Cop rear ends bike...

[KIC]

I have watched the video several times and I do not see the guy doing anything wrong. Yes, he accelerated into the left, then right lane, but once the pick up truck went to the right turn lane, switching over was a normal thing to do.

 

Next, you really have to look at the Altima. It has it's turn signal on and the rider appears to be trying NOT to be in the Altima's blind side. the Altima, in my opinion was being wishy washy - hesitant - maybe because he didn't know what the bike was going to do and the bike wasn't sure what the Altima was going to do.

 

The Altima started to change lanes and the bike braked.

 

The Police Officer was wrong ! Period ! Too close, not watching the traffic ahead. Probably running the bike's plate on his computer.

 

The cop knew if a supervisor was called he was in a world of hurt. The Agencies I have worked with, if you didn't report even minor incidents like that, you were in trouble.

 

As for the video cam, I know a lot of guys wearing them now to protect themselves from being blamed or helping show who was at fault in an accident. I plan on getting one sometime.

[spear]

I'm a retired LEO - and I can tell you that goose in the patrol car was way out of line and IN THE WRONG. If it was me on the bike I'd have insisted on that sh1t load of tickets then taken them to court, and make the cop wipe his butt with them - after suing the crap out of him.

Yeah!!!

[PGunn]

Following too close is following to close regardless of intentions..... The Cop was wrong pure and simple. If the rider had talked to the Cop in the same manner as the Cop was talking to the rider the rider would have gone to jail.....

[Flyinfool]

One can only wonder if this video will mysteriously make it back to the police chief.

 

If I were that rider I would have not confronted the cop at that time. I would most likely have dealt with it just as that rider did. Had the rider stuck up for his rights at that time it could have gotten ugly fast. But I would certainly have pursued it afterwards, once I had a copy of my video, especially if there was any damage to my bike.

 

I can not tell from the vid just how close behind the cop was, but it did look like the bike made a sudden stop that was not really necessary. You can see the front of the bike dip as it stopped a second before impact.

[Yamamike]

The biker was definitely trying to give the hesitant car on the left some room. I have been involved in this same discussion on other much bigger motorcycle forums and it is amazing how many cops find excuses for the cops behavior. The last I heard the cop is on paid leave while they investigate. The rider handled it right by not being belligerent or he might have ended up arrested or shot.

 

The biker did not slam his brakes, speed was quite low...NO reason for him to be rear ended by anyone who is PAYING ATTENTION!!!

[midnightventure]

It still amazes me that somebody can watch the video several times and see that blinker on and the car going back and forth in it's lane and still say the biker was in the wrong or purposely caused the accident. I am really curious what the LVPD is going to do. I still say that we as bikers have to be extra careful because the police are extra suspicious of us.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DBPCjfe8G4]Ottawa Hills Police Shoot unarmed Biker in the back - YouTube[/ame]

[Venturous Randy]

It still amazes me that somebody can watch the video several times and see that blinker on and the car going back and forth in it's lane and still say the biker was in the wrong or purposely caused the accident. I am really curious what the LVPD is going to do. I still say that we as bikers have to be extra careful because the police are extra suspicious of us.

 

 

The cop got ten years in this incident and still did not apologize to the biker that he paralyzed. This is the attitude that hurts good police officers.

RandyA

[bostonlawman2003]

Unfortunately the conviction in the Ottawa Hills case was overturned in January on a "technicality" Go figure.

 

Ottawa Hills officer conviction for 2009 felonious assault reversed

[tazmocycle]

when something like that happens you ask for a supervisor to come to the scene and get it investaged without moving. i had a cop hit me when i had been signaling for a left turn. he told his sgt. that he had his lites on and was chasing a dui subject with a county dep. just ahead of him, who had just passed me and turned his light about 300ft in front of me. i had been driving for over 5 miles and nobody was ahead of me(i think they was speeding trying to get to donut shop!LOL!) they had to call a hwy. patrol to investage it and the next day the city bought the truck i was test driving and hid it and the cop car. the only thing that saved me was i had 5 witneeses as to what happen and i took pics of wrecked truck and skid marks with a hundred ft tape laying beside it. they tried to blame it on me till i told them i have pics and witnesses to the contrary. i had talked to my lawyer the next morning and he told me to take pics and get all the names of witnesses because goverments was the worst to get any money out of. i got $7800.00 out of them plus they paid all my medical bills(money was a god sent, just got divorced and needed to pay off so debts!! also had to take 2 weeks off to go to calf. to help my mother who was having health problems). the company that i was working for tells you not to asume any blame for a accident. you see on a lot of these cop shows that they are driving down the road talking on phones and typing on their laptops. s**t happens to EVERYBODY!!