[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tree down. Police responsibility? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/2/2017 11:31:26 AM EDT
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First let me describe the scene....
Last night, around 9PM, a large tree fell and blocked both lanes of a dark 2-lane road, speed limit is 45. Trees overlap the road so you really can't see shit at night. Even going the speed limit your reaction time is extremely small. Sheriff's deputies were on scene telling traffic to turn around. I lost roughly 30min but that's fine. Now this is where the story gets all sorts of messed up. An hour and a half later I'm headed back home down the same road, opposite direction. There is a car in front of me and as we approach where I thought the downed tree was I see no police lights or maintenance crew lights, just blackness. I slow down to prepare to rubberneck at the damage the tree caused off the road and as I do the car's lights in front of me disappear. She smashed straight into the downed tree. I stopped my vehicle and assisted her, lucky she was completely fine. I left my car's hazard lights on and at least 3 other cars came to a quick stop behind my truck. The scene was extremely dangerous and I felt like someone was going to run over me. With all this said is this policy or did these cops shit the bed for leaving the scene? After 20 minutes a maintenance crew showed up to remove the downed tree but the lady was still there on the phone with 911. I feel bad for not leaving my name with her or getting her name for an attorney friend of mine to at least look into. Should I MYOB or reach out to the local media? |
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That really sucks but they may have had a more urgent call come in that required them immediately.
A couple of road flares might have been a bit more warning but of course someone might have still crashed into the tree and then be sitting on top of burning flares. Or if they rolled around into the tree and started a damn wildfire. That would suck too. Just cant hardly see them leaving it without a good reason though. |
| Where i live the cops would block the road then call the city engineer who would dispatch a tree removal crew. The cops wouldn't move the tree themselves as its cheaper to pay a tree crew that do it 10 times than it is to pay workers comp benefits to an officer out with a low back injury and recruit, train and equip his replacement. |
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Coming from an officer it was very likely a higher priority call.
Sure some cones would have been nice but it is likely they don't have that equipment with them or they might get in trouble for leaving them. Under our old admin I got called in to my captains office because I left 6 plastic cones in the road signalling a water main break, I had to leave to go take a burglary in progress call. Well the cones got stolen prior to me getting back to pick them up and low and behold I got my ass chewed for losing city property. |
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. "That's not a knoife,... THIS is a knoife!" (Crocodile Dundee Voice) 
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Well, I've been on a call for service for a downed tree that blocked half the road.
I arrive, turned my emergency lights on the side that was blocked and waited for the county maintenance guys to show up. If a higher priority call comes up, I would have left. I would have left some road flares, but they would eventually burn out. The road and tree would be in the same circumstance as before I arrived. But you can go ahead and talk to a sergeant or whatever about it. |
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. |
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You're saying they have a chainsaw sitting on the dash? While they drive around? Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. |
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I'm surprised a cone on either side of the tree wasn't left, maybe some miscreant made off with them.
Around here as long as power lines aren't involved, any person living close would go out to the shed, check the oil and gas in the saw and open the road. If it was other than a lodge pole or ponderosa pine, the person cutting would look at it as easily acquired firewood. |
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I even have one on my POV. Don't you? Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. |
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Only one? Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. 
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I even have one on my POV. Don't you? Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. Attached File |
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Cop here.
If I had to GUESS it is possible that the city crews came and relieved the cops and then forgot that they needed some equipment and left to go pick it up. I sat on a down stop sign for an hour the other day and we sit on trees down all the time. Very rarely do we leave as its considered a priority call unless its partially to the side or barely in the road or something like that. |
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Her fault. She shouldn't have driven into the tree. |
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Placedesjardins- Get your meter calibrated. Quoted:
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Not one patrol cop in my department carried a chain saw, it was a medium-sized county police department that was half rural, half suburban. Get your meter calibrated. |
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i guess it's in the water. Quoted:
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You're saying they have a chainsaw sitting on the dash? While they drive around? 
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Did say carried in a "Lockable dash mount". I too have no idea what that means and I'm visualizing a chainsaw mount up by the dash next to a shotgun or AR. Quoted:
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Jesus Christ this place has the derp these days. |
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Sir get you act together this thread is about trees not water. Quoted:
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You're saying they have a chainsaw sitting on the dash? While they drive around? |
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I have one but it's in my trunk. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/309434/PicsArt-05-02-01-200194.JPG |
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Only one? Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. |
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but where do the cops keep the water? Quoted:
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You're saying they have a chainsaw sitting on the dash? While they drive around? 
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First let me describe the scene.... Last night, around 9PM, a large tree fell and blocked both lanes of a dark 2-lane road, speed limit is 45. Trees overlap the road so you really can't see shit at night. Even going the speed limit your reaction time is extremely small. Sheriff's deputies were on scene telling traffic to turn around. I lost roughly 30min but that's fine. Now this is where the story gets all sorts of messed up. An hour and a half later I'm headed back home down the same road, opposite direction. There is a car in front of me and as we approach where I thought the downed tree was I see no police lights or maintenance crew lights, just blackness. I slow down to prepare to rubberneck at the damage the tree caused off the road and as I do the car's lights in front of me disappear. She smashed straight into the downed tree. I stopped my vehicle and assisted her, lucky she was completely fine. I left my car's hazard lights on and at least 3 other cars came to a quick stop behind my truck. The scene was extremely dangerous and I felt like someone was going to run over me. With all this said is this policy or did these cops shit the bed for leaving the scene? After 20 minutes a maintenance crew showed up to remove the downed tree but the lady was still there on the phone with 911. I feel bad for not leaving my name with her or getting her name for an attorney friend of mine to at least look into. Should I MYOB or reach out to the local media? Nope. Or would you rather the two closest cops to you getting stabbed ignore the call because someone may not know how to use their headlights to go around a downed tree? Even if flares were left behind, most chem flares will only last about 10-15 minutes. |
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What kind of Buick is that? Quoted:
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I have one but it's in my trunk. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/309434/PicsArt-05-02-01-200194.JPG (Lacrosse CSX) |
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something something basic speed law something something... If you are going too fast to stop for a road hazard, you are going too fast. or something...
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I think he isn't counting his EDC saw. Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. |
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I think he isn't counting his EDC saw. Quoted:
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Strange, most cops I know carry Sthil chain saws with a 20" bar and an extra chain. They are carried in a lockable dash mount. |