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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

589 replies

hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 17:12

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?

OP posts:
ScribblingPixie · 26/04/2025 18:18

I don't think you overreacted at all, OP.

myplace · 26/04/2025 18:18

PrincessOfPreschool · 26/04/2025 18:07

I think I would be the same as the DH. It's not a fear of causing a fuss, but wanting to be given grace if I made a mistake. It wasn't a life threatening issue. Was there even any blood? Yes, it could have been bad, but there are plenty of close scrapes on the road all the time (someone didn't stop at a roundabout the other day and would have gone straight into me if I hadn't braked sharply. I didn't call the police).

Show quote history

y don’t necessarily know how badly a child is injured at first. It takes time for them to calm enough for you to assess it.

And I would not be giving grace to a man who swears and tries to drive off without checking the person he’s injured is ok.

If he’s knocked someone off a bike would it be ok to just drive off?

ginasevern · 26/04/2025 18:19

You did the right thing OP. If nothing else, it might stop this cocky little sod from being so cavalier in future. Anyone decent would've apologised profusely and handed over their details. Hopefully he's learned a lesson. As for your DH, he probably didn't want to lose face in front of another man.

Riaanna · 26/04/2025 18:21

hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 17:24

Because the law says that if you cause injury in a car accident then the police should be called? As opposed to a collision with no injuries which is a civil matter

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Actually that isn’t what it says. What it says is that you must always notify the police unless not serious / no one injured / swapped details. There’s no differentiation between civil / criminal based on injury.

Sherararara · 26/04/2025 18:21

hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 18:11

Highway Code 286:

If you are involved in a collision which causes damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property, you MUST

stop. If possible, stop in a place of relative safety (see Rule 27

give your own and the vehicle owner’s name and address, and the registration number of the vehicle, to anyone having reasonable grounds for requiring them

if you do not give your name and address at the time of the collision, report it to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.

Show quote history

Does the HW code say call 999 if they don’t give their details?

Original poster
hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 18:21

I felt it was a crime in progress which I thought I was justified in calling 999 for. DH didn’t and obviously plenty on here don’t. Not so easy to be chill when your own child is screaming because her foot has been run over though.

I don’t know what if anything the police did with him, he showed his licence then seemed to be saying something about his address (so assume the address on the licence didn’t match his address) and they took him off to the police car!

OP posts:
Riaanna · 26/04/2025 18:22

Above said I wouldn’t have rung 999. I would have taken down his number plate. If you’re busy rowing with him she wasn’t that injured.

YourSnugHazelTraybake · 26/04/2025 18:22

Sherararara · 26/04/2025 18:07

Yes except you’ve just taken an emergency call slot from someone else with a genuine emergency resulting in in an ambulance being 30 secs late and someone dying. Because OPs daughter’s foot got a bit hurt.

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Why on earth do you think an ambulance would be delayed by op calling the police? You do realise that 999 calls are triaged to the appropriate service don't you? What a ridiculous post.

MeganM3 · 26/04/2025 18:22

I’d have called the police too. He drove the car that injured a child and was not going to provide details. A child was hurt by a car.. it’s ok to call police.

WearyAuldWumman · 26/04/2025 18:22

hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 17:22

He was mouthing off by saying he hadn’t done anything, when he had clearly run over her foot.

When the police arrived they took him to their police car then went to look at the CCTV footage so I’m not sure what happened after that (we left as DD was very upset and it wasn’t helping her calm down)

But yes, it was only the police call that made him finally offer his details. He wasn’t exactly contrite!

Not an overreaction, in my view. The non-emergency number would not have brought out the police straight away and the driver could have got away.

SoulMole · 26/04/2025 18:23

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 18:23

BoundaryGirl3939 · 26/04/2025 18:18

Both he and his girlfriend seemed to be confused, and were unaware that anything had take place. So I personally would give them the benefit of the doubt.
I wouldn't have approached their car all guns blazing. I would have explained that they had accidentally run over her foot (which was fine in the end), and allowed them to assess what was going on by viewing her foot. It also doesn't appear that he tried to flee the scene so I assume he was confused.
I get the vibe that you went on the attack straight away which meant the driver went on the defense. I know I shut down if I feel I'm being attacked out of nowhere.
Perhaps the police came because they thought the matter was far more serious than it actually was, and presumed your daughters foot was mangled.

He definitely knew he had hit her as he was less than two feet away, window down, and she screamed in an alarming way as he ran over her Sad

OP posts:
Sherararara · 26/04/2025 18:24

YourSnugHazelTraybake · 26/04/2025 18:22

Why on earth do you think an ambulance would be delayed by op calling the police? You do realise that 999 calls are triaged to the appropriate service don't you? What a ridiculous post.

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The 999 operator dealing with OP can’t be dealing with another caller at the same time who needs the ambulance. One operator can only take one call at one time. Got it?

UpUpUpU · 26/04/2025 18:24

Was your husband there OP? Why was he not supervising your child getting in the car? Did he just jump in and leave a small child to potentially open the door into another car?

PrincessScarlett · 26/04/2025 18:24

OP, why did you leave before finding out from the police (that you called) what was happening? I do think you were right to call 999 as the driver was about to leave the scene of an accident without giving his details. But it looks odd to me that you then leave the scene of the crime without speaking to the police. I know your DD was upset but I would have at least checked in with the police before leaving.

Also, please take your DD to the hospital to check her foot isn't fractured.

ShortyShorts · 26/04/2025 18:24

myplace · 26/04/2025 18:18

y don’t necessarily know how badly a child is injured at first. It takes time for them to calm enough for you to assess it.

And I would not be giving grace to a man who swears and tries to drive off without checking the person he’s injured is ok.

If he’s knocked someone off a bike would it be ok to just drive off?

Show quote history

And I would not be giving grace to a man who swears and tries to drive off without checking the person he’s injured is ok.

Where has the OP said he swore?

Coconutter24 · 26/04/2025 18:24

hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 17:24

Because the law says that if you cause injury in a car accident then the police should be called? As opposed to a collision with no injuries which is a civil matter

Show quote history

It wasn’t an emergency though so you shouldn’t have called 999. 101 would be the one to ring

Theroadt · 26/04/2025 18:24

I get the annoyance about no apology - still unsure from your description whether “mouthing off” is the aggression worthy of a 999 call. Why did you want his details? Sounds a bit like you’re sharking for an insurance claim, getting vengeful because the man brushed you off, or are generally a drama-lama or maybe a bit of all three. I think you and thd driver didn’t behave to your respective bests tbh. Sounds like you made a poor situation far worse for your daughter.

ShortyShorts · 26/04/2025 18:26

OP, did you take your daughter for an X-Ray?

Homesickandsad · 26/04/2025 18:26

Some of these responses are unbelievable. You absolutely did the right thing. He ran over your child’s foot. Without immediately reporting it to the police, he could have left and later denied any wrongdoing. How could you have proven he’d actually ran over her foot with a photo of his car?

WearyAuldWumman · 26/04/2025 18:26

ShortyShorts · 26/04/2025 17:37

Probably because you'd told the dispatcher he'd actually run over your child's foot.

It was definitely a police matter, but not one that needed an emergency response there and then.

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Normally, you'd be able to find the driver via the number plate - not so if it turned out to be a fake plate or a stolen vehicle. (There have been instances of those in my part of the country recently.)

In a situation where someone has been hurt and the driver is refusing to give his details, then I think that calling 999 is justifiable.

Original poster
hottubwhocares · 26/04/2025 18:26

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Maybe, maybe not, my foot was accidentally run over by my friend’s dad as a teenager when the car rolled back as I got out and there was barely even a mark…

OP posts:
ManchesterLu · 26/04/2025 18:27

YANBU to phone the police. YABU to call the emergency number. Taking a number plate and calling non emergency number is the way to go in the future.

Outrageistheopiateofthemasses · 26/04/2025 18:27

Agree with you OP. I would have done the same.

ginasevern · 26/04/2025 18:27

Theroadt · 26/04/2025 18:24

I get the annoyance about no apology - still unsure from your description whether “mouthing off” is the aggression worthy of a 999 call. Why did you want his details? Sounds a bit like you’re sharking for an insurance claim, getting vengeful because the man brushed you off, or are generally a drama-lama or maybe a bit of all three. I think you and thd driver didn’t behave to your respective bests tbh. Sounds like you made a poor situation far worse for your daughter.

Do try to remember that the "drama lama" OP didn't run over her daughter's foot. Some bloke did who then didn't give two shits about it. Have you got kids?