Posted on 02/26/2006 3:11:29 PM PST by wagglebee
NEW YORK It may not have been as serious as Vice President Dick Cheney shooting a friend in the face, but new details that have emerged about President George W. Bush's bicycle accident in Scotland last July show that he, too, was guilty of a bit of recklessness that caused serious damage.
The Scotsman, the leading newspaper in Scotland, reported Sunday that it had obtained a police report on the early July accident when the president crashed into a Scottish police constable while cycling in the grounds of Gleneagles Hotel.
At the time, the focus of U.S. press reports was on the president's injuries--a few abrasions--while noting that that the constable had suffered a "very minor" ankle injury. The fact that Bush was wearing a helmet seemed to be the main accident detail, and that he had called the constable to check on his well-being.
According to the newspaper, however, the constable ended up on crutches and was off work for more than three months.
Bush had jumped on his bike for an early-evening jaunt at last year's G8 summit at the Perthshire resort. He ended up in a police report described as a "moving/falling object."
The report, according to The Scotsman, decribes a detachment of constables covering a road junction where the president would pass through. The report goes on: "[At] about 1800 hours the President approached the junction at speed on the bicycle. The road was damp at the time. As the President passed the junction at speed he raised his left arm from the handlebars to wave to the police officers present while shouting 'thanks, you guys, for comin.'
"As he did this he lost control of the cycle, falling to the ground, causing both himself and his bicycle to strike [the officer] on the lower legs. [The officer] fell to the ground, striking his head. The President continued along the ground for approximately five metres, causing himself a number of abrasions. The officers... then assisted both injured parties....
"At hospital, a doctor examined the constable and diagnosed damage to his ankle ligaments and issued him with crutches. The cause was officially recorded as: 'Hit by moving/falling object'."
At the time, the newspaper noted, Bush laughed off the incident, saying he should start "acting his age".
The Scotsman observed: "Details of precisely how the crash unfolded have until now been kept under wraps for fear of embarrassing both Bush and the injured constable. But the new disclosures are certain to raise eyebrows on Washington's Capitol Hill....
"In Scotland, an accident such as the one at Gleneagles could have led to police action. Earlier this year, Strathclyde Police issued three fixed penalty notices to errant cyclists as part of a crack-down on rogue riders. Legal experts also suggested lesser mortals could have ended up with a fixed penalty fine, prosecution, or at least a good ticking-off from officers."
John Scott, a human rights lawyer, said: "There's certainly enough in this account for a charge of careless driving. Anyone else would have been warned for dangerous driving.
"I have had clients who have been charged with assaulting a police officer for less than this. The issue of how long the police officer was out of action for is also important. He was away from work for 14 weeks, and that would normally be very significant in a case like this."
Give me a break!
They call a human rights lawyer for a traffic accident?
What do you expect from Scotland? A leftist-filled place, and due to the Auld Alliance, quite a bit more French than John F. Kerry.
KERRY CALLED SECRET SERVICE AGENT 'SON OF A B*TCH' AFTER SLOPE SPILL -- http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1101848/posts
A skid mark on life's knickers.
This just in: Scotland cracking down on children not using training wheels.
Impeach him! /s
Oh, please, you fools, do try to make something out of this, I'm begging you. What shall we call it...bikegate?
During my first visit to Scotland, I ran over the edge of a curb while turning into a hotel lot. You have to give me a break, they drive on the wrong side of the road and the road is half is wide as it should be. A constable followed me and pulled me over. The dumb a$$ stuck his head in the window to smell if I had been drinking. If I had been a bad guy in America, I would have rolled the window up and drove off dragging the dolt.
So, as I read the article, the President of the United States did something he didn't have to do, just to be friendly (i.e. he raised his hand to greet the policemen protecting his route). In order to do something friendly, he had to let go of one of his handlebars, and in doing so he lost control of the bicycle. And now the Scottish media and human rights lawyers are saying he was driving carelessly.
So noted. We'll be sure never to go out of our way to do anything friendly again.
Asshats.
I no longer use Scottish paper. Gave me a rash...
Next thing you know,they'll press charges and issue a warrant for his arrest.Would this come under the jurisdiction of the World Court?sarc intended
This is exactly why we need to keep Senator Spector around. With his knowledge of Scottish law, W should be able to beat this rap.
I really thought this was Scrappleface at first. It's worth a quick laugh.
And, I'd love to know, did this paper decide it was important to write an article about the damage that Clinton did to Juanita Broadrick? Or Kathleen Willey?
Lying bastard. His clients meant to harm a policeman. His clients probably threw the first punch and his clients routinely complain of police brutality after regretting having thrown the first punch.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.