A German motorcyclist recorded an incident on his helmet camera in which a VW Touran ran over a scooter rider in an apparent road rage attack for the silliest of reasons: a middle finger – or so the driver claims.
YouTube author “Big Whoop” was riding his bike when he witnessed the driver of the Volkswagen minivan overtaking and deliberately knocking down the rider of the scooter before driving away.
After stopping shortly to check the condition of the injured motorcyclist, he chased the VW and confronted the motorist at a parking lot. The driver was defiant saying that he did what he did because the rider provoked him by giving him the long finger.
While not recorded on camera, in a posting on YouTube that you can read below, ‘Big Whoop’ said that he contacted the police, which investigated the matter and brought charges against the man revoking his license. He added that the scooter rider was “not hurt badly”.
Here’s what the motorcyclist said:
“While on a motorcycle tour my pillion and I witnessed a hit and run against a scooter rider. While my passenger and some pedestrians provided first aid to the scooter rider, I decided to chase the accident perpetrator.
When I finally caught him we had the discussion shown in the clip.
In the aftermath I called the police. The scooter driver was brought to a hospital, but is generally not hurt too badly. He was suffering from a severe shock though.
The police revoked the drivers license of the offender immediately. My pillion, the pedestrians and I will be witnesses in an upcoming lawsuit.
Here’s a little FAQ as a response to all the comments here and on reddit:
1. I found the spot. Go and punch the offender in the face!
No! Don’t do that. Self justice is in no way better than what he did. There’s evidence, there’s at least four witnesses. There is no way he’s gonna get away with this. Let the authorities and only the authorities do their job.2. Dashcams are illegal in Germany. Do you expect trouble?
No I don’t. The cam is not mounted to the vehicle and it also isn’t always on. I admitted to the police I had filmed the incident. They asked me why I record traffic and I said I do it for the scenery and to have a memory (touristic purposes). They took the SD-Card and mailed it back to me a week later without deleting anything. So I think they’re ok with it.3. Scenerey? What scenery?
The “Bergische Land” and the “Sauerland” in North-Rhine-Westphalia close to where I live is full of little mountains, lakes, forest, little villages with old half-timber houses and beautiful bent roads. Be sure to give it a go, when you ever visit Germany.4. How did you know he turned left?
I could see him. The GoPro has a fisheye lens and everthing appears more distant than it is. Also in the video when I approach the junction you can see him thru the fences on the left.5. Why do you blur face and license plate?
German law requires me to do so.6. Weren’t you afraid of being shot or assaulted?
No, first of all this is not ‘murica 😉 Weapons are really rare over here. I don’t know anyone who owns one. On the other hand I did not think of anything at that moment. All acting was instinctively.7. What happens next?
My passenger and I faxed our witness protocol forms to the police on Sunday who will forward them and the other witnesses protocols to the prosecution. We expect to be summoned to court lateron.8. How long is his license revoked?
Normally until the trial. Then the judge will decide. Possibly for life.9. What charges is he likely to face?
I am not a lawyer, but in my opinion those are the possibilities:
§ 224 StGB, Assault: 6 month to 10 years
§ 142 StGB, Hit and run: up to 3 years or penalty
§ 315b StGB, Dangerous intervention with road traffic: up to 5 years or penalty
§ 212 StGB, Manslaughter (attempted): 5 to 15 years (unlikely because the intention to kill is missing in my opinion)10. Will you keep us posted?
Yes I will. Don’t expect it to be soon though. Courts are usually overallocated. Set a bookmark and check back every once in a while ;)”
Thanks to KJ for the tip!