NYPD Slaps Hit And Run Victim With A Ticket For Not Having Bell On His Bike
How do you add insult to injury? How about giving a ticket for a missing bell to a cyclists who has just been smashed up in a hit and run collision? That's exactly what NYPD Officer Torpey did, when he was flagged down by a dazed cyclist in the Bronx back in July.
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While perhaps the ticking was technically valid, since bikes are required to have a bell, this kind of ticking seems quite pointless and makes one suspicious that this is only about meeting some sort of ticket quota. Meanwhile, what about the hit and run? Mr. Hellner had kept enough of his wits about him to get the license plate number of the van that hit him, which he turned over to police! The plate is issued to a Mr. Dibaga Sunbundu. So was the driver charged? Presumably not Mr. Hellner says, the NYPD has never followed up with him about the hit and run.
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You see, on top of fighting a stupid ticket for a missing bell, Mr. Hellner has been having trouble collecting money for his bills from the driver's insurance company. Geico hasn't made a single payment to Mr. Hellner yet; they seemingly have been stalling for weeks on paying out the claim. Mr. Hellner says he has alread paid out a couple of thousand dollars for medical treatment, and could be stuck with tens of thousands in medical expenses. "I stopped going to physical therapy for my elbow because I am afraid I might get stuck with the bill, and my left sholder gets sore easily."
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Mr. Hellner has now gotten himself some legal assistance to try to get Geico to pay up. So far, Geico has been more snake than suave gecko.