Bike goes to the garbage

[ohiomike]

"Garbage collectors mistake motorcycle for trash"

"ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. (WTVD) -- Right in front of Joseph Morning's home is where his motorcycle used to sit.

"I had my motorcycle cover covering it, but the wheel was still showing on the bike. And the mirrors were sticking up from the bike, also. So you could tell it was a motorcycle," Joseph said.

Over two weeks ago, Joseph's girlfriend, April Wilson, was leaving their Roanoke Rapids home when she noticed the bike was missing.

"I was coming out to go somewhere and I happened to look at the curb and I was like, 'Something's missing.' I stopped and I paused and I'm like, 'The motorcycle-where is it at?' So I come down here to the curb, and I find where the mirror was broken off," April said.

April asked her neighbors if they saw anything, and they told her that the city's garbage collectors took the motorcycle."

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/troubleshooter&id=8839520

[conn-e-rot]

It was so heavy they thought it was a couch ??

[RHill]

someone wrecked his bike and happened to be buddies with the garbage collector

[Ziggy]

:nono:

[ohiomike]

I'd like to know what kind of bike it was. With some bikes, even 2 people picking it up and tossing it into a trash truck would be a sight.

I doubt if it was a scam, neighbors witnessed seeing it sitting there for weeks. I'm pretty sure they would have told investigators the truth.

[Casper]

How?

[Gunner75]

I know some trash collectors who would be out of a job.

[TheBrown57]

he city manager said he has been off for the week and just learned about the incident. He said the insurance company for the city was involved and he would keep me updated. Joseph recently heard from a rep with the city's insurance company who told him they were taking care of the claim. He expects to find out the settlement offer this week.

The city manager apologized and said this is an unfortunate incident that he hopes never happens again.

Well at least the city is taking care of it

[redkow97]

hmm... I would be shocked if the city didn't have some kind of ordinance that prohibits leaving a vehicle parked on the street for 8 weeks straight.

Granted, they shouldn't have immediately crushed the bike, but my inclination is that they were within their rights to impound it.

While he ought to recover for the crushing, he should still be liable for whatever the parking fine would be, plus the cost of his "tow."

[TSB67]

hmm... I would be shocked if the city didn't have some kind of ordinance that prohibits leaving a vehicle parked on the street for 8 weeks straight.

Granted, they shouldn't have immediately crushed the bike, but my inclination is that they were within their rights to impound it.

While he ought to recover for the crushing, he should still be liable for whatever the parking fine would be, plus the cost of his "tow."

a) it wasn't necessarily left there for 8 weeks straight, it could have just been there every Thursday morning for 8 weeks.

b) some cities don't even have off street parking, and not all have a Parma-style "decency" law

c) the only possible way I could see them putting this on him is if they had proof that the cover covered the license plate

d) there must be a practical joke, bad blood or insurance scam in play - nobody could possibly be that dumb.

[RHill]

d) there must be a practical joke, bad blood or insurance scam in play - nobody could possibly be that dumb.

This!

I don't believe for a second this was done by mistake.

[redkow97]

This!

I don't believe for a second this was done by mistake.

If you were a trash collector and encountered the same vehicle parked in a manner that made it so you had to walk an extra 10 feet to get the garbage cans every week for 8 weeks in a row, can you foresee yourself getting frustrated enough to throw the bike away?

Consider the caliber of individual you're typically dealing with in the position of trash collector. (although i do know a guy who got his bachelor's degree, and then spent several years collecting trash for Independence. As far as I know, he enjoyed his job, and had no intention of quitting. Pat was not a dumb guy.)

[RHill]

Not really if it had the chance of costing my job.

[redkow97]

a) it wasn't necessarily left there for 8 weeks straight, it could have just been there every Thursday morning for 8 weeks.

b) some cities don't even have off street parking, and not all have a Parma-style "decency" law

c) the only possible way I could see them putting this on him is if they had proof that the cover covered the license plate

d) there must be a practical joke, bad blood or insurance scam in play - nobody could possibly be that dumb.

for the sake of argument (i.e. "if they hired me to represent them"):

a) it's a WRECKED motorcycle sitting at the curb next to the trash - how long should it be allowed to sit there, apparently or actually un-moved, before it is trash? Hell, I can't leave my lawn mower on the tree-lawn for 5 minutes to go get the gas can without some scrap scavenger trying to load it in his truck...

b) If there is legitimately no off-street parking, then, in my experience, that means motorcycles are almost always left on the sidewalk to preserve space. This is based on 9 months of parking in Manayunk, PA. If his was next to the trash, that makes the 'mistake' that much more reasonable.

c) how would the cover NOT have covered the license plate? "the wheel was sticking out." Okay, unless this was some seriously custom sport bike, the license plate is above the rear wheel by quite a bit, and I presume the front wheel is more likely to be sticking out.

d) I doubt it's a joke, but won't write-off the possibility of insurance fraud or bad blood. As noted in response to RHill, if you're a trash collector and something is in your way for 8 weeks straight, how long are you going to leave it there when it's obviously broken and can be lifted into the compactor? Add to that the probable assumption that it was stolen, and I can see the garbage collectors just doing it because they were pissed off.

[TSB67]

for the sake of argument

a) it's a WRECKED motorcycle

Did not know/read this

b) If there is legitimately no off-street parking, then, in my experience, that means motorcycles are almost always left on the sidewalk to preserve space. This is based on 9 months of parking in Manayunk, PA.

I doubt you can legally park on a public sidewalk anywhere. At friends' houses in Rochester,NY with no driveways we got ticketed for any attempt to park in the yard, etc.

c) how would the cover NOT have covered the license plate? "the wheel was sticking out." Okay, unless this was some seriously custom sport bike, the license plate is above the rear wheel by quite a bit, and I presume the front wheel is more likely to be sticking out.

Some car covers have a window for a license plate. I know in Parma current registration has to be visible on any car parked in front of a house including the driveway.

d) I doubt it's a joke, but won't write-off the possibility of insurance fraud or bad blood. As noted in response to RHill, if you're a trash collector and something is in your way for 8 weeks straight, how long are you going to leave it there when it's obviously broken and can be lifted into the compactor? Add to that the probable assumption that it was stolen, and I can see the garbage collectors just doing it because they were pissed off.

I was thinking "perhaps the staff of the sanitation department were overcome by the monotony of their job and decided to play a childish prank" when I said "practical joke." If cars are regularly parked on the street I doubt the motorcycle would bother them much. As for it being stolen/unregistered/uninsured, I imagine the news story would have been a different tone.

[redkow97]

Parma also has a 24(?) hour limit on street parking. I know, because when I rented, I would leave my truck on the street to avoid moving it when I took my bike to work.

I was pulling out of my driveway on my bike when I noticed a warning on my truck. While I appreciated the warning (basically I had 12 hours to move my truck), it does beg the question, "is it really a 24-hour limit if they give me an additional 12 hours before ticketing me?"

My inclination is that I wouldn't have gotten a second warning... Wasn't stubborn enough to find out.

I don't disagree that the city should be on the hook for the conduct of its agents, working within the scope of their job duties; I was just saying that IF the owner was breaking laws by leaving the bike wherever it was for an extended period of time, he should be liable for those offenses, and whatever a tow would have cost, because those expenses would have been legitimate even if the destruction of the bike wasn't.

[TSB67]

Parma also has a 24(?) hour limit on street parking. I know, because when I rented, I would leave my truck on the street to avoid moving it when I took my bike to work.

I know, because my parents' neighbor was a cunt.

[TSB67]

She's no longer a cunt?

No, she is no longer.

[Saacattack]

To say a motorcycle is a couch? Come on, no fucking way. Common sense. Blows my mind.

People do park their motorcycles/scooters on sidewalks here in PA. Especially the in manayunk area and I have yet to get a ticket myself doing it. Now downtown in center city, that might be different.

[Gixxus Christ!]

Article says "sport bike". It happened in the south...thinking ignorant redneck Harley guys..."hey Cletus, let's mash up this guy's jap junk and go fuck my sister".