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Pedestrian hit by police car suffers broken foot - and £80 penalty for 'denting' vehicle
Last updated at 00:22am on 04.09.07When a pedestrian was hit by a police car which mounted the pavement, it was obvious who was going to come off worse.
After suffering a broken foot in the collision, however, Daniel Horne thought all the damage had been done.
Until he received an £80 fine - for denting the vehicle.
Daniel Horne suffered a broken foot after being hit by a police car
Yesterday the 28-year-old businessman told of his shock at being penalised for being hit by the marked car.
Mr Horne had been walking home in June when the marked police car mounted the pavement and crushed his foot under the wheel.
An apologetic officer then took him to hospital where he spent three hours being treated for his damaged foot.
Mr Horne, who runs his own courier firm, was injured on his way home from a night out with friends.
A flat tyre meant he and his friends were forced to pull over and leave the vehicle's warning lights flashing as they walked along a quiet village road seeking assistance.
Mr Horne recalled: "Apparently somebody saw us and thought we were dumping the car and they rang the police.
"I was just walking along the pavement and heard the police car siren coming behind us.
"The next thing I knew was that the police car came onto the pavement to stop us.
"The car hit my right leg and I fell over - with my foot being crushed under the front wheel of the patrol car.
"It was agony and my foot was in a hell of a state. We explained to the police that we were innocent and they quickly found out we were telling the truth."
The fine he was issued for 'denting' the police car
The police driver took Daniel to hospital for treatment to his foot after the accident at Beddau, near Pontypridd, South Wales and waited with him.
"The copper was very helpful and was there with me for about three hours while the doctors examined me," Mr Horne said.
"My metatarsal was completely crushed and I was put in a cast.
"He gave me a lift back but then told me: 'Sorry but I've got to do this to cover myself.'
"I was amazed when he issued me with the £80 fixed penalty notice.
"I was speechless when he wrote out that I ran into a police vehicle causing a dent.
"It is just crazy. I was just innocently walking down the road when the car swerved in front of me to arrest us in a complete mistake.
"I just can't believe that anyone would honestly think that you would run into a police car."
The fine ticket reads: "You ran into the n/s [near side] front wing of a marked police vehicle causing a dent."
Mr Horne, of Llanharry, South Wales, added: "It is a complete joke - who the hell would run into a police car made out of solid metal?
"I was in agony with my foot broken in bits and I end up being fined for my body damaging the police car.
"The doctors told me my foot is still in a terrible state. I will have a special A-cast on for another six weeks."
He has been unable to work since the accident - and is planning to sue police over his injury.
Daniel said: "There is no way I'm going to pay the fixed penalty fine. I've spoken to my solicitor and I'm going to fight it all the way."
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "A fixed penalty was issued for criminal damage.
"We have received a complaint from Mr Horne and are looking into it."
Reader views (23)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I saw a police van park next to me and a police officer approached me arresting me straight away with no explanation. Took me to the police station and lied that I resisted arrest and swore at him while i was getting arrested. Out of the blue i received a 80 pound penalty notice and 5 hours in custody, how can u call that justice?
It was just like a kidnapping but a legal version of it.
- Metab Alam, birmingham
Erm.... Is there not two sides to every story?
I'm sure there is a little more to this than meets the eye!
... And Paul Anderson in Buckinghamshire, what evidence to you have that 'police driving standards are tragic'? I presume that this is just one of the 'I'll believe what I read views and agree with it' statements made by many who have no idea of the level of police driver training.
Try it, see how you get on. You WILL be very suprised how intense it is.
- Phil, South East, England
The Police service is on its knees. How sad. Council tax bills continue to get ever more costly. What are the authorities doing with our money? I hope that Mr Horne is fully compensated for his injury.
Police driving standards are tragic and it's more than reasonable to assume that MR Horne's injury is a direct result of poor attention to the road conditions by the police driver in charge of the vehicle.
As for issuing a fixed penalty notice, I'd like to know what part of the criminal evidence act allows that.
I think that Mr Horne is totally justified in challenging the issue.
- Paul Anderson, Buckingham, UK
I was prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit when I wasn't, and it was obvious to both the police and CPS that I wasn't. Nothing surprises me any more. Justice is a joke in this country now.
- Peter, UK
I`d be hopping mad too.
- Maddad, London UK
I actually feel sorry for the poor policeman. Imagine what a hellish life it must be and what evil people he must work for that he must issue a fine he obviously knows is nonsense just to cover himself.
The Whitehall bean counters rule now... common sense is nowhere to be found.
- Martin, London
You've got to wonder why the guy actually signed and accepted the ticket though. I'd have told the copper where to stick it (politely of course) and requested a court hearing.
- Another Constable, north England
Wow, how I wish I were the magistrate sitting on this one.
- Rex, Crowland
What an absolute joke, just another example of this once proud country gone mad.
- Danny, Birmingham, England
Wow. Cops everywhere are stupid!
- Bianca, Anchorage, Alaska
Incredible! The nerve of them!
- Doug Z., New York ,USA
Wow, I thought the cops here in America were the only idiots running around doing stuff like that. Terrible.
- Scott, Madison, WI, USA
It won't be long before they issue a fine for reporting a crime. The public have become a cash cow for the police farce.
- M Young, London UK
Just goes to prove that our useless police farce are even more useless than we thought ! If they carry on like this they will become as useless as our pathetic government. If that's at all posiible!
- Thelma H, Essex
Shouldn't there be a basic intelligence test before someone is allowed to join the police?
- Epimethean, Surrey
No wonder that the population have little regard for the Police if this is what they do.
- Nigel, Wimbledon, UK
Only in Britain...
- Mick Read, Peachland. BC. Canada
Ok, so now the police can run into you and cause ABH but you get fined for denting their car which was their fault to begin with...lovely! What next?
- Sarah, London
And so it goes on. British policing is at an all-time low, what with the tasering of children, 'plastic PCSO's', and DNA samples taken for any and all reasons - and now this.
What no-one seems to have noticed is that by completing a false fixed penalty notice, the police officer has committed the much more serious criminal offence of attempting to pervert the course of justice - punishable with 14 years in prison. It will be interesting to see what the South Wales Police have to say about that.
- David, Cambridge, UK
Like the old police saying, if you hit someone make sure you charge them!
- Steve Johnson, Reading, UK
The police have become use-less.
- Alexandra, London
That is just ridiculous! What is this country coming to?
- W Joseph, Brtish Expat
Never in my 66 years have I read such stupid stories. How in the world can a person on foot "run into a marked police car and damage it". England is going to the dogs fast if this is all the cops can some up with but then again this is typical of the stories I read from England. It seems to me your cops are brain dead.
- Jswallow, Canada
