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AIBU?

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Original poster

Funeral Carriage Horse killed by car driver... aibu?

245 replies

AdriftOnMemoryBliss · 26/02/2016 16:13

To think the stupid woman should have the fucking book thrown at her?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-35653240

this second article covers it a bit better and has photos, but they've been edited/blurred. they're not graphic, but a couple do show the horse laying in the road as they were taken before it was removed from the scene.

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/horrific-aftermath-accident-saw-car-10953991

From what i can gather, the driver overtook the funeral procession and then pulled in hitting the horse so hard it went over the top of its harness mate, and she also smashed the front of the hearse.

The horse had to be put down at the scene.

What on earth is the matter with people that they would so something like this?

OP posts:
DawnOfTheDoggers · 26/02/2016 17:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JolseBaby · 26/02/2016 17:44

There will have to be accountability here, if only for the fact that the national press has got hold of it so public outrage will build. Even if the courts only dispense a slap on the wrist, the driver will end up being named so there will be the embarrassment, judgment and shame they'll attract in the local community.

My heart goes out to the bereaved family, who have had to witness very distressing scenes at a time when they are already grieving, as well as the injured coach master and the funeral firm who have lost one of their beloved horses.

trixymalixy · 26/02/2016 17:44

WTF was she thinking?! Poor horse and the owner must be devastated. Even if they don't press charges she is certainly getting a trial by social media. She will be a social pariah!

bibbitybobbityyhat · 26/02/2016 17:45

Come on, surely there doesn't have to be a human fatality for someone to be arrested for dangerous driving? Surely??

toastandbutterandjam · 26/02/2016 17:46

Someone did this on our way to one of my relatives funeral. They tried to cut inbetween our car and the hearse. It very nearly caused an accident. The driver found it funny. All windows open (it was summer), music on loud etc.

The sad thing was that our deceased relative had been killed in a road accident that wasn't their fault.

It is shocking. Made me so sad to read this. My thoughts are with everyone involved.

OurBlanche · 26/02/2016 17:47

Sorry to disappoint, but there is an investigation into this, happening now.

As I said earlier, there has been no arrest as she was sober, not on her phone, not speeding, did not flee the scene, etc. Witnesses statements were still being taken this morning. There is nothing being swept under any carpet.

FuckYouJamieOliver · 26/02/2016 17:48

Dear GOd that's horrific
Wtf was the driver thinking on every level

BennyTheBall · 26/02/2016 17:51

I've avoided reading any coverage as it's too upsetting.

Idiocy to overtake any funeral procession imo.

seven201 · 26/02/2016 17:52

Oh how sad and horrible.

I don't see anything wrong with safely overtaking a horse drawn procession. Horses don't go fast and it would cause a massive tail back in some places. Obviously if it's nearing a church or crematorium then of course people should just wait and be patient but it's not realistic to expect everyone to wait and create a massive tail back if it's a long busy road. Only if safe and definitely no screeching past as that would be disrespectful.

limitedperiodonly · 26/02/2016 17:55

I don't know what to say except to repeat my gratitude to the drivers who drove patiently behind my mother's cortege.

She had time to speak to the undertakers so arranged it all; we just had to turn up, so I had no idea what was going to happen.

An undertaker in a top hat and with a cane walked slowly in front of us from her house to the church. Two miles. Cars were stuck behind us for 15 minutes before we turned off the main road. Not one person did so much as beep. Plenty of people smiled sadly and nodded their heads.

I prefer to think most people are like the people we met on that day than this woman. She probably made a stupid mistake and I guess is probably living with it now.

MetalMidget · 26/02/2016 17:58

"Come on, surely there doesn't have to be a human fatality for someone to be arrested for dangerous driving? Surely??"

Actually, quite often human fatalities don't end in a dangerous driving charge, merely the lesser charge of 'careless driving' - even when it involves a driver speeding, or overtaking on blind bends or hills, etc.

tiggytape · 26/02/2016 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

laflaca · 26/02/2016 18:02

To overtake a funeral procession, knowing there are horses involved, is wrong on so many levels.

Gabilan · 26/02/2016 18:03

I am of the opinion it should be law for riders to wear hi-viz on the road

The problem with that is the onus is then on riders to take extra action to make themselves visible rather than drivers to look. If you actually drill down into RTC stats you'll find there are plenty of instances of people crashing into things that are very highly visible. Bridges, walls, large buildings, emergency services vehicles. In fact drivers of emergency service vehicles are sometimes given advice on how to park so that people don't drive into the back of them.

The problem isn't lack of visibility. It's a horse. It's quite large. The problem is people not looking and not paying due care. It's the assumption that drivers have priority and that everybody else should do their best to get out of the way/ dress up like tron that creates the problem.

On one particularly dull winter day I borrowed a high viz sheet for my horse. He was swathed in searing yellow. You could not just see him - you could see his reflection on concrete. And I still had fuckwits get too close. Drivers need to be taught responsibility. SMIDSY simply isn't good enough.

Lockheart · 26/02/2016 18:04

I don't think it's a bad thing to overtake a funeral procession - IF it is safe and legal to do so. I would hate to think I'd held up someone dashing to their dying relative in hospital, or a doctor trying to get somewhere to help with an emergency.

Clearly in this case it wasn't safe to do so and that driver needs the book throwing at them Angry that poor family and poor horse :(

MySordidCakeSecret · 26/02/2016 18:04

how awful Sad

Hygellig · 26/02/2016 18:08

How awful. The poor, poor horse, not to mention the driver and the bereaved family.

Was the driver in such an urgent hurry that they could not have waited behind the funeral procession?

I have never encountered a horse-drawn carriage when driving but am always careful to drive extremely slowly around horse riders and to give them a wide berth.

Alisvolatpropiis · 26/02/2016 18:11

Given the driver is a recently retired police officer I'd wager the arrogant fuck will face very little in the way of consequences, legally speaking.

I do hope she feels the social consequences in that small community for the rest of her life though.

TheBouquets · 26/02/2016 18:20

This is an horrific situation. I also thought it was terribly bad manners to do anything other than give way completely to a funeral, and let the full procession go ahead in one group. However at a family funeral, we were driving in convoy behind the hearse and funeral cars and some ignorant muppet forced in between my car and the car behind. Granted we were driving our own cars but every person in the cars were dressed in black. Impatience and self importance seems to be the way of life now.
As for the driver being a retired police officer, that would have shocked me a year ago but lately I have seen nothing but disgraceful conduct from the police. Cant say much as the worst thing is still to go to court, yet the officer is still working. Drugs and violence were involved! I would have hoped for better conduct.

whitehandledkitchenknife · 26/02/2016 18:21

There is no excuse for this disrespectful behaviour. Just wrong on so many levels.
Rude,rude,rude.

ilovesprouts · 26/02/2016 18:22

Shockpoor horse and poor family it's disrespectfully to overtake a funeral.

specialsubject · 26/02/2016 18:24

ignoring the police-bashing...who do you think is investigating?

having been in a funeral procession that was cut up by an impatient driver, that alone is a big 'sod you' to a grieving family. To cause this kind of chaos is beyond belief. The family had to retrieve the coffin from the road, it seems. Unimaginable.

I hope the carriage driver is ok. It seems this has also seriously damaged their livelihood, to make matters even worse.

hi-viz is hardly appropriate here.

OvariesBeforeBrovaries · 26/02/2016 18:35

Absolutely awful. Can't understand the mentality of some people. We got beeped at for refusing to overtake a funeral procession a few weeks ago - the car behind could quite clearly see why we weren't overtaking, but still got impatient and beeped anyway.

Feel so sorry for the family of the deceased woman, and the funeral directors too.

Icanseeclearly · 26/02/2016 18:36

Where I used to live the crematorium was along a dual carriageway. Obviously there were often funeral processions. Every single time they were overtaken (that i saw) people moved just fast enough to go past without being excessive (say 30-40 mph) before pulling in, flashing the procession and moving on. Usually passengers would nod the herse as they went past. In short people were respectful and safe.

The fact that this incident involved killing an animal along with the serious disrespect of the people involved in the funeral plus endangering other road users stunned me. Such a beautiful horse.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 26/02/2016 18:52

There was a thread about overtaking funerals earlier this year - here - the consensus seemed to be that it was wrong, except in exceptional circumstances - though people felt it would be OK on a dual carriageway, and several people had stories about ending up,in a Cortege purely by accident, and no-one was criticised for that.

Re. Emergencies being a good reason to overtake a Cortege, I did say, on that thread, " I may also be somewhat cynical about drivers - I see plenty of stupid behaviour on the roads, and I don't believe that all of the drivers who are speeding/overtaking dangerously/cutting other drivers up etc etc, are all on their way to some life-or-death emergency. I suspect that the vast majority of them are people who think they own the road, and that they have the god-given right to do whatever they want, to get where they want, as quickly as possible, with no regard for anyone else on the roads."