A little over a month ago my BF and I were involved in a bike/car accident. MY BF was driving and we hit a guy on a bike. We were pulling into a busy blind intersection after stopping at a stop sign. The guy we hit was riding the wrong way and was not wearing a helmet. The guy refused to get the police involved because he was not wearing a helmet, which I belive is state law. Both the car and bike were damaged. My BF offered to pay for the bike, but the guy gave him some ridiculous figure which is MORE than the bike was even worth. Turns out rather than just fixing the bent rim (our fault) he had his entire bike serviced. New tires, brakes, everything. Now he is threatening our safety and our property. So my questions are
1) Who is technically at fault here? The driver or the bike rider? Meaning who would the LAW consider to be at fault
2) Do we have a MORAL obligation to pay for his bike now that he is threatening us AND that he was riding against traffic (which is against the law). Note: He has threatened both my son and I now as well. We happened to be passengers at the time of the accident.
3) If we pay for anything, wouldn't that be admitting fault? Also, what would stop him from milking this thing and asking for more?
4) At this point should we get the police involved? He has threatened to, but I don't know what grounds he has. He has also threatened to take my BF to small claims court. Is it too late to get the police involved and if not what would they be able to do? We have saved voiemails of his threats and have caught him on the property near the car.
5) Should HE have to pay for the damages to the car if in fact he were found to be at fault?
1) Who is technically at fault here? The driver or the bike rider? Meaning who would the LAW consider to be at fault
2) Do we have a MORAL obligation to pay for his bike now that he is threatening us AND that he was riding against traffic (which is against the law). Note: He has threatened both my son and I now as well. We happened to be passengers at the time of the accident.
3) If we pay for anything, wouldn't that be admitting fault? Also, what would stop him from milking this thing and asking for more?
4) At this point should we get the police involved? He has threatened to, but I don't know what grounds he has. He has also threatened to take my BF to small claims court. Is it too late to get the police involved and if not what would they be able to do? We have saved voiemails of his threats and have caught him on the property near the car.
5) Should HE have to pay for the damages to the car if in fact he were found to be at fault?