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Man elbowed me in chest on coach

44 replies

GlitterGlobe30 · 16/06/2024 23:27

I was on the coach to go home from London this evening when an old man got on at the last minute with his wife. There were no seats left to sit together at this point so he starts making a fuss and refusing to sit down anywhere. In the end, the lady sat next to me offers him her seat where there is a free seat behind so he can be sat in the seat in front of his wife. At this point the bus is already in motion as we've set off. So the lady next to me gets up to give him her seat and just as she's about to take her new seat the bus judders causing them all to almost fall over as none of them have yet to take their seat. So I'm thinking, great, now I have to sit next to this man who's causing a disturbance to everyone because he won't just sit down in an available seat. He starts to elbow me whilst he's sat next to me as he won't stay still which was really annoying but I just tried to ignore it as best I could and sit right up close to the window to try to avoid him. In the end he reaches to get something from in his pocket whilst giving me a massive whack in the chest with his elbow which made me so cross that I picked up my bag to put it in between us to act as a barrier to which he crossly picked up my bag again and put it back on my lap. So I said to him, ' You just elbowed me in the chest!' And he said, 'Well it's going to happen from time to time' So I just said, 'I would appreciate it if you didn't elbow me in the chest, thank you very much' and I put my backpack on my front so that if he did it again he would hit the bag instead of me. Am I being unreasonable? I understand a bit of light elbowing on a coach ride but he had his elbow permanently in my side before that happened and by this point I was sick of him not keeping himself to himself.

OP posts:
Littletreefrog · 16/06/2024 23:35

Sounds like he is trying to get you to swap seats with his wife.

BoundaryGirl3939 · 16/06/2024 23:38

Was he just frazzled? Some people are extremely uncoordinated, especially older people. The perking bus probably stressed him out. He did come across very cranky though.

Hermittrismegistus · 16/06/2024 23:40

You should've elbowed him back.

ShouldIEvenBother · 16/06/2024 23:44

Ugh. These fucking entitled men.

"well it's going to happen from time time"!!! How bloody rude of him - the arrogance! Would he have said that to another bloke? Exactly.

ShowerOfShites · 16/06/2024 23:48

His behaviour was shit

But I can't help laughing at the mental image of you, sitting there with your backpack on the wrong way round for 'protection' 🤣🤣

DoreenonTill8 · 16/06/2024 23:49

BoundaryGirl3939 · 16/06/2024 23:38

Was he just frazzled? Some people are extremely uncoordinated, especially older people. The perking bus probably stressed him out. He did come across very cranky though.

So if you're frazzled you can thump people?

VeryGoodVeryNiceChickenNugget · 16/06/2024 23:59

You were way politer than I would have been!

GlitterGlobe30 · 17/06/2024 00:04

VeryGoodVeryNiceChickenNugget · 16/06/2024 23:59

You were way politer than I would have been!

I find it hard to know what to say in these situations, I was pleased with myself that I said anything at all.

OP posts:
VeryGoodVeryNiceChickenNugget · 17/06/2024 00:07

GlitterGlobe30 · 17/06/2024 00:04

I find it hard to know what to say in these situations, I was pleased with myself that I said anything at all.

I once had someone do this to me, constant moving about, with the elbows. It was a boiling hot day, we were all stuck in a train carriage, I ended up screaming "will you just fucking sit still ffs' at the fucking arsehole.

Whothefuckdoesthat · 17/06/2024 00:11

So I said to him, ' You just elbowed me in the chest!' And he said, 'Well it's going to happen from time to time'

Great, so expect my elbows to be making an appearance imminently. Every time you elbow me from now on, in fact. And if you’re unable to control your arms, you need to see a doctor as it could be neurological.

GlitterGlobe30 · 17/06/2024 00:24

It was just so weird that he managed to elbow me in the chest/boob that it almost makes me think it wasn't an accident. Like how on earth do you manage to 'accidentally' elbow someone right in the chest? Like what is his elbow doing anywhere near my chest?! Or maybe he's just the most inconsiderate person ever.

OP posts:
Sarahzb · 17/06/2024 00:36

I might have to knee you in the nuts. It happens fron time to time...

GrumpyOldCrone · 17/06/2024 00:42

Nothing that anyone could say would persuade me that it was an accident.

Ponoka7 · 17/06/2024 00:42

Tbf, the couch shouldn't have started driving until they were seated. He was being difficult, do you would swap.

CraftyGoblin · 17/06/2024 01:11

Could he have been doing it on purpose to make you feel uncomfortable so you let them sit together?

Edited to add: if that's how he treated you, a stranger, in public. Imagine how he treats his wife in private. What an arsehole.

This reminds me - I use a wheelchair and used to get people doing things like this to me when they were made to move from the wheelchair space. One guy lifted his huge stomach up and rested it on my shoulder. Or they would sit on the armrest of my chair. Or hit me with their bag "accidentally" on the way past. I stopped commuting because of it, as I was too scared to say anything. These days I would shame the f* out of them in front of the other passengers and online.

Ilovecakey · 17/06/2024 01:12

Should have elbowed the old cnut in the face!

WhereYouLeftIt · 17/06/2024 02:47

Littletreefrog · 16/06/2024 23:35

Sounds like he is trying to get you to swap seats with his wife.

Well there are words he could use to achieve that, aren't there? He doesn't have to physically assault OP!

Niegenug · 17/06/2024 03:13

You were being unreasonable for not loudly warning him that if he continued to physically assault you that you would report it to the coach driver and the police.

SleepyRich · 17/06/2024 03:15

He sounds irritating. Sounds like a reasonable response.

Littletreefrog · 17/06/2024 05:42

WhereYouLeftIt · 17/06/2024 02:47

Well there are words he could use to achieve that, aren't there? He doesn't have to physically assault OP!

Well obviously.

Giggorata · 17/06/2024 05:47

Sarahzb · 17/06/2024 00:36

I might have to knee you in the nuts. It happens fron time to time...

This.

Soontobe60 · 17/06/2024 06:40

First of all, the coach should not have set off whilst people were not seated - that’s an accident waiting to happen.
Second, if you were sat scrunched up to the window he must have had mighty long arms to elbow you in the chest.
Third, what was the reason why you didn’t want to sit in the spare seat behind so that the couple could have sat together?
Im pretty sure that the elbowing wasn’t done purposefully and putting a backpack between the two of you just limited the amount of space both of you had.

jeaux90 · 17/06/2024 06:53

The man was a rude, entitled arsehole OP

Opinionwontchangeluv · 17/06/2024 06:59

I don't agree just because someone is old they are allowed to assault, abuse or harass you. I really don't care about your age, doesn't mean you get to be a scumbag

littleburn · 17/06/2024 07:47

Hope you're ok OP. I had a horrible experience on a train with a man sat next to me who kept repeatedly elbowing me in the boob and pressing into me. It was a busy commuter train (my daily commute) and I stayed quiet, trying to convince myself it was accidental. When I got to work a colleague convinced me to report the incident to BTP.

Anyway it turned out he was doing this to lots of women over a period of months. Several of us had reported him and he ended up in court and was convicted of sexual assault. So I'm very much inclined to think what happened to you isn't accidental. 'These things happen' my arse! If you were a 6'2" bloke I bet his elbows would have stayed well within this seat. So well done on speaking out and I hope the rest of your journey was safe.

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