8 year old on bike vs. car; 8 yr old ticketed :|

[appleseed]

sounds like this kid was lucky he didn't get dead (coulda been a lot worse), and they give him a ticket for his trouble... beautiful :disa:

edit: the parents should be beaten senseless fer not making their kid wear a helmet


BRADENTON, Fla. -- The parents of an 8-year-old boy ticketed by police for violating traffic rules on his bike say they won't pay the $34 citation for a child who is just half the legal driving age.

Second-grader Scott Montgomery has 30 days to pay Manatee County for the ticket written by a Bradenton police officer Wednesday.

"I'm going to not pay this ticket, and Scott's definitely not going to pay it," said Danielle McIntosh, the boy's mother. She added the only money her son has is the allowance he has been saving for a battery-operated miniature truck.

"He's an 8-year-old child. He does not understand what the right of way is," She said.

Scott was riding a bicycle in his neighborhood when he jumped a dirt mound with five of his friends, Bradenton Police Lt. Sam Campbell said. He crossed paths with a 2001 Nissan and the car clipped the rear tire of Scott's 5-pound, 16-inch BMX bicycle.

Scott wasn't injured, but was cited by Officer Jeff Beckley for violating the right of way.

"I'm doing OK," said Scott, who was not wearing a helmet during the accident. "I hit a little bit of his car, but then I just got off my bike and ran away."

McIntosh said the two people in the Nissan claimed Scott flew up onto the hood of their car, causing $1,000 worth of damage. Campbell said that police estimated $500 and could not confirm whether Scott hit the hood.

"His mother was apparently pretty upset with us," Campbell said. "But in this case, the child caused the accident by pulling out in front of the car. The driver didn't have time to react."

Campbell said officers issue citations to many children throughout the year for not wearing helmets or for committing traffic violations on their bicycles. Officers draft the tickets in the child's name but usually expect the parents to pay them.

If no one is cited during an accident, insurance companies will demand that vehicle owners pay for their damages even if they are not at fault. It is a liability as well as a safety issue, Campbell said.

[Kim]

"He's an 8-year-old child. He does not understand what the right of way is," She said.


It sounds like that mom needs a ticket, for not making him wear a helmet, and not teaching him safety rules. He's lucky he wasn't killed.

[PrObLy]

I'm also willing to bet this kid's little bike didn't cause the $500-$1000 damage on the car.

Anyways, shouldn't he be riding his bike on the sidewalk?

[ski]

Unless the Nissan was offroading, don't they teach kids to be careful around streets and not ride in front of cars?

[cruelpupet]

Originally posted by PrObLy
I'm also willing to bet this kid's little bike didn't cause the $500-$1000 damage on the car.

Anyways, shouldn't he be riding his bike on the sidewalk?

a small nick (about the size of a quarter) on my 99 passat cost $350 to the woman who hit it. (all it needed was a paint job)

So if the kid cracked anythign with the bike, i can easily see there being $1,000 in damage

[raimin]

stupid mother's fault for not teaching child better

[xsiled2]

Originally posted by PrObLy
Anyways, shouldn't he be riding his bike on the sidewalk?

no thats what should get you a ticket as it is illegal.

[Xrevision]

replacing a fender, not bumping it out for a 240sx, was 275$ to me. i don't see how an 8 year old on a 5 lbs bike can cause 1000$ worth of damage.

[raimin]

Originally posted by Xrevision
replacing a fender, not bumping it out for a 240sx, was 275$ to me. i don't see how an 8 year old on a 5 lbs bike can cause 1000$ worth of damage.

i want to know where you went..When i replaced my 240sx fender it was closer to 500

[Estee]

An 8 year old kid has no business riding his bike on the street. Most adults don't undertand the right of way when it comes to stop signs, do you think some 8 year old kid can? and as far as im concerned, there isnt a cop in the world that would give an 8 year old a ticket for riding on the sidewalk. Anyone who would prefer an 8 year old to ride their bike on the street vs a sidewalk is sick.. probably not a parent and has no regard for human life. Thats how people die... 8 year olds riding on the street.. ridiculous...

[Estee]

Originally posted by raimin


i want to know where you went..When i replaced my 240sx fender it was closer to 500

My mom's 99 Chrysler Sebring cost about 350 to repaint the bumper (done by the dealer). insane.. just for some stupid champagne colored paint..

[Apex]

Originally posted by raimin
stupid mother's fault for not teaching child better

There you folks go again, implying that there should be parental responsibility. :)

[Memo]

Originally posted by raimin
stupid mother's fault for not teaching child better

Right, since parents are the only influence in a child's life. You can't tell me you never did anything mommy dearest wouldn't approve of.

This was an accident. The kid didn't want to **** up his bike and the driver sure as hell didn't want to get his car ****ed up either. He's 8 years old. He messed up, it happens. This shouldn't even be news and we shouldn't even hear about it. Imagine if everytime you did something stupid when you were a kid it was put on the news?


P.S. Helmets are for dorks.

[DankNstickY]

:stupid:

[kei2]

Originally posted by UT Memo
P.S. Helmets are for dorks. Maybe, but those dorks live to see another day. Kids that [illegally] don't wear helmets deserve whatever happens to them.

[DankNstickY]

yea, because a car hitting you only affects your head...

[kei2]

Originally posted by DankNstickY
yea, because a car hitting you only affects your head... You lose an arm or a leg, you're still alive. You lose your head you're on your way to the morgue.

[RoniMan]

i've actually hit a kid on a bike once, and i thought the mom was gonna go ape shite on me. but when she showed up, she was very calm and explained that since her daughter was going against flow of traffic, and she was on the sidewalk, it's actually her fault. when the cop showed up, he confirmed it. the girl didn't get a tix, but i still felt bad.

[kei2]

Originally posted by RoniMan
i've actually hit a kid on a bike once, and i thought the mom was gonna go ape shite on me. but when she showed up, she was very calm and explained that since her daughter was going against flow of traffic, and she was on the sidewalk, it's actually her fault. when the cop showed up, he confirmed it. the girl didn't get a tix, but i still felt bad. How'd you hit her if she was on the sidewalk?

[RoniMan]

what exactly happened is that i stopped at a stopsign, about to make a right. when i started my turn, i heard a thud, and when i looked, i had hit the girl who sped off the sidewalk. (remember, she's on the left side of traffic)

[ray]

8 year old shouldn't be riding alone and shouldn't be riding without a helmet jumping off dirt jumps.

the parents are obviously negligent for not teaching their son basic safety, providing him with a helmet, and allowing him to ride his bike in the first place.

the first thing i learned from my parents when they let me ride alone was that i was the same as a car. i had to ride on the street and had to obey the same laws that cars did. if i wanted to go on the sidewalk, i would get off and walk the bike. if i wanted to cross in a crosswalk, i would get off and walk the bike.

stupid people do stupid things. i say give the kid a ticket, give the mother community service for negligence, and make the nissan driver pay for his damages.

[cruelpupet]

Originally posted by lilbigblue
...and make the nissan driver pay for his damages.

Why should he pay for the damages? Parents are responsible for their kids...if he threw a baseball through a window, would you have the homeowner or the parents pay?



Originally posted by Xrevision
replacing a fender, not bumping it out for a 240sx, was 275$ to me. i don't see how an 8 year old on a 5 lbs bike can cause 1000$ worth of damage.

it also depends on how much of the bike was hit. If it was a small scratch that part of the car has to be removed and repainted. If multiple parts of the car had paint damage, all of those parts have to be repinted. If something was cracked it would have to be replaced. If the bike was partially run over (as in part of the bike getting under the car) it could have done other damage.

Any combination of these can easily add up to $1,000

[Burzhui]

Originally posted by PrObLy
I'm also willing to bet this kid's little bike didn't cause the $500-$1000 damage on the car.

Anyways, shouldn't he be riding his bike on the sidewalk?


riding on the sidewalk is illegal

[Burzhui]

Originally posted by kei2
You lose an arm or a leg, you're still alive. You lose your head you're on your way to the morgue.

yea but what kind of a life is that

[DankNstickY]

Originally posted by Burzhui


yea but what kind of a life is that

:stupid:

also, if hit hard, it doesnt matter if you have a helmet on or not. you're dead either way. the fact that a helmet is being worn doesn't guarantee anything.

[PrObLy]

Originally posted by Burzhui



riding on the sidewalk is illegal

I was under the impression that for juveniles in residential areas, they are exempt from this illegality. I could be wrong, and maybe it's just the area that I live (a residential subdivision with many young children) but whenever I'm home I see at least 10 young kids every day riding on the sidewalk, waving to the cops as they pass by. So I guess the law could be different depending on where you live, or maybe just less enforced. :confused:

[kei2]

Originally posted by DankNstickY
also, if hit hard, it doesnt matter if you have a helmet on or not. you're dead either way. the fact that a helmet is being worn doesn't guarantee anything. Wrong. It guarantees you won't get a ticket for riding without a helmet. And if I'm "hit hard" while riding a bike, I still like my chances better if I'm wearing a helmet [than if I'm not].

[Nanotech9]

oh y GAWD you overprotective FREAKS!!!!

i never wore a helmet (except skateboarding - parents rules) when i was a kid... I was out riding my BMX on the street, in the dirt, jumping off sidewalks, hoping up benches and stairs, riding wheelies, etc sinc i was 6. Yeah, i usually had my 4yr older brother around, but he never told me where to ride.

When and where i grew up, it wasn't illegal to ride w/o a helmet. Sure, i had my fair share of accidents, but i never hit a car, and a car never hit me... why? CAUSE I HAD ENOUGH COMMONE SENSE to realize that would friggen HURT, and we ALWAYS, ALWAYS looked out for cars...

and believe me, cars FLEW through our neighborhood... like at 40+ easy.

i cant say who is right or wrong in this kids case... but given teh description, if a car CLIPS the end of a bike, it will knock the bike over, and most likely, the bumper is high enough to tap it AWAY from teh car, not onto the car. Most likely the car already had damage, and they're trying to pull a fast one and get the kid to pay for it.

"If no one is cited during an accident, insurance companies will demand that vehicle owners pay for their damages even if they are not at fault. It is a liability as well as a safety issue, Campbell said."

THIS IS BS.... at least in oklahoma it is. Around here the cops swear up and down that THEY WILL NOT ASSIGN GUILT when working an accident. Yeah, if they write you a failure to yeild, it sorta assigns guilt, but they say its up to the insurance company.

I know i backed my companies F250 into a Miata (honestly, it was hidden by the size of the truck - car was toooo close to me) and the cop only made us swap insurance papers. I was at fault, and the company paid up for it w/o claiming insurance, but still, the cop himself DID NOT ASSIGN THE FAULT.

[Nanotech9]

Originally posted by lilbigblue
8 year old shouldn't be riding alone and shouldn't be riding without a helmet jumping off dirt jumps.
[quote]

Who are you and me to say what a kid should and should be doing?... all i know is i did it for 14years (starting at 6) and although i scraped myself up pretty good a few times, i didnt kill myself.... Kids are tough.

[quote]
the parents are obviously negligent for not teaching their son basic safety, providing him with a helmet, and allowing him to ride his bike in the first place.

uhh... yeah, like dont ride in front of speeding cars?... since when do kids always obey their parents?



the first thing i learned from my parents when they let me ride alone was that i was the same as a car. i had to ride on the street and had to obey the same laws that cars did. if i wanted to go on the sidewalk, i would get off and walk the bike. if i wanted to cross in a crosswalk, i would get off and walk the bike.

Yeah, everytime i need to drive accross a crosswalk, i get out and push my car accross it... lol.

Humm... i'm pretty sure i could get out of a speeding car's way ON the bike, than OFF the bike. I laugh and shake my had at the dorks walking their bikes accross crosswalks, or pushing them down sidewalks. Whats the problem with riding on sidewalks anyway? I dont get it... I mean yeah, if it crowded it coudl be a problem, but other than that whats the big deal?



stupid people do stupid things. i say give the kid a ticket, give the mother community service for negligence, and make the nissan driver pay for his damages.
Forget the Ticket. If the kid really is at fault for dumbly pulling out in front of car (Assuming the car wasnt speeding), then either the parents, or maybe the homeowners insurance needs to pick up the bill (not sure if homeowners covers stuff like that). Sometimes, Chit happens.

[ray]

Originally posted by Nanotech9


Yeah, everytime i need to drive accross a crosswalk, i get out and push my car accross it... lol.

Forget the Ticket. If the kid really is at fault for dumbly pulling out in front of car (Assuming the car wasnt speeding), then either the parents, or maybe the homeowners insurance needs to pick up the bill (not sure if homeowners covers stuff like that). Sometimes, Chit happens.

Umm, when you are crossing the intersection within a crosswalk, you are not supposed to be in a vehicle. That would be like a motorcycle riding within the painted white lines to cross the street. That is illegal. If you re-read what I wrote, i did not say drive "across" a crosswalk, i said "cross in a crosswalk" There is a difference.

Next time you're on a bike, let me know and i'll come run you over. After i kill you, tell me if you were able to get out of the way on or off your bike.