Cranky wheelchair bastard

[infinitemonkies]

After work this morning, I was headed to the library for some literary delights.
A few paces ahead of me, on the sidewalk, is a guy wearing shorts, floppy hat, flannel shirt tied around his waist...

Along comes Cranky Old Wheelchair Bastard in an electric wheelchair that can really move, and he slams right into ill-fated pedestrian from behind.

Pedestrian goes down, COWB keeps on going, and screams out "watch where you're going sonny!" He then proceeds to cross a busy street at full speed, against the red light, nearly causing 2 car accidents.

Pedestrian turns out to be at least as old as COWB, and has cut his knee up pretty badly. I help him up, and offer to call for paramedics and police. Nice Old Pedestrian refuses both, says he justs needs some bandages, and doesn't want to press charges. I help him along to the pharmacy on the next block, which is just about to open.

COWB has forced himself through the crowd of waiting customers as the pharmacy staff unlocks the doors, makes sure he's the first one in, then grabs a flyer and idly peruses it while his wheelchair blocks the door.

I see that NOP gets some help, then relate what happened to the on-site security guys. I don't know how this ends, but I hope COWB got arrested.

[Kurisu313]

Holy...that's unbelievable.

Surely the sort of person who is in a wheelchair is EXACTLY the sort of person who should understand about being considerate when getting around.

I hope that old man was alright, he sounds okay, but that can't have been pleasant.

I also hope that that old bastard got in trouble...I mean would that incident count as assault, or some other lesser crime?

[infinitemonkies]

Its assault and battery, but it would never actually go to trial.

You'd have to be able to prove intent. It certainly looked to me like he did it on purpose, and he definitely showed no remorse or regret, but any half decent defence attourney would get the charges dismissed. Hell, a highschool intro to law student could defend that case and win. Also no prosecutor would ever bother to touch it, and no judge would bother to listen to it.

Still it would be nice if the cops arrested him and let him burn off his temper in a holding cell for 10 hours or so before cutting him loose.

[LillFilly]

Gads! Yes, wheelchair guy was a jerk; he was probably like that way before he got the wheelchair. Unfortunately, it seems most of the time that having a disability doesn't automatically mean you have compassion or ethics. Reminds me of the people with handicap cards I see double-parking in my lot (squeezing over the line in-between 2-already parked handicap cars). You would figure they of all people would know better!!!

[blas]

There was a woman like that in my hometown who everyone nicknamed "Road Rage". She had a wheelchair/scooter that must have had a Hemi with Noz in it....she would just wail up and down the streets and she was infamous for just rocketing across the street without even caring if vehicles were coming. She did this on Main Street, which....in a small enough town, Main Street is typically the busiest street in town, as it was in this town I grew up in.

[Fufu487]

If someone is that careless with their own life (scooting out into traffic because it 'HAS to stop for them') and that inconsiderate for their own well-being. Would you really expect them to be considerate to others??? It's a write-off, he just doesnt care.

[protege]

Ugh. Sounds like someone did something stupid...and is resentful that their stupidity put them into that chair...

I knew a guy like that. This jerk (and I'm being nice ) lived in the same building as my then-girlfriend. He ended up in a wheelchair...after a night of "boozing and cruising." Seems he was insanely drunk that night, and wrapped his car around a telephone pole As such, he had an extreme disdain for pretty much anyone who could walk, and it wasn't surprising that most people avoided him.

Didn't stop him from making nasty comments to people. My then-gf was one of those people. But, I made him crap his pants--I simply said that if he didn't leave her alone...I'd push his crippled ass out into traffic

Probably not the best reaction, but it did get a reaction. Not only did he apologize to her, but he started kissing my ass

[ditchdj]

Didn't stop him from making nasty comments to people. My then-gf was one of those people. But, I made him crap his pants--I simply said that if he didn't leave her alone...I'd push his crippled ass out into traffic

I dont blame you one bit. Bottom line is if you want respect, give respect.

[Crossbow]

Since it was an electric wheelchair, you could probably get "leaving the scene of an accident" (Aka, hit and run) to stick with the cops. If the cops in my town can consider rollerblades to be a vehicle and can write moving violation tickets, a motorized wheelchair should be an easy target.....

[Stormraven]

Reckless endangerment? Negligence? Depraved indifference?

[mattm04]

I remember someone old cranky guy got hit in my area a few years ago. Apparently he cut out in traffic without looking in front of a garbage truck carrying a fully loaded 30 yard construction dumpster. The driver swerved but still clipped his chair and flipped him into oncoming traffic.

The driver of the truck was not charged and the wheel chair guy went to the ER and was arrested for a outstanding warrant I believe. Haven't seem him around since then.

[infinitemonkies]

Ugh. Sounds like someone did something stupid...and is resentful that their stupidity put them into that chair...

I knew a guy like that. This jerk (and I'm being nice ) lived in the same building as my then-girlfriend. He ended up in a wheelchair...after a night of "boozing and cruising." Seems he was insanely drunk that night, and wrapped his car around a telephone pole As such, he had an extreme disdain for pretty much anyone who could walk, and it wasn't surprising that most people avoided him.

Yeah, I went to school with a guy who was a real asshole. One night when he was 17 he got piss drunk & wrapped his fathers brand new pickup around a utility pole. Lost the use of his legs and gets to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Ran into him a couple years later, when I started work at a sports bar. He was a regular there, and he was still an asshole. It made me happy to learn about his accident.

Also, he had a truck which had been modified so he could drive it without using his legs. (It's actually not that difficult a modification.) He still drove drunk on a regular basis.

I'd bet by now he's either dead or in jail for vehicular manslaughter.

[XCashier]

Didn't stop him from making nasty comments to people. My then-gf was one of those people. But, I made him crap his pants--I simply said that if he didn't leave her alone...I'd push his crippled ass out into traffic

Probably not the best reaction, but it did get a reaction. Not only did he apologize to her, but he started kissing my ass

He sounds like a typical bully. He'll run roughshod over everyone until someone refuses to take his crap, then he's all buddy-buddy with that person.

Doesn't matter if the bully is built like the Hulk and shakes you down for lunch money, or is wheelchair-bound and runs over people on the sidewalk. A bully is a bully, and a bully is a coward.