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Police Pursuit

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sejedi

Guest
What is the name of your state? Tx

At any point in a pursuit would you ever recommend a
officer to drive through a shoulder in a business area
with heavy traffic? Also road was not flat road shoulder
was slanted at an angle also was night time.
Doesn’t this officer under law need to yield the right away
To someone that’s already in control of the shoulder driving in to a
Business? I would think if you have 70% control of the shoulder you
Have the right away especially of the officer doesn’t have on his siren just his lights.

Thanks for any help
 


ellencee

Senior Member
You have the obligation of yielding the right of way to a police vehicle in pursiut and with its lights flashing. You should have stopped or otherwise yielded to this officer.
 
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sejedi

Guest
Hello I was a foot away from being in the business.
Didnt I say their was heavy traffic the officer hit me on the passenger side doing at least 35-45 mph.
The officer is required by law to use due regard.
I was easily 85 % over the shoulder when I got hit turn left in the business.
Traffic had stopped in both lanes so I could turn and traffice was all the way to the light.
I also mentioned no sirens even If I wanted to stop it was impossible since he was flying when he hit me.
He moved the suv 45 degrees which is about 2500lbs heavier than a police car.
 

ellencee

Senior Member
If you had the last chance to avoid the accident and didn't take it or if he had the last chance to avoid the accident and didn't take it, then one of you caused the accident; however, it could have just been an accident.

I know you didn't sit there and think 'I'm not moving for this on-coming police vehicle with flashing lights, flying; I've got at least 70% of the shoulder, maybe I'm a foot away from the building, and I'm not yeilding because I have the right of way. Did you?

I don't think the police officer calculated percentages of the shoulder in his possession, either.

In my area, we drive into business via driveways, not shoulders of the road.

As for your original post, I simply should have responded 'yes; I'd like to think the police can by-pass traffic on the shoulder of the road when necessary to apprehend certain cirminals.'
 
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greenjeans

Guest
Sorry, I have to pipe in. This is my biggest pet-peeve.

Car accidents are not accidents. Someone, at some point in the chain of events, made a decision that resulted in a crash. The officer made the decision to drive on the shoulder to apprehend a person, you made the decision to turn across the road at that time. If either one of you had made a different decision, there would have been no crash.

Sorry for the tangent. It was drilled into my head (traffic safety advisor) from a young age.
 
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sejedi

Guest
I left out rookie cop

Also they did their own police report and modified it as of following the law isn't hard enough.
Plus it wasn't their pursuit they were helping another agency and this was like the third cop car.
Let's put like this within 10 minutes of the hit their was 6 cop cars
at my accident that has to make you wonder I thought you all had a big pursuit.
The good thing is they took pictures of the hit so they changed the police report but they can't tamper with pictures of the hit.
They tried to down play saying I failed to yeild the right of way.
I only tell this story so people reliaze that we have rights on the road.
 
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sejedi

Guest
Didn't even see the cop

I had my two kids and pregant wife I would never endanger their life for ice cream.
This guy was flying and he wasn't even chasing someone in front of him they were assisting another agency.
I never saw the guy because I looked left to make sure no one was coming from that direction to get in drive thru then we got hit and I was like wtf happened.
This guy moved are vehicle hardcore.
 

ellencee

Senior Member
green_jeans
What you described are random events and random events yeild random outcomes, including accidents (which mean not intentionally planned and executed events). We could get into discussing probabilities and variables, but I'd just get a terrible headache and have to lie down!;)
 
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greenjeans

Guest
I know what you mean!

It just states that if the police officer hadn't made a last minute decision to jump on the shoulder she wouldn't have been hit -OR- if she had looked before turning (just because you don't hear sirens doesn't mean there might not be someone driving by, deaf people don't hear sirens, that's why they have lights.) she wouldn't have been hit. And her post stated that there were lights, no sirens.
However random it may be, if you really think about it, it kinda makes sense. To me anyway.
Case in point, my mustang was hit one day by a drunk kid. If I had not parked my car in the street it wouldn't have been hit. If the kid had not been driving on the wrong side of the street to park in front of my car, he wouldn't have hit my car and subsequently spent the night in jail. The thing is to deteremine which action was the illegal action (driving on the wrong side) caused the crashed. He purposefully made the decision to do what he did and now he works odd jobs to pay my insurance company.

I will now keep my mouth shut on the subject! Sorry to confuse anybody! You may continue with the conversation like I was never here.
 
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sejedi

Guest
I think you guys are missing the point

It was a five lane road we were in the center lane and traffic was all the way to the light. Their was no traffic in our lane and the side we turned on had traffic all the way to the light.
The other 2 lanes were empty my point is cops like this don't think they just drive were ever they want thinking the own the road.
As far as not looking gave me a break I was driving less than 10 mph since their is a dip before you get in that business.
I just wanted to see if anyone had been in the same situation as me. I got nothing against cops just the one's that think the own the road.
 
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greenjeans

Guest
I don't think we're missing the point.

Just because you were going 10 mph doesn't mean you looked, it doesn't mean the cops think they own the road either, it means they assumed you'd get out of the way when you saw their flashing lights and were in a hurry.

Here's another story I'd like to tell you...
The other day at a local hangout, I was sitting with my friends, one of them is a paramedic. She told me this story when a kid with a brace on his foot walked by. She was on call at home when she got a call that 6 year old down the street from her wasn't breathing. She got in her car and had her lights on. When she hit the end of her street there was a boy with a rope tied to a tree and him hanging on to the other end across the road. she rolled her window down and explained he had better move and why. He walked halfway across the street and stopped to look at her. She tried to turn away but ran over his foot breaking a toe. In the three extra minutes it took her to get to the kid, the 6 yr old lost his heartbeat and died just before she got in the door. She tried to revive him, but couldn't. She had to explain that one man's child died because of another's.
I told you this story because emergency personnel make a decision that may ultimately save someone else's life. Those lights aren't there for decoration and you have a duty to get out of the way. You never know when someone may die because you weren't paying attention.

Remember, driving is a privilege, not a right. Always look before you leap. etc etc etc.
Just be glad you walked away from the accident intact.

That's the end, that's all I have to say. Heed it or leave it.
 
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sejedi

Guest
MY wife has a herniated disk you think we were lucky

My wife in pain everyday lucky I dont think so.
You say I didnt pay attention I did I looked right, then straight then to my left to make sure no one was coming from with the business then straight.
I am not trying to down play the accident but this guy didnt even slam on his brakes at all.
Hell I would hate to think what would have happened if we came to a compelte stop.
Anyone coming on the shoulder should have seen us by that point.
My neighbor is a cop and he says I did nothing wrong all I wanted was the view point of an attorney because this types of accident happen alot.
My neighbor says a cop goes through the center lane to see both sides of traffic he says this guy screwed up that why I freak out you guys think I am to blame.
He says cops are not imune to blame they must use due regard on the emergency vehicle code which requires both siren and light.
I am just letting people know my story so they don't think they don't have rights.
Most states have policy to call off a pursuit of their alot of traffic
and their is a chance of accident.
 

ellencee

Senior Member
Your story keeps changing and expanding and your true focus never leaves your obvious opinion that police officers and their vehicles are subserviant to you and your friends. Yes, you and I do have rights, the same as every other American citizen, legal or illegal alien, foreign visitors...get out of the way of oncoming police cars; they have the right of way--dimes to doughnuts, you saw those flashing lights in regular traffic before you began your turn and you chose to turn in front of the oncoming officer; maybe you are why he went to the shoulder in the first place.
Please stay out of the way of any emergency vehicle headed to me and mine!
 
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greenjeans

Guest
I am sorry that you don't consider yourself lucky that your wife is still alive and breathing. I know that everyday my husband wakes up alive I feel lucky... especially when he walked away from an accident with a herniated disc.

I guess I'm just fortunate in that respect

Just some food for thought and an apology about how selfish I am for thinking I'm lucky, even on the worst days, that me and my family are here today.

Have a nice day
 

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