Why after-accident audio is helpful

[dash riposki]

I had a truck hit my parked truck last night while it was trying back in next to me.

(all caught on two cams)

He denies hitting me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


It was still daylight, no mistaking what happened, but here is the 'audio' wrinkle.

After he hit me the first time, I got out of the sleeper where I was watching a video, started getting dressed, he hit me again.... then he realized he had swiveled the passsenger side mirror on my truck. He gets out of his truck, walks back, and folds it flat against the side of my truck. (Saw this part later on the video)

I'm still getting dressed when I see him moving the truck for another try, and I honk the horn, utter some loud profanities, and tell him to stop moving.
(I have seen too many of those videos where an inept trucker turns a minor incident, into total loss for two vehicles.)



When I finally get out of the truck with clothes and shoes on, he denies hitting me, and says he only moved my mirror by hand so he wouldn't hit it!

(there is paint and decal transfer from the appropriate place on the side of his trailer)


He then comes up with an alternate story, that he had somebody guide him in, so either it was not his fault, or the helper would verify he didn't hit my truck.

(3 stories at this point, maybe 4?)

While I'm on the phone with my company, he shows up with the helper, who apparently was just walking by and warned him he was going to destroy his own truck, (from earlier video)
and probably was positioned on the other side of the offending truck where he couldn't see if he hit my truck or not. He just shrugged, and walked off.

(The inept trucker had a clear view of the side of my truck he hit, it was basically the 'drivers' side of his truck.)


Inept trucker refuses to exchange info, and threatens to call the cops. I encourage him to do so, and go to my laptop to view the video.
Inept trucker vanishes, truck is still parked there. My Company claims they will deal with other company later, since I have pics and video.



It would be nice to have the 'stories' recorded, but the windows of my truck were rolled up, and the conversation happened about 20 feet in front of my truck, although I was somewhat 'loud'.

Not that much damage, but pisses me off I have had this truck since new, and there was not a single scratch on it, until now.


I can't do much with the video or pics until my company deals with the other company, but eventually this jerk will have his little spot on the internet.


The scary thing is, he had other damage to his pretty new truck that looks like he was running into other stuff, also.


I wish I had thought of having some audio recording device stuck in a pocket when I confronted him.

 

[Nigel]

Doesn't take much effort to start your phone recording video before a situation like that, they won't realize that you are using it as an audio recorder if you don't point the lens directly at them.

 

[dash riposki]

My phone was acting up. For some reason it turns on ' adaptive brightness' or something by itself, or by some combination of button presses, accidental or intentional.
This was the situation when I grabbed the phone and exited the truck. It takes some fumbling to get the backlighting turned on again, and I can't do it in daylight.
Often the offending driver will take off when they reallize they hit something, and it's not uncommon to just see the truck vanishing in the distance by the time you wake up and understand what happened. (and nobody saw anything, even though you are surrounded by truckers, staring off into space.)

 

[Lola]

Is it really a no no to have the audio on in your camera? Why can't one have it on, and turn off the sound in the editing software if necessary for the court in your area?

 

[dash riposki]

I always have audio on, it just wouldn't pick up me screaming curse words and the idiots explanation from 20 feet away with the windows rolled up, his truck running, my diesel generator running, and probably the laughter from the peanut gallery, too.
Usually I'm happy with recorded audio that covers somebody outside of my rolled down drivers window talkingl when I'm not moving.
I was half asleep when this started, and the immediate thought is 'get out there and stop this'.

When you feel the truck rock from being hit, you tend to remember these videos.

 

[SawMaster]

Digital audio recorders are tiny and cheap these days. The legality of audio recording varies from place to place so I wouldn't make mention of it until I spoke with my lawyer. If it's something that someone else may not want to have on record, it's best to do that recording surreptitiously, or to have at least one hidden device doing that, in case they decide to destroy your primary recordings.

Sorry to hear about the damage It sucks to have someone else ruin things you've proudly taken good care of

Phil

 

[dash riposki]

The damage means little to me, I'm retiring in a few weeks. Being forced to deal with incompetent desk jockeys over something that isn't my fault is the main factor.
'Were you wearing a seat belt at the time?'
'Uh, no, I told you I was parked and sleeping when the other truck hit me'.
'How fast were you going?'
'I don't know, I couldn't see the speedometer because my eyes were closed. I was parked, and sleeping'.


I think some kind of system like the police cams have where they have a remote mike to records the audio to the cam when they are out of the car would be interesting.
Maybe just via an app on a smartphone? Not sure how feasible? Kind of what I was thinking about for motorcycle cam audio, have an option for the phone to be the default audio source, or something?

Anyway, here's the short version of the incident. You'll hear a 'clunk' and then some pissed off guy say 'dammit'.
That is the point I realize I had been hit, the truck rocks a little. I'm in the sleeper with the curtains closed, diesel generator running and A/C.
The black driver who 'did not hit my mirror' gets out of his truck and finishes folding my mirror against the side of the cab, 'so he won't hit it because he didn't hit it in the first place'. He then continues to back into the slot where he has positioned himself too close to my truck, he has 2 feet of space on the other side of his truck.
The biggest factor is, what he hit was on the side he had much better vision on. He could see straight down that side in the mirror, or turning his head.

He dragged his trailer along my mirror housing, leaving flecks of the red logo decal you see on the mirror, and springing the housing a little.
You can see where the missing decal flecks came from.

 

[dash riposki]

I saved some of the earlier video segments, prior to him hitting me. I can see him trying to back into a different parking space across the aisle, and give up. Right before he hit me, he hit his own trailer. (all of this is happening before I was aware of the impending danger....and watching TV or a video in the sleeper.)
When jacking the trailer his cab extender contacted the trailer. These are for MPG, aerodynamics, and are easy to mess up if you have your fifth wheel set incorrectly or are not careful The man on the ground stopping him and pointing out he is hitting his own trailer is the driver who helped him back into the slot, but must have been mostly on the far side.

 

[kamkar]

forced to deal with incompetent desk jockeys

I always try to cut people some slack, not least if it is something i have little knowledge about, so while i am licensed for the big rigs, then really what i know are just the very basic stuff, so i am not going toe to toe with a trucker on trucking.
But the guy i captured run a red light in his rig yesterday, he will be part of my next upload to youtube.

 

[dash riposki]

Little mishaps in truckstops like this are common. My biggest issue is the guy denied he did it, and lied about it. Due to the other damage on his truck it's likely he is hitting other things.

 

[kamkar]

A rather large pin / wrecking ball.

 

[SawMaster]

Yeah, dealing with the stupid of the world sucks, especially when you can't escape dealing with them Over time I've become more patient with those things which cannot be helped, but far less tolerant of the stupidity of people who can do better but don't. I wish we were allowed to slap such people silly till they got their act together or they went back to doing only what they were competent at Sometimes I think half of the people in this world would remove themselves from the gene pool were it not for the other half putting up with them and stopping them from doing that. Darwin has a lot of catching up to do for sure

Here's to hoping the next few weeks will be smooth for you, and congrats on (almost) reaching retirement intact

Phil