To think it was not an overreaction to call the police?

[hottubwhocares]

We were out today at a family event. We were parked up in the car park of the venue and were getting in our cars to travel home. There was a man parked next to us in the (relatively narrow) bays, window down, chatting to his girlfriend. He was there when we came out and approached our car.

DD age 8 was getting into the back passenger side of our car, so on the same side as his car. I was on the other/driver’s side. As I was getting in, I heard DD start to scream. Basically the man next to us had started to move his car forward and his back wheel had run over the back of her ankle/foot.

I immediately ran round the back of the car, picked her up, helped her into the back seat and took her shoe and sock off to have a look. The top layer of skin had come off and it looked bruised so I went round to his car, said sorry, I think you have hurt her so I am going to need your details.

He and his girlfriend then said ‘Why? I haven’t done anything wrong’. I asked if he was refusing and he said he ‘didn’t even know what happened’ and started mouthing off.

So, I called 999 and of course the second he heard I was on the phone to the police, he started offering his details.

Two police cars then attended. DH is furious with me and says I completely overreacted as DD’s injury was minor (scrapes and bruises) and I ‘see the worst in everyone’. I am very upset about his lack of support when our child was hurt and upset.

FWIW I would never move my own car when a child was down the side and if I had ever done anything like this I certainly wouldn’t be mouthing off at the parent of the injured child!

So, was it an overreaction to call the police?

It was and you were. I hope the many ignorant people saying it wasn’t a 999 issue or wasn’t a crime, or he didn’t actually run over her foot, and all that other nonsense, don’t make you feel your actions were unjustified. Listen to the call handler who has actual training in what is or isn’t a 999 matter!

Mine never had an issue because we were always there to stop the door opening too far! Why risk it? Parents who don’t check probably aren’t aware of damage their children may have caused to other cars. In this case, based on updates it sounds like the child walked around an open door.

OP you did the right thing, my cousin had her foot run over many years ago. She was training to be a midwife at the time and needed a year off studies. She needed the police records to support lots of medical support and financial. You had no idea how this was going to play out. Lucky nothing broken. You did absolutely the right thing. Well done for quick thinking and being firm with what you knew was right!

This thread is bonkers. Completely agree with @kierenthecommunity and @PCAMA that it was a police matter.

• there was a crime in progress - careless driving, a s.170 RTA, possible other driving offences, and depending on the nature of the "mouthing off" a public order offence
• if he's driving so carelessly that he goes from stationary to running over a child's foot / scraping his wheel along her foot then does he have a licence / insurance and is he drunk or high
• if the police attend they can breathalyse / drug wipe him
• if he just drives away he can wait for the letter and then deny he was driving (loss of evidence) and he potentially puts many others at risk if his shit driving is down to no licence or being intoxicated
• OP at that stage knew her daughter wasn't missing a limb but probably didn't know whether the bruising indicated a fracture or not

Yes this exactly @WiggyPig

Oh you’re sooo clever!
You should look into writing novels.
Or maybe short stories.
Or perhaps limericks.
You could start with bathroom walls.

What a bizarre post. Were you there?

The Police control room would have graded the response on the basis of the facts provided. A 999 call does not guarantee an emergency response. So the operator clearly thought it appropriate to dispatch officers quickly.
Not providing details or being uncooperative following an injury accident is not normal behaviour. The Police would have carried out checks on the other driver. They also may have potentially needed to breathalyse him. The child may yet potentially have injuries not yet known about. The driver may yet be interviewed under caution. The Police made CCTV enquiries which the mother would not have been able to do. Potential evidence could have been lost without Police attending.
The mother wasn’t over reacting. Resources are stretched but in these circumstances the response was appropriate.

That memo must have not got to the part of Manchester I live in - we’re still reporting crimes to the police in my area!

i think you did absolutely the right thing. If he was refusing to give details because he was drunk or under the influence then it DOES need 999 as he could drive off and hurt someone else. Very suspicious he was mouthing off and refusing to give details

How do you think the police form a 'reasonable suspicion' that someone might be drink or drug driving, or have no licence or insurance? Magic? Picking out every fiftieth car they see at random and testing the driver? Playing 'yellow car' perhaps?

They receive reports of poorly behaved motorists - let's say someone who drives very carelessly and then gets belligerent about it - and start there.

It doesn't need to be a targeted attack to be a criminal offence, and it would be pretty difficult for careless driving to be a deliberate attack by the very nature of the offence....

Should have called the non-emergency number rather than 999. But I gather everyone and their dug has already said so to OP, who responded by shoving her fingers in her ears and singing ♩LA LA LA LA LA ♩

Just a little note, aside from you being an absolute dick to the OP, that if you’re a driver, it’s fully your responsibility to make sure that nobody is around you when you begin to drive. Hope that helps.

This all sounds very dramatic and I think you overreacted. Yes she has scuffs/bruises but he’s not run over her foot. You sound quite neurotic and it will
pass down to your DD.

I'm confused. If she was getting into the car, how could the tyre run over her foot as she would be facing towards the car?A tyre running over her foot wouldn't cause a scuff-type injury to the heel? It sounds more like the back of child's ankle was scuffed by the tyre/wheel rim edge.

Tbh at this point I am not sure what most of MN is all about.
Ffs someone ran a car over your childs foot and they are complaining you called 999?

In my case his GF would need to call it.

Just curious as the OP is constantly avoiding answering all the posts regarding taking her DD for an X-Ray 🤷‍♂️

I do think you should have been at your daughter's side with her until she was safely in your car. I hope she is OK.

Exactly - everyone saying it wasn't a 999 matter, well they answered, took the call and sent officers out so they obviously thought it was! I'm sure they would have fobbed it off if not.

You say you work in policing.... you're not a police officer are you? If you are then I guess you must get a rough time in cross examination 😂

999 is for when someone is in immediate danger or where there is a crime in progress as per the link someone posted above.

"He was clearly going to do something that is against the law"

You've just identified that there was "clearly" a crime in progress because as you say, he was clearly going to do something against the law.

So it follows that 999 was the appropriate route.

You did the right thing. I think a lot of people would have reacted in the same manner. I hope your daughter is ok.

I think people are really weird on Mumsnet about things like this.

Of course you did the right thing.

Funny when my dad reversed over my foot it wasn't broken only really badly bruised

Yes you were unreasonable calling 999. You should have just taken his number plate and car details. How did you describe the situation, just grazed foot or was it “my daughters been hit by a car and the driver is really aggressive refusing to give his details and about to leave the scene ”?

Police usually drop everything if a child is in danger. Did they arrive on blue lights? It was not really an emergency. I’m with your DH I’m afraid
(speaking as the wife of someone who puts his life on the line racing to answer 999 calls)

My Mom ran over my foot as a youngster. It was the strangest thing. The wheel went over it and I felt the wheel do this and my immediate response was to scream, as well you know, she'd just run over my foot, which I did. However, then I realised immediately it didn't actually hurt at all which I found bizarre. Checked my foot and not so much as a scratch. Even to this day I don't know how that was possible.