It seems there’s a never-ending list of bizarre motoring-related stories. CARtoday.com has compiled a few more of the stranger ones.
It seems there’s a never-ending list of bizarre motoring-related stories. CARtoday.com has compiled a few more of the stranger ones.
Where did we put that car?
A British woman returned from holiday to discover her car had been accidentally crushed by the police.
Tamara Morris of Hove parked her car near her home then left to visit her father. She returned two weeks’ later and could not find her vehicle.
She contacted the police who said her car had been broken into while she was on holiday and they were looking after it.
But Morris said the police could not find her car. It seems the vehicle had been accidentally crushed.
She is now trying to agree on a fair payment for her car. “They sent me a letter with an offer of about R9000 which I think is insulting. It’s not even as much as I paid for the car and what about the inconvenience I have suffered?” said Morris.
She then sent a receipt to the police station proving that she had paid R11 000 for the car, and had installed a new radio and roof rack after purchase.
Ms Morris says she is considering taking legal action if the force refuses to increase its offer. A police spokeswoman said: “We are very sorry this happened. We’ve accepted liability but unfortunately so far have not been able to agree on the value of the car.”
Double flash
A Lancashire driver was caught speeding twice on the same road within a minute.
Chris Dutton received two fines in the mail totalling about R850 and was given three penalty points. He was caught doing about 60 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
Dutton, who drives a Vauxhall Nova, says he was victimised because of the car he drives. “I think the police must have thought I was some sort of boy racer. I think it’s a bit off that they caught me twice in just under a minute,” he said.
But the police say he simply broke the law. “He clearly has gone through two cameras as we do operate mobile cameras near to the static ones. This case is rare, but again it is feasible and he has broken the law, so therefore he will get little sympathy,” said Ian Bell of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety.
Now about the cost of that traffic light…
A Canadian man is furious after he was nearly killed in a road accident and then sent a bill for the cost of closing the road for repairs.
Brant Kardas was hit by a car in Waterloo, Ontario. He spent a week in a coma and three months in hospital recovering from a fractured skull and a broken pelvis, collar bone, left leg and left arm.
But shortly after leaving hospital he received a bill from the City of Waterloo informing him he had to contribute about R400 for the closure of the road.
His friend, who was also involved in the accident, was also billed. The pair had walked across a road against a red light. The City says as the driver who knocked them had the right of way, the pair were responsible for the cost of the repairs to the road.
Kardas said this was unacceptable. “I don’t plan on paying for it. What are they going to do, take me to jail?” he said.
I’ll be right back
A New Zealand criminal gained infamy this year when he hired a taxi to transport him to the bank he robbed.
The Auckland police say the man asked the driver to stop and wait. He then went around the corner and robbed the bank, using a knife to demand money.
He then ran back to the taxi and paid the driver to take him away from the bank.
Love made me do it
An Italian man was arrested recently for causing 500 car crashes in an attempt to meet women.
The “crashing Romeo” would drive into the car of a woman he liked and would follow up with phone calls and dinner invitations. It seems this was also a source of income for Andrea Cabiale, as he collected the insurance from all the accidents.
He had a mechanism in his car that would temporarily disable the brake lights. The women would drive into him and Cabiale would reap the rewards.
Turin police found 2 159 photographs of damaged vehicles and their female owners at his home. It seems it was a profitable business as he also owned property in Cannes, despite being unemployed.
He was charged with fraud, harrassment and damage to property.