Crisis of conscience

[tiermat]

I was out for a little bike ride yesterday, it was Mrs T Snr's birthday so I rode my bike to their house and Mrs T and TLD followed in the car.

After having a lovely bacon butty, cup of tea and kit kat I set off again to meet Mrs T back at our house (via a circular route).  I had only just set off, was head down concentrating on my cadence and power output when I heard the screeching of tyres up ahead.  I looked up in time to see a car careen around the corner ahead, hit the verge on their side, bounce to the other side of the road where it hit the verge and bounced into the air then head back to it's side of the road whereupon it came to a rest in a ditch.

"Oh shit" I thought and quickened my pace to get to the point where the car was.  As I apporached the driver, a young lad (late teens) opened the door.

"are you both ok?" I ask
"yeah we're fine, just wondering how to get the car out of here" came the reply.  Then he shut the door, obviously not interested in a conversation!
By now 3 guys who had been working in one of the fields had wandered out to see if they could help.
"He must have been going some, I can see the tyre marks all the way up the road" says on of the guys.
Sure enough looking up the road there was skid marks all the way up to the bend, some 300yds away!

I lost it a bit at that point, but in a quiet way, not a ranting way.  I just got back on my bike and carried on my way.  If I had stayed I would have lost it in a ranting way, especially once I realised that, if I had left my mum & dad's 30 seconds earlier I would have been under his wheels!  I figured that there were 3 guys there now that would help them if they needed it, call paramedics, police etc, so my assistance was not required, especially I had not seen as much as the guys in the field had.

As I rode up the road and around the bend I saw another set of skid marks approaching the bend, so he had obviously braked, lost it in the corner and that had caused the trashing of said car that I saw.

I finished my ride then thought "Should I have stopped?" "Should I have called the police?" "What use would I have been as both occupants of the car were breathing and mobile?" "Would I have just lamped the tw@t if I'd have stayed and he had have got out of the car?"

Still bothering me a bit now, truth be told.

[rafletcher]

"Should I have called the police?"

Yes, and if you have the reg do it now. Too close for comfort to let it go unreported.

[her_welshness]

I've been thinking about your post this morning, maybe you should have phoned the police but if I had been in your position I would have done exactly the same  thing as you: sometimes you have to get yourself away from the situation, especially as that driver was so fecking irresponsible and dangerous. That kind of person is never going to learn how utterly foolish he is until its too late and if you had communicated that fact to him it may have led into something which you (not him) would have regretted. You showed concern and then moved on.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I wonder whether calling the police would have made a difference? Is there anything to indicate that a crime has been committed? Skid marks could mean anything... As it is, no one was injured (luckily) and there were 3 guys there to help and call police or ambulance if needed, so I think you did ok. Especially if staying would have lead to you getting mad with the driver and then, who knows what?

[clarion]

Listen, T, you stopped & checked all were OK.  You know that the plod wouldn't do anything about speeding they didn't see.  What else was there?  Schadenfreude?

Relax.  It was OK.