A-hole in a van.

[kwackers]

So last night I'm coming up to a small roundabout (with straight on and right turn option) to turn right. It's a single lane roundabout and I've moved into primary behind a car and the van is behind me (this being the first time we've 'met').
I go around the island pacing the car (about 5m behind) at about 15 mph in the centre of the lane and just as I'm beginning to turn off the van appears on my inside in a typically aggressive foot to the floor manner.

At this point I'm committed to turning off and he hits my elbow quite hard (hard enough to cause abrasions) and just for a second I think I'm going to end up colliding with the pedestrian refuge, I shout, he brakes and I end up back in front of the van having avoided anything too catastrophic.
He then nails it, starts to overtake and swings hard into the kerb breaking my mirror and almost sending me into the verge.

At this point he jumps out grabs me and pushes me into the undergrowth (no pavement on this side) screaming about me 'hitting' his van. (We then get all the usual verbal diarrhoea that follow these events.)

So I've reported it and hopefully a police person should be round tonight to take a statement. Obviously I'm not expecting much but at least it'll be reported.

So I guess the question is; is it worth pursuing? I've minor damage to the bike (mirror), abrasions to my elbow where he originally hit it, minor abrasions to my neck where he grabbed me to push me into the bushes and minor abrasions to my knee and leg where I ended up getting caught in the bike.
None of this is worth anything in a monetary sense but I'm more thinking about it being on his insurance record.

It did occur to me that it's still an 'accident' in the legal sense, he's unlikely to have reported it and I could justifiably make a claim against his insurance - although presuming that nobody in the queue of traffic behind made a report then there are no witnesses.

Is there any point? Or should I just leave it as a police report and move on?

[beardy]

Yes but the Police may not supply you with his details and I guess that he didnt.

Too many insurance companies to write to them all asking if they cover him.

If you ask the Police to get his insurance details then you would be helping to get this classed as a "road traffic event" which the Police so prefer to drop as quickly as possible.
The Police are more likely to do something concrete if you can keep it classed as a deliberate attack with intent, which may mean less luck with getting the insurance details on road regulation grounds.

It doesnt matter how much you get paid, the insurance companies will probably decide he isnt a good risk with that sort of behaviour and raise his premiums accordingly.

[BSRU]

Typical, hasn't got time to pass safely but suddenly has lots of time to get out and assault someone.

I hope to police do something about it but I wouldn't hold my breath as it may end up one persons word against another.

[Postboxer]

Hope you're ok and not too shaken up. If you have any kind of legal cover a solicitor would be able to contact the MIB to find out his insurance details, that's if you got a reg? MIB being the Motor Insurers Bureau sadly, not the Men In Black. The collision is a road traffic collision, which should be dealt with by his insurance if he has any, the assault is just that and he should be prosecuted.

Also can't believe no-one stopped to help/volunteer to be a witness, actually I can but it's a sorry state of affairs.

[kwackers]

Typical, hasn't got time to pass safely but suddenly has lots of time to get out and assault someone.

I hope to police do something about it but I wouldn't hold my breath as it may end up one persons word against another.

Quite. The guy was very obviously your 'large fat angry man' with very obvious anger management issues. He was so aggressive and dangerous it seriously bothers me that he's on the road at all, hence wondering if trying to contact his insurers would at least put something on his record even if nothing came of it.

The problem is getting hold of his details, I don't have them, I don't have his address and given the meagre rewards I doubt a 'specialist' claim company would be interested in doing it for me.

[[XAP]Bob]

It's assault, and should be treated as such, you might be lucky - when I was assaulted other people had phoned it in from their cars...

[Pugwash]

I am sorry to hear about this, sounds an absolutely disgusting incident.

Make sure the police follow up on this, you were ok this time, but what about the person he does it to next.

It is likely you will have legal cover through the CTC or your home insurance.

[profpointy]

make a comlaint of assault rather than rta. the knocking you off was deliberate and could be classed as assault (but probably won't be) but grabbing you and the push afterwards is clearly and unarguably assault - proof and conviction is another matter - but wants writing down as assault

[Mark1978]

Quite so if someone pushes you over in anger it's assault. What happened in the lead up isn't relevant.

[thirdcrank]

make a comlaint of assault rather than rta. the knocking you off was deliberate and could be classed as assault (but probably won't be) but grabbing you and the push afterwards is clearly and unarguably assault - proof and conviction is another matter - but wants writing down as assault

My thoughts entirely.

[kwackers]

Quite so if someone pushes you over in anger it's assault. What happened in the lead up isn't relevant.

I phoned it in as an assault so we'll see.

[Vorpal]

kwackers, I'm sorry to hear that you had such an awful experience. It's scary that there are people like that in charge of motor vehicles.

I wish you well and hope the police follow this up.

[Edwards]

Sorry to read about this, at least by reporting it the police will have a list showing his problems with others. This may just help somebody else when he does it again.

[JimL]

make a comlaint of assault rather than rta. the knocking you off was deliberate and could be classed as assault (but probably won't be) but grabbing you and the push afterwards is clearly and unarguably assault - proof and conviction is another matter - but wants writing down as assault

My thoughts entirely.

+1

[reohn2]

Sorry to hear about your incident.
To my mind this chap was looking for 'bother' if he's not stopped he'll carry on looking.
As you say he was in such a hurry he had time to stop and ''kick off''
A regular ''richardhead'' IMO.
Report it as assault and even if he isn't prosecuted,if he does it again he'll have some kind of record.
Who knows he may already have a record of this kind of thing,may be driving illegally,etc,etc.
One thing's for sure,he needs stopping before he causes some serious damage to someone.

Good Luck.