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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

toward to find the bastards driving this highway maintenance vehicle and tell them how much they have fucked up my day?

29 replies

missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 19:46

Just parking my car on the kerb near our house, 4 yr old dd in the back. Twats in a highway maintenance truck were behind me, had pulled over to let me pass..they then reversed back into my car, ripped a hole in the back and drove off. I sat there in shock for a moment and then tried to follow them, couldn't get their plate though.
I'm 36 weeks pregnant, just started mat leave and now I've got to pay out 350 excess out of the money we won't have to get it repaired.
Just who does that? fuckers!

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 25/02/2015 19:48

I'm sorry this happened to you Flowers

But if it was a truck they may not even have realised they did it?

FenellaFellorick · 25/02/2015 19:50

if you contact highway maintenance and tell them where and when it happened, they may know which truck it was.

londonrach · 25/02/2015 19:51

Contact the highway agency and tell them what you said here and road and time and hopefully someone can help. Dont think you can park on the kerb though.

Details below...

General enquiries

Highways Agency
National Traffic Operations Centre
3 Ridgeway
Quinton Business Park

Birmingham

B32 1AF
Email
[email protected]

Telephone
0300 123 5000

Salmotrutta · 25/02/2015 19:56

Actually, maybe I'm misunderstanding, but how did they reverse into you if you had passed them after they pulled over for you?

Confused

And I agree that you shouldn't be parking on a kerb - see lots of that round here and folk with prams/wheelchairs have to cross roads to get past cars parked on kerbs! Shock

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 20:02

Thanks londonrach, will try but it's a long shot, there is some curb I can try.

On the parking, basically we live on a narrow road, with permits on one side. Cars park on the other side from 5pm till 9am. Single yellow Line. There are two footpaths and no, it's not ideal and probably not legal but if we all parked just on the road, emergency vehicles ( and highway agency vehicles!) couldn't drive down the middle. We've lived here 10 years and it always been the same, never a ticket issued and the police even park he same way if they visit...

They definitely saw..they were actually wedged into the dent, which takes the hole up to the passenger door. I then ran after them, shouting and waving. They bloody paused to let another car pass too. They saw me, they couldn't miss me, I'm the size of a house.

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 25/02/2015 20:04

Ah, right.

Well, get thee on the phone to the council! Photograph the damage too and it might be worth logging at the police station too and tell the council you are doing that.

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 20:05

Just to say (don't know why I feel the need to defend myself!) that the streetc, and the next two streets, have approx 300 houses on them, and about 70 car parking spaces. So it's just not doable to not double the spaces in the evening by people parking on the opposite side.

OP posts:
PacificDogwood · 25/02/2015 20:07

OMG, hope you are ok Thanks

I so think you should use the contact details above and pursue this!
Get your damage repaired AND some compensation for the stress and upset. Honestly I mean that.

ajandjjmum · 25/02/2015 20:10

Any CCTV around? What shitty behaviour from them!

EveBoswell · 25/02/2015 20:12

Salmostrutta What's the council got to do with it?

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 25/02/2015 20:12

Report tontse police. Isn't it illegal to leave an accident without swapping insurance details?

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 20:14

They pulled onto the kerb to let me pass. I then indicated, went past them about a car space or more, and began you'll onto the kerb. They were already on the kerb, reversed off it, (I assume to give themselves space from the car in front to carry on driving) directly towards me, I beeped, as couldn't move out of the way, they carried on, got stuck, then pulled forward and drove off. Fast.

I am one of those people with a buggy. Invert park in front of people's gates, I always leave room ( path is wide, road isn't). Everyone knows the deal, you want to walk/wheelchair/ push a buggy Dow the umpteen Victorian terraced streets like this in our town, then you use the other path, which goes all the way that the other one does. There isn't another option. My parking permit allows me to park in 4 streets, none of which provide enough parking for the amount of cars (300 houses, several of them flats, could be upwards of 600 cars...for maybe 70 spaces?
they are all gone by 9am and we all rub along nicely managing a very difficult parking situation. Until fuckers with a truck don't check their mirrors!

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 25/02/2015 20:15

Eve- I forgot that Highways maintenance is sub-contracted out nowadays.

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 20:34

Sorry, didn't mean to get snitty about the parking. Thanks for all the suggestions, will try 101 tonight to report and Will try the shops with cctv, they might have something. It's not the end of the world. Just angry with my stupid huge pregnant body for not being able together out of the car and after them quick enough.

OP posts:
Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 20:38

The insurance bloke said they wouldn't have a record, my best bet was the cctv or a plate. I saw 9 kr, then realised that isn't even a partial plate is it? So rubbish. My poor dd must have been so scared, when I got back to the car she said 'are we alright mummy?'
it's only money at then end of the day, only a hunk of metal. At least I've the time to sort it out, even though I was hoping to start relaxing about now and waiting for the baby, not feeling very relaxed now!

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 25/02/2015 20:46

I think if you get in touch with the Highways people, give them date, time and whatever other information you can then it's worth a try.

And please tell them you are reporting to the police - it can't hurt and might just nudge them in the right direction!

Good luck Smile

UniS · 25/02/2015 20:55

AT a guess, your car is narrower than the truck, you were tucked in behind the wider vehicle and the driver could not see your vehicle in the truck wing mirrors. However hard you look, Trucks have large blind areas behind, if you can't see their mirrors, the driver can;t see you.
It doesn't mean its not a shitty thing to have done. They drove off with out checking what they had bumped.

I know I'm not the driver you have an issue with today, but I could easily have reversed in a car today because of the car drivers inattention and choice of where to stop.

I was driving a van, up a narrow lane, I could see the line of 3 vans coming down the lane, knew it wasn't wide enough at any point in between us and knew I would have to reverse some distance to a passing place. BUT The driver of a car coming up behind me could not see any of this, and when they refused to reverse I couldn't get too close of they would have vanished into my blind spot and I'd have no idea what they were up to. Eventually all of us van drivers ended up folding in wing mirrors and squeaking past each other by driving through the hedge on other side. 3rd driver and I did stop for a chat, just to make the point to car driver. The big vehicle reversing maybe doing so for a reason you can't see yet.

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 21:09

Thanks salmon and unis, I get what you're saying, thing is I had indicated as I was passing him, to show I was parking, plus I was actually at an angle, as I was pulling in to park a fair bit behind him, when he reversed. Plus I ran after him! I think he saw me! I'm annoyed with myself too, I had actually waited for him to start with.., then saw he'd pulled over and thought he was parking up.
also annoyed that the bloody dent I have from two years ago that I did myself and never bothered getting fixed as too expensive is on the opposite side...aargh...so even though I will be paying out for a new back wing to my car, it will still have a dent..Sad

OP posts:
Sistedtwister · 25/02/2015 21:20

We have been told by emergency services to park on the curbs on our street because it is too narrow. All of the curb has been dropped all of the way down the street to allow this.

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 21:48

No dropped curb for us unfortunately, so resulting in lots of wear on tyres! However, as I say, the police park on the curb too, when they visit our drug dealer neighbours. And the council turn a blind eye. There's nothing be done about it, apart from major roadworks to narrow the footpaths and make it one way, which they aren't going to do.
We plan to look for a new house with a drive as soon as I'm back at work, which I cannot wait for. Just a pity I now have to use some of our savings to pay for this. Oh well, some you win, some you lose. No use fretting over it now, have calmed down a bit and the lovely people in our corner shop said they would check their cctv, off chance is the truck turned that way, 50/50 chance they did, so fingers crossed I can get a plate that way.

OP posts:
dalekanium · 25/02/2015 22:05

Most trucks havE trackers in , so if you can narrow down whose truck it is, ( almost certainly local authority, or a contractor for them) the manager will b able confirm time and location.

Start by giving your local council a ring. They should be able to help

dalekanium · 25/02/2015 22:08

And what Unis says, I used to drive large vans. They consist of an alarming number of blind spots, and are noisy in the cab so you don't hear people shouting either.

Original poster
missmakesstuff · 25/02/2015 22:19

Thanks, hoping cctv and council might help. I am assuming not just anyone can stick 'highway maintenance vehicle. on a truck, they have to be working for someone? I guess, benefit of the doubt, it was dark, maybe he just didn't realise.

Oh well, I needed a project for mat leave whilst waiting for baby..guess 'find the truck with little or nothing to go on is it!

Going to bed now as had Braxton hicks all evening, just from pure annoyance I think!

OP posts:
RaisingSteam · 25/02/2015 22:34

Unfortunately a lot of vehicles from all sorts of companies are badged up with "highway maintenance" and chevrons if they have to do any work on the road network. They are meant to have their company ID clearly shown as well. If you didn't see any obvious company like "Bert's Tarmac Supplies" IYSWIM, start with your local council Highways department who maintain the local roads. If you can describe the type/colour of truck (a flat bed?) and did it have cones on the back or something? Appreciate it was dark.

Highways Agency are motorways and major trunk roads only although it may have been one of their trucks on its way somewhere. They will have a local managing contractor for your area, the info line will tell you.

Someone hopefully has a damaged truck so they should know. What a complete and utter PITA.

Also keep an eye out over the next few days as it may be their regular route.

BiscuitMillionaire · 25/02/2015 22:40

Take photos of the damage tomorrow and send them to your local paper, with details of how the truck drove off while a pregnant woman ran after them waving and shouting. Look on your local paper's website, they'll have a way of uploading photos, I've done it myself with a much smaller story and it got printed.

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