I have to somewhat agree with MikeInNH, as much as I feel for your situation. I’ve investigated collisions in the past, and I think this will be a tough one for you to fight, based on that photo and depending on what kind of investigation/paperwork was done by the police at the scene. Do you have any other photos that show different angles?
Here’s the problem: Look at the driver side rear tire on the police cruiser. That tire hasn’t moved (or has moved very little) even after the collision. So to avoid hitting his driver side rear corner (which you did avoid), you would have had to be far enough over when passing the cruiser that you would’ve been over the center line. That’s how it looks from this angle. Which may or may not be relevant to the collision. Sometimes it’s hard to judge from inside the vehicle where your vehicle’s wheels actually were.
I think what may have happened is a combination of you crossing over the center line and Mr. Glue-sniffer drifting straight over the center line (instead of following the curve in the road) and colliding into you. It’s a tough one to prove either way, at this point. This would’ve been an interesting one to investigate.
Good luck to you either way, and I think it’s safe to say that the important thing is that no one was killed or seriously injured.
"…chauvanist [sic] state police officer…"
State Police officers are all chauvinist. They think the state police are the best. I can’t blame them. I think that my group is the best and so do most other people. It is just an extreme form of pride.
I agree that this picture makes the police car look like it’s really sticking out. However, I do remember the accident very very well because of my son’s condition. I have been driving much more carefully for 6 months now.
The police car was sticking out a bit, but if you look at the white fog lines you can see that he was knocked out a little more. He didn’t park like that. He had at least 15 feet of dirt and grass to pull onto after the pavement ends. But he chose to park a few inches from the white line and his rear was sticking out a bit. I know this because I was being extremely careful and paid very close attention.
The police officer also was standing up at the driver side of the SUV he had pulled over which was even further off the road. So it was safe for me to pass without hitting the police officer. I did tell “whoever”, that I MAY have had my wheels on the double yellow line just to get around the rear of the police car, but that is it. I was not at any other time. This is the truth.
I was already past the police car when I was hit. I was pretty much parallel and even (front to rear) with the SUV that was pulled over. Later, I measured the distance from the white line to the double yellow and my car had I had 3 feet of room. I also want to add that the police officer just started heading back to his car, as I was passing his car, but my son told me that the woman driving the SUV called him and he started to walk back to her and that is why he wasn’t hit by my car. Thank God! He would have been crushed.
I didn’t see the police officer start to walk back to the SUV because I not being a lookyLu. I was watching the road which happened to be clear because I was on my side. That is why when the kid hit me there were no skid marks from my car. I only had a fraction of a second to even process a car was coming at me.
Hopefully, I will be able to prove this is court if it comes down to it. This is the worse picture and I chose it for opinions and I appreciate yours. You’re exactly right. The important thing is no one was killed or seriously injured. Thanks for you input.
Actually I call police officers, peace officers. I don’t hate cops. I think some of them have some ego issues, but I think they need that in that profession…as long as they do their job. But I do believe that this particular one didn’t give a s - - t what I said. And he didn’t do his job as far as I’m concerned. My son knows just about all the police in town and he has also done the once a year drive with the police officer thing. He also respects the law.
Whatever happened to the liability concept that the last person who could have avoided the accident and failed to do so has at least some responsibility?
If I am driving and someone crosses the center line, do I smash into them? No, I jog a couple feet and thirty seconds later I have forgotten the incident.
The photo shows rather wide lanes. My guess is if OP is wrong, she was at the yellow line, and so was the druggie, therefore they hit. But, I am not saying she was wrong, only IF. My guess is at best he was right on the centerline.
No wonder North Americans have so many wrecks when they drive in Mexico. I have seen on wide two lane roads some guy wants to pass, so he puts on his blinkers, puts his car right on the center line, which means in both lanes. Oncoming cars see him, scoot over a skosh, and he motors on with no wrecks. IF you expect people to do strange things and look for it, you can avoid wrecks. It’s called, ahem, defensive driving. If you drive around in a daze and expect everyone to do the ‘right’ thing you get wrecked a lot.
Just as I cannot say the OP was at fault, I also cannot say she wasn’t at fault. Accidents happen because people err. I wish her the best, but she has a hard road to beat this.
I still say it looks like you were over the line…by your own statement you say he pushed you back and to the side…That would mean you were FARTHER over the line then pic indicates. Am I missing something???
The picture shows the front wheel of the OP’s vehicle turned to the right. If they were that way when she was hit, it would explain the front of her car swinging out towards the the yellow line when she was hit and pushed backwards.
Of course, the position of the front wheel may have been caused by the collision itself.
Yes. If my car was facing dead east and I was pushed back (west) and to the side, (the other car was going west and at a much faster speed) then my car would obviously be over the line after we stopped because my car was pushed into the police car which stopped any further movement. I’d still be facing west, but further back on my side of the road if the police car wasn’t there. The state police speculated that I was just passing the police car. If that is so, I would have hit it near the back, not in the front. Not making any of this up. And not in denial.
Yes. I was being a defensive driver. Trust me. I see this all day long. I had to pass a road repair and the state police wanted me to pass. The repair guy was right on the double yellow line, the trooper wanted me to pass even tho there was oncoming traffic totally oblivious to the work being done. Why were they oblivious? Because it was a a slight hill. No trooper on their side to warn them to move over. The state trooper was pissed at me for not going, but if I had I would have been plowed. Speed limit 40 right there.
I’ll take another shot at this. Looking at the picture, the most glaring thing is what a stupid place for the police to pull someone over. Just an accident waiting to happen. On a narrow curve?? In Minnesota they may trail you for a while waiting for a safe place to pull over before turning the lights on but this is dumb.
From the looks of the druggie’s front end, he would have had to have been well over the line to have smashed that much of his front end. In addition, must not have braked at all to have pushed the OP’s car back that far. Agree that the wheels turned etc. are from the movement backward.
What are those skid marks going across the road? Must be from a previous accident. I think I might ask the Police chief what their policy is on pulling people over in dangerous locations-just to make a point anyway.
So if the OP was only going 15 MPH, Police crowding the shoulder, druggie coming the other way, the only way to have avoided the guy would have been to stop behind the police car until druggie passed or until druggie hit police car instead. Seems unreasonable for someone to stop in anticipation of a problem risking getting rear ended.
I guess I still would just drop it but would be kind of fun to start asking questions of the police like is this one of his favorite places to catch speeders? Until budgets got cut, I’d see the MN patrol pulling people over in dumb places too in rush hour traffic causing a five mile back-up.
Hello Bing. Your opinion is that of many that look at this photo. It does look like the police officer pulled someone over in an unsafe place, but I was not over on the other side of the road when I was hit. I was past the police car. I looked before I proceeded anyway, (the glue sniffing car was not even close (he was just barely coming around that turn way up in the road that you see in the picture) Speed limit is 35 mph, and my guess is he was doing about 35-40 when he hit me. I was safely driving and slowly on my side of the road.
I also think that if I wasn’t there, the police office would probably be seriously or mortally wounded. I believe in fate, and perhaps I just am rationalizing my demise, but better my car than a human life. You are correct that I may have been rear ended if I waited because the road curves before that as well and there would have been a very good chance of being rear-ended by another oblivious driving. LOL.
Those “skid” marks are power line shadows. I should have mentioned that since most people comment on those too. I am waiting for the pictures that the town police took of the other side of the accident scene. There are stains in the road where I was hit. My ex-husband was there 5 minutes after the accident because I had my son call him on his cell phone immediately (my cell phone was no where to be found). My ex said he knew I was telling the truth by those stain marks. The road was closed for an hour to take pictures (the town police took pictures, not the state police, go figure) and clean up the mess. So my ex had time to check it out. He restores cars for a living, but anyone can see the stain. My inside source tells me that the town police report is different than the state police report. My insurance company told me yesterday that they may be doing their own investigation. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.
This has been very helpful and interesting getting your opinions in this forum. I very much appreciate all opinions.
The ticketing officer cannot be from the same department as the hit cruiser. When an accident involves one department vehicle another department must investigate. If the same department gave you the ticket talk to a traffic lawyer or simply go to court. It is biased and the accident construction can be thrown out.
You don’t need to respond to each posting. In fact it is not only distracting, but it makes you start to sound whiny - and if there is one thing the folks who regularly post on this web site hate - it’s a whiner!!!
BUT
I think everyone who thinks this is your fault - that you were over the yellow line - forget that your car is IN FRONT of the cruiser. While you may have had to cross the yellow line to get around the cruiser, you were clearly beyond that point when the accident occurred.
My take is the most significant evidence is that your car is within your lane now, and his isn’t.
Most people, looking at the photograph, without your preface, would think that your vehicle is now, and was, on the line. This photograph doesn’t show positions before the impact. Your expert (every witness has got to be an expert) witness would have to persuade people that when your vehicle was impacted, it was driven into the police car, and the momentum caused your vehicle’s right, rear, corner to act as a pivot with the police car, and your vehicle PIVOTED to where its left front is on the yellow line. Your right, rear corner acted as a PIVOT for the police car: so that, the police car’s left rear pivoted into what would have been your (alleged) travel path. The problem with persuading jurist of this is one of them being able to follow this line of reasoning, and the power of the persuader. A board, with model vehicles, would help with the visuals (kinda “show 'n tell”).
Sometimes, a “tangle web is weaved” when we try to tell the truth! Lies can be (deceptively) short.
Whoa! Excuse me. Sorry, I didn’t follow the “Unwritten Rules.” I thought this is a Forum where I can get Opinions, reply to them and Answer questions that come up in the Content of those opinions.
I thought it only polite, Since I Started this Topic, that I should respond to those who take the time to give an opinion, including you. Thanks. I’ll watch myself from here on.
Geez. I am blown away!! You are awesome! That is very very very close! The road was a little straighter, the front end of police car was a little more paralle to the white fog line,but still had the back end out. I think the curve in the road is what throws that off. And the SUV in front of him was about half of the distance closer the the police car and it was a about half that distance to the white fog line. Absolutley awesome!!
