoothly you're relying on this guys good character I'm afraid!