Hampshire police biker crash: Driver fined

Burnsy2023

Burnsy2023

Burnsy2023

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-22986178

A driver has been fined for causing a crash in which a Hampshire police motorcyclist was seriously injured.

Darren Hankin was driving an Audi S3 on the A31 at Four Marks when he pulled out in front of PC Nick Barman who was on a call-out on a marked police bike.

PC Barman, 47, suffered serious internal injuries, a brain injury, broken bones and spent more than a month in hospital following the crash.

Hankin, 41, pleaded guilty to careless driving and was fined £830.

Hankin, of Bernard Avenue, Four Marks, also had nine penalty points added to his driving licence at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.

'No grudges'
PC Barman, who underwent 31 hours of surgery following the crash and faces further operations, thanked people for their support and said he bears "no ill will" towards Hankin.

He added: "Everything that happened occurred in literally one 40th of a second.

"A moment earlier I would have had enough braking distance to avoid a collision, a moment later and I would have overtaken him.

"The whole thing was an accident and I bear no grudges, especially as Mr Hankin has been so honest about his mistake from the start.

"I still have a very long road to recovery ahead, but injuries willing I am determined to return to work."
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I must admit, the Officer's attitude is outstanding. It would be easy to be bitter and blame the driver, especially considering the horrific injuries sustained. My hat comes off to him.
 
Makes a change to the recent story I saw about a police officer who sued her force because she tripped over a step whilst on a shout...
 
Just shows the difference between human beings really, I remember a few months back there was that female officer who sued a petrol station owner after she tripped on a curb and sprained her ankle.

Some people are just looking for an excuse to exploit a situation, whereas other people aren't scumbags.
 
Nitefly said:
He bears no grudges...

Tell that to Irwin Mitchell.

As if he isn't pursuing a claim.
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Even if he is pursuing a claim, how does that imply he holds a grudge?

Or do you suggest he just ignores the fact he's going to be out of work for months and potentially losing a lot of money?
 
Haggisman said:
Even if he is pursuing a claim, how does that imply he holds a grudge?

Or do you suggest he just ignores the fact he's going to be out of work for months and potentially losing a lot of money?
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Good question! I wasn't particularly clear in my purpose.

The OP stated it was good that the policeman doesn't blame the driver. My reply was intending to highlight that even if he holds no grudges, he would almost certainly be pursuing a personal injury claim, in some ways in contradiction to the idea that he isn't attributing blame.
 
There is a difference between personal blame and matter of fact blame tho' no? I'm sure he [the police biker] believes it was the car drivers fault... Just his dangerous driving was not intentional, therefore what is the point of holding a grudge?
 
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People don't need a reason to try and get money out of any situation, there isnt even any emotion involved unless its actually personal or a put on for a nice pity vote.

It really is dull, perhaps if the best thing in the world wasn't perceived as unlimited currency, we wouldn't have these issues.
 
Burnsy do we know what happened to the driver who killed the police biker in a crash outside the Shell garage in Southampton??
 
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you..."

You know, you only had a florescent bike and jacket, flashing lights and a ruddy great siren...

Sounds about right for many motorists :(
 
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