Knowing the law
072 Claudia John
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1. Mary: Claudia, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Thank you very much. So, not a very cheerful topic to talk about, but you were involved in a road accident.
2. Claudia: Yes.
3. Mary: Weren't you, a couple of weeks ago? Can you tell me what happened?
4. Claudia: The incident happened after a night class here at Thomas Danby. I was attending an English class when I was going home and I was involved in a sort of hit and run accident.
5. Claudia: car hit me from behind, at speed, and did not stop. However, it stopped a street away from where the accident happened. And as the car came at speed, my car hit the car in front because we were stationary. Traffic that wasn't moving.
6. Mary: Okay.
7. Claudia: As I was hit I suddenly went forward and I looked up and the car that I hit I noticed the lady, because it was a woman, came out of her car and ran across the road. I thought, "What have I done?" Assuming she was injured and I panicked that I hurt her.
8. So, I followed the lady, not knowing she was following the car that hit me from behind.
9. Mary: Right, goodness. And then did she find the car that hit you then?
10. Claudia: She did.
11. Mary: Right.
12. Claudia: Kindly she did. And I approached the lady and I said, "Are you okay?" She said, "I am concerned with you, dear. Are you alright?" As she said that I looked at her in amazing shock. I went into a panic attack because there were loads of people around us at this time and I was on the floor shaking.
13. The kind lady who I hit, but I didn't actually hit her, it was the car that hit me that shunted by car, looked after me and said, "Are you okay?" and I was shivering. Some passer-by witness came with a blanket to cover me and, as I looked up, there was a policeman and ambulance people, known as paramedics. They examined me and, nicely enough, they put me into the ambulance, which I then noticed I was in an ambulance. The police came, asked me my name, my address, making sure I was conscious because I was going through a drowsy state of, maybe, sleeplessness.
14. Mary: Right, right, right. Uh-hah, okay.
15. Claudia: Yes.
16. Mary: Claudia, that was a horrible, that was a horrible thing to happen.
17. Claudia: Yes, it was. It was because, especially, when I left home at eight o'clock as I had to do an IT lesson with my students, and then in the afternoon I am a student rather than a tutor. So my family hadn't seen me since quarter to eight and they phoned my husband to say I was in casualty at St James's at twenty to nine.
18. So, for the family it was sad news.
19. Mary: Yes.
20. Claudia: But, I was quite lucky that people around and I had medical care at St James's.
21. Mary: So people looked after you?
22. Claudia: Yes. In one respect, yes, they did.
23. Mary: Yes, right.
24. Claudia: I was looked after.
25. Mary: Right, right. Thank you. But Claudia, can you explain to us then what the police did?
26. Claudia: When the police did, they went into the ambulance.
27. Mary: Right.
28. Claudia: They asked me my name, took details, asked me what happened and I couldn't remember because I was in shock and I had a panic attack.
29. Mary: So, they spoke to you immediately after the accident?
30. Claudia: Yes.
31. Mary: Right.
32. Claudia: Which was really, I feel, that wasn't called for because they saw the state I was in and I couldn't answer their question.
33. Mary: Right.
34. Claudia: In fact, I could barely remember my postal code.
35. Mary: Right.
36. Claudia: Because he kept saying, "Where do you live?" and I kept saying, "Well, I don't live very far from here. I'm about a mile and a half." And I was more concerned with the family.
37. Mary: Of course.
38. Claudia: But the police were pushy to ask me these details.
39. Mary: Right, okay.
40. Claudia: He could have asked me after, rather than then.
41. Mary: So have you had any other contact with the police since then?
42. Claudia: No. I had to phone the police myself.
43. Mary: Right.
44. Claudia: For details of who hit me.
45. Mary: Right.
46. Claudia: Who I had shunted. When I actually phoned two days after the accident, I asked the police are they doing a report?
47. Mary: Right.
48. Claudia: And a police reference, because I needed it for my insurance.
49. Mary: Right.
50. Claudia: Police said, "No, I am not. I am just putting it as a misfortunate accident."
51. Mary: Right. So the police have said that it was just an accident and they didn't treat it as a crime?
52. Claudia: That's right.
53. Mary: Right.
54. Claudia: There was no crime record.
55. Mary: How do you feel about that one?
56. Claudia: I feel very hurt on that one.
57. Mary: Right.
58. Claudia: I think it's not fair because the driver was driving ruthlessly, which is carelessness.
59. Mary: Right, yes.
60. Claudia: Because while I was on the floor I did hear the girl say, "I tried to stop. My brake wasn't working."
61. Mary: Right.
62. Claudia: So that is not a very nice statement. Her boyfriend, or a partner, whoever, it was a male, said to the girl, "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."
63. Mary: Right.
64. Claudia: And that was re-vented again at the lady who was looking because the lady who was looking after me said to the boy, "Don't speak like that." And he said, "She's only acting." And the lady said, "Look at her."
65. Mary: Right.
66. Claudia: So really, they were reckless drivers.
67. Mary: So have you been back to the police to challenge that decision of theirs?
68. Claudia: Yeah. Well, I haven't.
69. Mary: Right.
70. Claudia: In all fairness, but I am after everything's that finish.
71. Mary: Right.
72. Claudia: Because I am not at all happy with the police statement because the police, what they have given me, is given his reference and his name.
73. Mary: Of the person, the person that drove into you?
74. Claudia: The police did, yeah. But I had to phone the police.
75. Mary: Right, okay.
76. Claudia: They didn't actually do anything in writing.
77. Mary: Okay.
78. Claudia: Everything has happened verbally on the telephone.
79. Mary: And you had to ask them? Okay.
80. Claudia: Yes. And I think, for an accident that I didn't happen, didn't do.
81. Mary: Right. Didn't cause, yeah.
82. Claudia: I think somebody else had caused the accident. Why should I keep phoning the police?
83. Mary: But you've also had problems with insurance, haven't you?
84. Claudia: I have, yes.
85. Mary: Right.
86. Claudia: Because my insurance said that the girl is not claiming liable. She says she only hit me at the side.
87. Mary: Right.
88. Claudia: And I had to get my solicitor involved. Solicitor phoned and said, "The girl said she only hit you at the side." I said to the solicitor, "I don't think so. I think you'd better phone the insurance because the insurance will tell you." They phoned back the solicitor and said the story was, "Your car was shunted, or was hit by the rear and it's a write-off."
89. So I replied to my solicitor, "Well, that tells you how can somebody hit you from the side and it's not a write-off." And I said, "And, however, if somebody hits you from a rear they should stop behind you." The solicitor replied, "Yes." I goes, "This person landed a street away."
90. Mary: Right.
91. Claudia: Solicitor reply said, "It seems like a hit and run." I didn't comment.
92. Mary: Right, okay. So that's quite a complicated thing, isn't it?
93. Claudia: It is.
94. Mary: Different people were then saying something different. So they're saying they hit you from the side?
95. Claudia: Yeah.
96. Mary: And it was an accident?
97. Claudia: Yes.
98. Mary: And you're saying, "Well, no, they were driving too fast"?
99. Claudia: They definitely.
100. Mary: "They hit me from behind and my car's written off"?
101. Claudia: Hmm.
102. Mary: And so that is making it difficult, is it, for you to claim your insurance?
103. Claudia: Yes, it is making it difficult for me. However, it's very stressful.
104. Mary: Right, yeah.
105. Claudia: I can do without all the paper and phoning.
106. Mary: Of course, yeah.
107. Claudia: Especially, I didn't.
108. Mary: You didn't cause it.
109. Claudia: Cause the accident.
110. Mary: You didn't cause it.
111. Claudia: Yes, that's the hurtful bit.
112. Mary: Absolutely.
113. Claudia: Yeah.
1. Mary: Claudia, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Thank you very much. So, not a very cheerful topic to talk about, but you were involved in a road accident.
2. Claudia: Yes.
3. Mary: Weren't you, a couple of weeks ago? Can you tell me what happened?
4. Claudia: The incident happened after a night class here at Thomas Danby. I was attending an English class when I was going home and I was involved in a sort of hit and run accident.
5. Claudia: car hit me from behind, at speed, and did not stop. However, it stopped a street away from where the accident happened. And as the car came at speed, my car hit the car in front because we were stationary. Traffic that wasn't moving.
6. Mary: Okay.
7. Claudia: As I was hit I suddenly went forward and I looked up and the car that I hit I noticed the lady, because it was a woman, came out of her car and ran across the road. I thought, "What have I done?" Assuming she was injured and I panicked that I hurt her.
8. So, I followed the lady, not knowing she was following the car that hit me from behind.
9. Mary: Right, goodness. And then did she find the car that hit you then?
10. Claudia: She did.
11. Mary: Right.
12. Claudia: Kindly she did. And I approached the lady and I said, "Are you okay?" She said, "I am concerned with you, dear. Are you alright?" As she said that I looked at her in amazing shock. I went into a panic attack because there were loads of people around us at this time and I was on the floor shaking.
13. The kind lady who I hit, but I didn't actually hit her, it was the car that hit me that shunted by car, looked after me and said, "Are you okay?" and I was shivering. Some passer-by witness came with a blanket to cover me and, as I looked up, there was a policeman and ambulance people, known as paramedics. They examined me and, nicely enough, they put me into the ambulance, which I then noticed I was in an ambulance. The police came, asked me my name, my address, making sure I was conscious because I was going through a drowsy state of, maybe, sleeplessness.
14. Mary: Right, right, right. Uh-hah, okay.
15. Claudia: Yes.
16. Mary: Claudia, that was a horrible, that was a horrible thing to happen.
17. Claudia: Yes, it was. It was because, especially, when I left home at eight o'clock as I had to do an IT lesson with my students, and then in the afternoon I am a student rather than a tutor. So my family hadn't seen me since quarter to eight and they phoned my husband to say I was in casualty at St James's at twenty to nine.
18. So, for the family it was sad news.
19. Mary: Yes.
20. Claudia: But, I was quite lucky that people around and I had medical care at St James's.
21. Mary: So people looked after you?
22. Claudia: Yes. In one respect, yes, they did.
23. Mary: Yes, right.
24. Claudia: I was looked after.
25. Mary: Right, right. Thank you. But Claudia, can you explain to us then what the police did?
26. Claudia: When the police did, they went into the ambulance.
27. Mary: Right.
28. Claudia: They asked me my name, took details, asked me what happened and I couldn't remember because I was in shock and I had a panic attack.
29. Mary: So, they spoke to you immediately after the accident?
30. Claudia: Yes.
31. Mary: Right.
32. Claudia: Which was really, I feel, that wasn't called for because they saw the state I was in and I couldn't answer their question.
33. Mary: Right.
34. Claudia: In fact, I could barely remember my postal code.
35. Mary: Right.
36. Claudia: Because he kept saying, "Where do you live?" and I kept saying, "Well, I don't live very far from here. I'm about a mile and a half." And I was more concerned with the family.
37. Mary: Of course.
38. Claudia: But the police were pushy to ask me these details.
39. Mary: Right, okay.
40. Claudia: He could have asked me after, rather than then.
41. Mary: So have you had any other contact with the police since then?
42. Claudia: No. I had to phone the police myself.
43. Mary: Right.
44. Claudia: For details of who hit me.
45. Mary: Right.
46. Claudia: Who I had shunted. When I actually phoned two days after the accident, I asked the police are they doing a report?
47. Mary: Right.
48. Claudia: And a police reference, because I needed it for my insurance.
49. Mary: Right.
50. Claudia: Police said, "No, I am not. I am just putting it as a misfortunate accident."
51. Mary: Right. So the police have said that it was just an accident and they didn't treat it as a crime?
52. Claudia: That's right.
53. Mary: Right.
54. Claudia: There was no crime record.
55. Mary: How do you feel about that one?
56. Claudia: I feel very hurt on that one.
57. Mary: Right.
58. Claudia: I think it's not fair because the driver was driving ruthlessly, which is carelessness.
59. Mary: Right, yes.
60. Claudia: Because while I was on the floor I did hear the girl say, "I tried to stop. My brake wasn't working."
61. Mary: Right.
62. Claudia: So that is not a very nice statement. Her boyfriend, or a partner, whoever, it was a male, said to the girl, "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."
63. Mary: Right.
64. Claudia: And that was re-vented again at the lady who was looking because the lady who was looking after me said to the boy, "Don't speak like that." And he said, "She's only acting." And the lady said, "Look at her."
65. Mary: Right.
66. Claudia: So really, they were reckless drivers.
67. Mary: So have you been back to the police to challenge that decision of theirs?
68. Claudia: Yeah. Well, I haven't.
69. Mary: Right.
70. Claudia: In all fairness, but I am after everything's that finish.
71. Mary: Right.
72. Claudia: Because I am not at all happy with the police statement because the police, what they have given me, is given his reference and his name.
73. Mary: Of the person, the person that drove into you?
74. Claudia: The police did, yeah. But I had to phone the police.
75. Mary: Right, okay.
76. Claudia: They didn't actually do anything in writing.
77. Mary: Okay.
78. Claudia: Everything has happened verbally on the telephone.
79. Mary: And you had to ask them? Okay.
80. Claudia: Yes. And I think, for an accident that I didn't happen, didn't do.
81. Mary: Right. Didn't cause, yeah.
82. Claudia: I think somebody else had caused the accident. Why should I keep phoning the police?
83. Mary: But you've also had problems with insurance, haven't you?
84. Claudia: I have, yes.
85. Mary: Right.
86. Claudia: Because my insurance said that the girl is not claiming liable. She says she only hit me at the side.
87. Mary: Right.
88. Claudia: And I had to get my solicitor involved. Solicitor phoned and said, "The girl said she only hit you at the side." I said to the solicitor, "I don't think so. I think you'd better phone the insurance because the insurance will tell you." They phoned back the solicitor and said the story was, "Your car was shunted, or was hit by the rear and it's a write-off."
89. So I replied to my solicitor, "Well, that tells you how can somebody hit you from the side and it's not a write-off." And I said, "And, however, if somebody hits you from a rear they should stop behind you." The solicitor replied, "Yes." I goes, "This person landed a street away."
90. Mary: Right.
91. Claudia: Solicitor reply said, "It seems like a hit and run." I didn't comment.
92. Mary: Right, okay. So that's quite a complicated thing, isn't it?
93. Claudia: It is.
94. Mary: Different people were then saying something different. So they're saying they hit you from the side?
95. Claudia: Yeah.
96. Mary: And it was an accident?
97. Claudia: Yes.
98. Mary: And you're saying, "Well, no, they were driving too fast"?
99. Claudia: They definitely.
100. Mary: "They hit me from behind and my car's written off"?
101. Claudia: Hmm.
102. Mary: And so that is making it difficult, is it, for you to claim your insurance?
103. Claudia: Yes, it is making it difficult for me. However, it's very stressful.
104. Mary: Right, yeah.
105. Claudia: I can do without all the paper and phoning.
106. Mary: Of course, yeah.
107. Claudia: Especially, I didn't.
108. Mary: You didn't cause it.
109. Claudia: Cause the accident.
110. Mary: You didn't cause it.
111. Claudia: Yes, that's the hurtful bit.
112. Mary: Absolutely.
113. Claudia: Yeah.
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accident ambulance concerned horrible incident insurance panic phoned reference solicitor
accident ambulance concerned horrible incident insurance panic phoned reference solicitor
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