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AIBU?

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Original poster

I've just hit someone with my car. He's ok, but was I at fault?

321 replies

LimeLeaf · 25/04/2016 16:52

Just to say first that I was going less than 5mph and he walked away relatively(?) unhurt but I'm very upset about it and wondering if I was at fault.

I was at the bottom of a road which is very steep, at the junction where it meets a very busy main road. I was turning left onto the main road and looking right for a gap in the traffic. I'd been waiting a minute or so.

A car appeared on the main road and stopped, waiting to turn right onto the road I was on. A lorry to my right then stopped on the main road and gave way to allow me to turn left in front of him and the car on the main road to turn right past him onto the road I was on.

I started to release my foot from the brake as its a very steep road so I could roll forward before putting my foot on the gas. The car started moving forward and the man was right in front of my car and it hit him. He must have been on the pavement to the left of me and had tried to cross in front of my car but I didn't see him because I was looking right. He must have been walking quickly because he was already half way across the front of my car and I was already looking forward when I began to take my foot off the brake. As soon as I saw him I put my foot back down on the brake hard. I had moved maybe 3-5 inches but as he was walking so close to my car, it hit him.

He stumbled but kept walking across and then looked back at me and started shouting whilst I sat there in complete shock. The lorry waited for me to set off again even though I was shocked and nervous to drive immediately. He then turned around and kept walking.

I'm so upset about this. I've never hit anyone with my car before and feel very bad about it. Was I at fault do you think or was the man? Is there anything I need to do now?

OP posts:
feathermucker · 25/04/2016 17:40

Stop making excuses. He was walking fast etc...you were looking where you were going.....

You need to suck it up, move on and be more careful.

You need to stop now.

Spandexpants007 · 25/04/2016 17:41

The Highway Code states that motorists should give priority to pedestrians crossing the mouth of a junction. You should have been looking and should have stopped. By law the pedestrian has priority. You caused the accident and it's your responsibility to check that he was ok. Instead you drove off.

curren · 25/04/2016 17:41

It's definitely your fault. Wether people. Usually cross behind cars and he crossed in front of he was walking fast.

It's your responsibility to check both ways before pulling out. You didn't therefore you are at fault.

You really should know, straight away, that this was your fault because you didn't check

Arfarfanarf · 25/04/2016 17:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

marylinmonroeroe · 25/04/2016 17:43

He should have walked behind your car.

tiggytape · 25/04/2016 17:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Spandexpants007 · 25/04/2016 17:46

Feeble excuses don't wash

LaConnerie · 25/04/2016 17:46

Look, the fact is you were at fault. You didnt see him, and you moved forwards and hit him.

Clearly it was a mistake and you feel bad about it, but that doesn't mean you're not at fault - and none of the other excuses you're coming up with mean that either.

You need to try and cover yourself to some extent by reporting this yourself. If you don't it will look much worse from the Police's point of view that you didn't bother. You may not think he took your registration but that's not the point. Anybody else around at the time could have taken it. Also he could decide to report and then the Police could look at cctv to trace you.

Nobody's hurt, and you're clearly a decent person and not a criminal - but you could be seen as one if you don't report this.

ToomuchChocolatemeansBootcamp · 25/04/2016 17:47

I agree with Oysterbabe, all your subsequent posts are just repeating and excusing. What do you want us to say, it's ok you can be speshul and ignore the law/Highway Code?
It. Was. Your. Fault.

FrankiesKnuckle · 25/04/2016 17:47

The pedestrian was unhurt.

After reading this they'll be rubbing their hands whilst seeing £ signs for a bit of 'claim pain'.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 25/04/2016 17:47

Well you either weren't looking and didn't see him and hit him. Or you were looking, saw him and carried on and hit him anyway. Neither scenarios are great and both would be totally your fault.

You are supposed to report such incidents to the police. If be decides later in to report it you would be done for failing to stop if you can be tracked down and you never know if there's cctv along that road somewhere, or that he glanced and memorised your reg.

FuriousFate · 25/04/2016 17:48

Go to nearest police station, make a statement and then you've done the right thing. Chances are, the pedestrian won't report it but if he does, you're covered. You're probably in shock. The fact you feel bad about it and aren't trying to pretend it didn't happen is good. Do all you can now to remedy the situation.

Clandestino · 25/04/2016 17:48

YelloRoses, there's an idiotic advice on this thread but it's not coming from majority of posters who advise the OP to report it to police.
An accident like this can be classified as hit and run. The guy could have been stewing over what the OP has done to him during the day and then decided to report it. It's important she makes police aware of what's happened.

MistressChalk · 25/04/2016 17:50

If you hit anything with your car it is ultimately your fault. It was a mistake or lapse of judgement but you have to take full responsibility.
I know you didn't do this on purpose, but car drivers should always be aware that they are in control of a tonne of metal and that privilege comes with responsibility to make sure you aren't endangering others.

IceMaiden73 · 25/04/2016 17:52

Your fault I'm afraid

RufusTheReindeer · 25/04/2016 17:56

I was going to post that this would be classified as a hit and run but i see that clandestino already got there

Similar thing hapoened to my friend (not her fault at all in her case)

She reported it, he didnt, nothing happened

tiggytape · 25/04/2016 17:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
LimeLeaf · 25/04/2016 17:58

I've already reported it. I'm not making excuses, just trying to accurately describe what happened because I'm having to describe a junction with words which is tricky. I'm not saying I'm not legally at fault (according to the Highway Code) but going through in my mind whether I could have avoided the accident. It's possible that he was blocked from my vision by the windscreen pillars (there are two on each side of my car - Picasso) but I should have seen him in my line of vision which I definitely didn't but he was walking very fast so possible that he appeared after I had started moving. I do think he started to cross whilst I was rolling.

OP posts:
curren · 25/04/2016 18:00

You could have avoided it by checking.

I have had cars with difficult views because of the pillars and shape of the car.

It's still your responsibility to be more careful. If you area aware your car has a blind spot, double check.

Atenco · 25/04/2016 18:01

OP, please try to learn from this, if it had been a child you mightn't even have seen the child in front of your car and just kept going.

Original poster
LimeLeaf · 25/04/2016 18:01

But he wasn't there waiting at the pavement. I was moving down the road slowly and would have seen him waiting there before I got to the bottom.

OP posts:
RufusTheReindeer · 25/04/2016 18:02

Oh thats alright then lime

Hope you are feeling ok, it must have been a shock

tiggytape · 25/04/2016 18:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhatColourIsBest · 25/04/2016 18:11

I've already reported it

Out of interest, what did they say?

Micah · 25/04/2016 18:11

People don't just appear of of nowhere I'm afraid

Occasionally they do. I was pulling around a stationary bus once when a schoolgirl sprinted out into the road from in front of the bus to join her friends.

Fortunately I was going slowly and only caught her very slightly. She carried on running to her friends.

I was a witness to an accident where as someone turned right at a major crossing a pedestrian crossed the road on a red man. She couldn't have anticipated that, and while she did manage to stop, the car behind her didn't.

I think you only have to report an accident if there's an injury.