To feel shaken by this incident and want to leave work?

[Cynthiaramsey]

It’s been non stop raining where I live for days. I don’t drive so on my dinner I walk to a local Sainsbury’s. Today I waited for the rain to stop and then went out, so I didn’t have an umbrella and I don’t have a coat because even though it’s wet, it’s still warm.

I was walking to Sainsbury’s and the road was clear, then I suddenly heard a car speed up. I didn’t have time to wonder what was going on because before I knew it, they drove speeding into a puddle on the side and splashed me. It was a massive puddle so the water has drenched me! It stopped me in my tracks because it was freezing and all my hair and face were wet. As the van drove off, the guy in the passenger seat wound his window down laughing and shouted “slag!” At me. I feel really upset. I know nothing awful happened in the grand scheme of things but it’s just knowing that they sped up to do that on purpose and then laughed about it and called me a name. I am back in work now but my hair is wet and my clothes are so wet they are stuck to me on one side. I feel freezing cold and want to go home so that I can get changed and then just work my last few hours at home.

Would I be unreasonable to ask? Am I being dramatic? I told my boss what happened because I walked back through the door all wet and he was just saying that they’re idiots etc but hasn’t offered to let me go home to change into something dry. So I feel like he would say no. I just feel a bit sad and miserable now.

This happened to me about ten years ago, I turned my head just in time to see a van deliberately swerve into a huge puddle in order to soak me. The driver must have thought it was hilarious and wouldn't have had any idea that I was already having a really shit time as my mum was seriously ill.
I didn't report it but wish I had, I just swear every time I see one of the company vans.

What's interesting from this thread is how many of us it's happened to and how we all still remember the experience. I wonder if the perpetrators still remember the exact circumstances years later or if it's just all in a days work for them? And how they'd feel if someone did it to their daughter, wife or mother?

Sorry my post wasn't clear. I dont know how to reference other posters when they query post

I was saying that the abuse is the issue. It's not fine for anyone to abuse someone in the street.

Screaming offensive accusations at someone not founded is slander. The guys in the van likely don't know the OP.

It's basically an attack at the OPs gender. This attack would not have happen to a man.

For me the issue here not so much the drenching. Though the drenching obviously is annoying.

It's a woman hating act

Happened

The guys were absolute bellends but I think you’re being a bit dramatic to be shaken by it.

With regards to work, I actually can’t believe you would just sit there in wet clothes. You are a grown up. You should have just said to your boss ‘I am going to go home and change and wfh for the rest of the day, see you tomorrow’

It’s hardly a sackable offence and completely understandable?! Why would you even feel the need to check with a bunch of strangers?

Thanks for that Runsyd. :)

I wonder why you felt the need to leave such a harsh comment @Errors?

How did you react when you were randomly targeted this way? Or are you only imagining how easily you'd shake it off?

Not that it matters really - maybe you do have a thicker skin than all the people who have shared the impact of similar experiences.. so what?

We don't know the OP's work circumstances, age or relationship with their manager. All might make a difference to their confidence levels.

Ahh I’m really sorry this happened, it’s really horrible isn’t it.
Something similar happened to me a few years ago. I had finished a night shift and was having to stay up to bake my little boy a birthday cake for the next day. I was nipping to a shop as I had run out of an ingredient, and was driving along a dual carriageway. The road was flooded so all the cars filtered into 1 lane and were all going slowly, except 2 men in a van came driving in the lane next to me ridiculously fast right through a huge flooded area. I had all my windows open as it was a hot day, it was like a huge wave crashing into my car. I was absolutely drenched. My whole car was soaked through and it took weeks to dry 😢, it then stunk of damp for ages. I was so so upset. I was already tired and emotional not having any sleep, and the 2 men were pointing and laughing at me hysterically. I felt really shook up and I was raging.
Some people are just horrid!
Glad you are home now and all toasty

@Cooper77 would you believe that was my case. Had just finished a 2 day vigil by my dying father’s bed, had collected his possessions at the hospital and was heading to the train station on my bike when some dickhead came up behind me and made some blood curdling cry as I was going round a roundabout , I nearly fell off my bike. To be blunt, I suspect it’s because 1) it was Margate and 2) I was on a Brompton and that marked me out as some kind of class enemy as far as the little tosser was concerned.

So true, that kind of behaviour is reflexive.

Seriously?! Two firearms were stolen from our premises in an overnight robbery (farm). The police are so over stretched they don’t have the resources to deal with this never mind someone being splashed by water. OP I’m sorry this happened to you but please don’t waste police time.

Oh dear @iamtheblcksheep i hope this gets resolved, sounds worrying.

Do not do this. Stop wasting police resources for every little incident. You are fine and they are wankers. Go to bed knowing that karma is a real thing and their dicks will probably rot and drop off tomorrow.

I have a new found respect for the police since the break in. I may be being harsh with the OP but the police really do have better things to do than chase down cctv for someone splashed by a puddle.

I’ve just remembered my mum telling me one time. She witnessed a teenage lad insult a girl, and his mate got hold of him and said. Don’t ever treat a girl like that and certainly never in front of me ever again.
That'd be about 30 years ago now maybe more. Whoever he ended up with is very lucky women/man.

🤣🤣🤣.

Well good for him. Sounds like good parenting. Shame more boys/men aren't more like this! And yes, the woman who ends up with him is a lucky one for sure.

I had this happen to me when I was with my kids in a double buggy. They didn"t speed up or shout but they still did it on purpose. It was absolutely awful as my children and I were soaked, and I felt attacked and like I'd let my children down. Luckily I was only a few mins from home. I hope you are feeling better now OP xx

I don't know what goes through some people's heads. I remember some twat speeding up past my dad who was walking the dogs and spooked them on purpose. I wonder what makes them think "I'll do something to make someone's day a little bit worse". I'm so sorry this happened to you

I'd report it.

If you can try to get the company name by asking the petrol station to look at their CCTV for that time I would contact the company too.

If it's a larger company then the van is likely to have a tracker in (mine does for example, they know where, when, what speed you are doing and even if you open the door!), so they will be able to see for themselves who was in the van at that time at that location. If it's a smaller company then probably not unfortunately.

Fingers crossed the bastards get their comeuppance at some point.

I’m so sorry thats horrible. What an absolute loser they are.

if your boss hasn’t suggested going home to change and you don’t feel you can ask, then could you just stand under the hand dryer and dry off that way? Or is there a gym nearby with a hairdryer? Not ideal but saves you being cold.

What a vile thing to do to someone absolute scum

How long do you think her working day is?

I think the police take firearms issues very seriously. A colleague of mine’s mum inherited a load of WW2 weapons when her father died. She called the police to tell them and there was an armed response unit at her door within 20 minutes.

The way to get the government to pump more resources into the police is NOT by deciding your assault isn’t serious enough to warrant reporting it. They need to understand the true extent of (even petty) crime that is making society break down and people lose trust in one another and lose confidence in the police, in a death by a thousand cuts type way. The police also need to build up profiles to detect patterns of criminal activity. People who go around assaulting others usually start small and build up confidence to bigger things because they are unchecked at entry level. Flashers turning into rapists is a case in point. Someone willing to speed up to splash a passer by might well build up the confidence to indulge in other dangerous driving. Or one of their “pranks” might result in somebody getting seriously hurt.

But this is a vehicle related crime, like speeding and parking over a dropped kerb or getting stuck on a box junction

100% they have time

Friend being broken into by an armed gang whilst she was at home
Not so much