SUV Hit: Frame By Frame

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Irish Water protesters surrounding an SUV after it mounted the pavement and hit a lone pedestrian, by Butt Bridge in Dublin city centre yesterday

Further to our earlier post of a video showing an SUV mounting the pavement and striking an Irish Water charge protester before speeding off with another person on the bonnet in Dublin city centre yesterday, Kevin Des Keane – who witnessed the incident and took pictures – writes:

“It happened on Butt Bridge around 3:15pm. A silver SUV (Landrover?) mounted the footpath from behind the lorry. When it got to one of the 30-odd protester that were slow marching at that junction on the road and path, the SUV, after what looked like a brief start/stop situation, didn’t stop and knocked him over. As that was happening more people realised what was going and went towards the SUV. It then continued through with one person on its bonnet a few meters who was also in its way. He managed to get off with being run over and the jeep left the scene on past the Customs House. The first man was taken away by an ambulance. I don’t think he was hurt too bad but both were definitely very lucky. It could have been really bad.”

These are Kevin’s pictures and captions:

20141210 Water Protest 1

This was taken 3 mins before the incident. Everyone young and old were in good spirits. You can see the lorry behind her. From behind the lorry the jeep mounted the footpath.

20141210 Water Protest 3

Second man on bonnet as jeep tried to come off the footpath onto the road.

20141210 Water Protest 4

First man on the ground immediately after being hit by SVU. You can see the position and the distance the SUV had to travel on the footpath to reach the first protester it hit.

20141210 Water Protest 5

First man being treated by paramedics 10 minutes after the incident. Again, more perspective of the footpath and distanced travelled by the jeep.

Out and about (Kevin Des Keane)

Previously: Law & Order SUV

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94 thoughts on “SUV Hit: Frame By Frame

  1. Rep

    SUV driver probably temporarily forgot that he/she was in a car and not on his/her bike when he/she mounted the footpath and blazed through a load of pedestrians.

        1. Rep

          Except the cyclists, they hate pedestrians, drivers and other cyclists. As well as cyclists, drivers also hate other drivers and pedestrians. Pedestrians are generally oblivious to every things. Therefore, pedestrians are the worst.

    1. James

      Looks like protesters forgot they’re out of their cars and shouldn’t be on the road, in fairness…

  2. Conski

    A friend (mum of 3 under 6) was going to collect eldest from school, with the others in tow yesterday and had ‘shame on you…’ etc etc shouted at her. This was apparently for not marching.

    1. DoM

      Well in fairness how DARE she go about her daily life as if the imposition of €3 per week won’t bring it to a shuddering halt! Doesn’t she realise that you can’t just pay €3 a week from the loose change in the bottom of your pocket!!?

  3. andrias

    Illegally blocking traffic, someone lost it and tried to get out of there. “protesters” acted like shites and driver lost the rag. Both sides at fault, certainly not just the driver. Mob mentality, feck the lot of them.

    1. Artemis

      certainty not just the driver

      Hang on a minute.. Flesh and bones V big chunk of steel..
      Hmmm, yeah the driver is always at fault.

      Lose your rag and get out of your car and swing your handbag if you want to, but losing the rag and trying to roll someone over makes you a homicidal maniac to most reasonable people.

      1. well

        “Flesh and bones V big chunk of steel..”

        you’d think the protestors would have copped that before stepping into traffic.

        1. Mark Dennehy

          Wasn’t the SUV on the pavement?

          And I have to go reread the rules of the road, I missed the bit that says we’re allowed run down people who break the law. I tell you, next mouthbreather who dives across three lanes on the M50 and causes people to emergency brake in order to get to the slip lane they should have been in a mile back – that fella’s in for a surprise when he finally parks and gets out of his car!

          1. italia'90

            There should be 6 points for that one! So many fcuknuts on the road these days or am I just meeting more of them lately?

      2. andrias

        Driver certainly at fault. But question is are there mitigating factors. Did they feel threatened by protestors? Were they surrounded and took what to them was the only way out? Yes they fled, who knows what their mental state was at the time but I welcome the gardai investigation.

        Both sides fupped up.

        1. Mark Dennehy

          Nope, no mitigation. Driver’s in a two-ton vehicle, pedestrians aren’t. Nobody’s rocking the car or shooting at it or trying to set it on fire or trying to drag the driver out to eat their brains. Driver has brakes and accelerator and chose to use the latter. Driver is wholly at fault.

    2. Mark Dennehy

      “driver lost the rag. Both sides at fault”

      I think you might find that the Road Traffic Act does somewhat disagree with your evaluation of liability there…

      1. Nessy

        Here here! That’s a hit and run regardless of whether the SUV hit a protester or an innocent bystander standing on the pavement

    3. martco

      OK ILL BITE…

      BOTH AT FAULT?

      IF THIS ACCOUNT IS ACCURATE THERES ZERO ZERO ZERO JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS

      SO ITS OK TO MOUNT THE FOOTPATH TO BYPASS A JAM OR A PROTEST OR ANY OBSTRUCTION BECAUSE IT DISRUPTS THE SCHEDULE? PLACING PEDESTRIANS IN DANGER OF SERIOUS INJURY?

      DO YOU THINK A 2 TON JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE IS A SOFT TOY?

      GO BACK TO CLASS PLEASE, YOUVE GOT YOUR JUNIOR CERT TO THINK ABOUT

      TOOL

      1. Jaff

        Eh…shout much?! Ha, boom!!
        Fun fact, if you highlight your text and hold Shift + F3, it will change those pesky caps to lower case…..just sayin…..shouty mcshouterson

          1. John

            On the internet writing in all caps is considered to be either shouting or the sign of someone who normally does their writing in crayon.
            I think Jaff was giving you the benefit of the doubt here.

        1. Rob_G

          I discovered SHIFT + F3 rather late, and I have to say that it has made such a positive change in my life.

  4. mike freaney

    Was stuck there in traffic yesterday and can understand frustrations of people trying to work while layabouts have the day off on their jollies ‘protesting’ .

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      I went in after work – there was no event from 4-7pm as was quoted by a number of sources. People had already dispersed and were in bars etc. Both Merrion Street and Kildare Street were closed to both traffic and pedestrians and there was a heavy Garda presence – on horses, on foot, paddy wagons etc. The traffic was an absolute nightmare and it took me 3 hours to travel home the 3km – I know I wasn’t the only one. This protest was nothing to do with working people – didn’t even address USC as was promised.

  5. f-mong

    So no one else posting here so far is slightly horrified that one conscious sober and sentient human being drove their jeep straight at another human being, they could plainly see with their own eyes, in broad daylight on a footpath in the middle of the cities capital.. no one? really? nothing?

    1. Ciarán

      I don’t think any body drove over anybody see: the report itself says the guy was hardly hurt. More likely he was bumped badly into by the car and then fell or threw himself onto the ground. Ok, still not acceptable but lets keep our language realistic here. If you saw someone who was ‘driven over’ you would know it.

  6. Jam

    ‘everyone was in good spirits’ even the people in cars being prevented from going home? what is that supposed to achieve? If you mess people around like that, some will overreact.

    1. 15 cents

      but this protester was on the path. the jeep drove down the path and milled thru him. if u think hurting someone because ur being slowed down is ok, then you’ve no sense of humanity.

  7. Stephanenny

    For me the people at this protest were well meaning but imo, misguided. The protest could have been planned and handled better as well as having clearer objective – but that’s definitely difficult on such a large scale without people from a unifying organisation like USI running the show.

    But if you’re the kind of person who thinks it’s ok to drive your SUV into a crowd of people, hit one, drive several feet with someone on your bonnet and then drived off at speed – you should be on some kind of watch list.

    However much you begrudge sitting in traffic for an hour driving your car into a group of people is a completely insane reaction – not an overreaction.

    1. Nessy

      Stephanenny you’ve probably made one of the most robust and logical comment on here:

      Driving your car into a group of people is a completely insane reaction

    2. andrias

      Or terrified out off your mind. Once they hit the person, mob formed and driver freaked further I would imagine. Man on top of bonnet screaming at driver. You gtfo of that scene. Are they at fault hell yes but not solely.

      1. Nessy

        The protesters were on the road. The SUV mounted a footpath and went bumper first into pedestrians.. I cannot believe that people are making the SUV driver out to be a victim here!?

        Lets put it in a different context:

        It’s lunchtime in a capital city. There’s an obstruction on the road, road is blocked. An SUV illegally mounts a footpath and drives at pedestrians. Knocks one over. One other is on the bonnet. People on pavement and surrounding area run towards the SUV and are shouting at the SUV as they have just witnessed a criminal road rage incident where someone could be potentially dead or seriously injured. SUV drives off without stopping having knocked down two pedestrians.

        I cannot see how the SUV driver is a victim in this when they are the ones having committed a serious traffic offence. What if one of the bodies mowed over by the SUV was a child’s? Would people still be taking the driver’s side? Everyone in or around town was inconvenienced by the protest but this kind of manic road rage cannot be turned around no matter how inconvenienced drivers and commuters were.

        1. andrias

          I am blaming both sides. Driver will certainly have a wee chat with the gardai, as will some of the protesters.

          1. Lorcan Nagle

            You are blaming both sides. But it’s still the driver that’s at fault according to the Rules of the Road.

          2. rory

            Why are the protesters at fault? This protest was well signposted. i.e. Everybody knew this event was going to happen well in advance and that it was going to be absolutely massive.

            i.e.Can’t really fathom the people surprised at the sprawling crowds and upset by the traffic congestion. I’m surprised said drivers didn’t realise well in advance that there would be major traffic disruption on the day.

  8. Just sayin'

    What was the point of deliberately blocking traffic? Obviously the SUV driver was in the wrong. That doesn’t make illegally blocking bridges and thereby attempting to bring the city to a halt anymore laudable.

    1. JollyRoger

      I agree. Traffic is bad enough in Dublin with out bridges being blocked. If have probably done the same thing. Then called the cops from somewhere else to admit responsibility for the idiot that got in the way.

      1. Timbot

        Too true . Forget about political action, lets get back to the order of the day; the worship of mammon. I mean, did you know that after the 1916 rising the post was late for days? As if the irish postal system wasn’t under enough pressure at the time already.

  9. Pete Crenshaw

    Ok so the driver got annoyed and couldnt take it so tried to move on via the path. Now that means the protestors were on the road. So why didnt they just let the jeep go by and not try to stand in front of it or jump on it?
    If i was on the path and saw a jeep coming towards me the first thing id do is get out of the way, not jump in front of it or on it. Regardless of what the pedestrian was there for or the driver being on the path.

    Also, if it was supposed to be a peaceful protest why were they annoying the hell out of the drivers using the roads. Why not just stand on the paths and shout their chants and wave their signs. They would get alot more support that way than slowing down the city traffic.

    Both at fault. And there is no footage of the jeep moving out from behind the truck so who knows, maybe a protestor was causing trouble or threatening the driver. Maybe there was a passenger in the car who needed medical attention, pregnant women??? – all highly unlikely but until there is full footage available nobody can say for definite who is at fault.

      1. italia'90

        A little perspective and critical thinking here please.
        Now read this part s l o w l y… a 2500kg SUV illegally drove onto the pathn and deliberately drove at pedestrians and protesters alike.
        I’ve reported lesser offences to the garda traffic 1-800 hotline.

    1. Kev

      No Peat, no protestor was within 10 meters of the SUV or its line of sight and it mounted the kerb on its own accord. If it didn’t come from behind the lorry, where did it come from? The images at the very least give the starting position of everyone there, protestors and traffic. The first image of the woman in the wheelchair, or ‘lay-about’ as someone commented, was taken 3 mins before hand and was reflective of the peaceful but defiant nature of the people who had halted traffic.

      1. Gav D

        The people were acting the bollocks Kev.

        While I don’t condone what the SUV driver did, they were trying to provoke an action. It seems very sour grapes to play the poor mouth about when they get what they wanted.

        1. Kev

          ‘Acting the bollix’, like by mounting a footpath in a 2 ton machine, ploughing through two people and then speeding away from the scene of the serious accident. You need to prioritise what just what ‘acting the bollix’ is. Just because you don’t like people slow marching as a tactic doesn’t mean you can re-wright the law and what constitures attempted murder, never mind a hit and run. Deal with the big issues here first and then work your way down to the like of public order issues and how far civil disobidence can be pushed. I was there for the whole thing and no one was acting the bollix other than slow marching around in circles. You don’t have to agree with that but what the SVU did was violently criminal. He was very lucky he didn’t murder two citizens

          1. DoM

            Nobody is really condoning what the SUV driver did. At the same time there is severely limited sympathy for protesters who decided to trap commuters, in some cases for hours, for their own political purposes.

            Undoubtedly the driver is a lunatic, but how about you stop going out of your way to provoke lunatics? You’re putting everyone in harms way with that kind of bollox-acting!

          2. Dave

            How did “slow marching around in circles” (aka. blocking the road) contribute to the protest aimed at the government against water charges?

            If the protestors were “slow marching in circles” in the road, wouldn’t the path have been clear?? The driver most likely saw this, and a way out of the stupid traffic jam you idiots caused, by mounting the pavement to turn right.

            Then, one of your militants realised there was a car slipping through the net and jumped in front to stop it… And, like all idiots who jump in front of cars, he was hit….

            After that, can you then deny that a mob was forming around the vehicle?
            In that situation, I’m sure the driver believed he was about to be lunched by a group of mindless idiots, and he high-tailed it out of there.

            You were protesting in an area that contributed nothing to the cause with the sole purpose of causing inconvenience, disruption and delay to the very people you claim to be protesting and speaking for.
            You were all acting irresponsibly in an attempt to disrupt and provoke… You got it, and at the same time, lost a lot of support for your cause through your collective idiotic actions (likewise with the idiots on O’Connell Bridge)

          3. Gav D

            Kev, no-one here is agreeing with what the driver did.

            But I stand by my point. You can’t go around being deliberately provocative, and then act the martyr when you successfully provoke a reaction (even if the reaction is as over the top as this one).

            Its pure juvenile – like children fighting in the back of the car.

  10. yoji

    Guy in the car hit someone and was involved in a road accident and didn’t stay at the scene. That along puts him in a bad place.

    Hit and run can be quite serious. He’ll also most likely be sued by the people involved.

    Stupid decision is going to cost him both legally and financially. Stupid stupid stupid.

    Your opinion of the protestors and their cause became meaningless once he mounted the path, hit someone and drove away.

      1. yoji

        Very well could have. It’s happened before. May have made a stupid decision to mount the path and then when that went wrong though he was in trouble with the people around and feared for his life so took off.

        Needs to go to the guards and talk to them. Going to be tied up with legal and insurance problems for a long time one way or the other.

      2. Barry the Hatchet

        As someone who deals with RTAs quite a lot, I can confirm that (a) “freaking out” is not a legitimate defence in law; and (b) failing to leap out of the way when a car unexpectedly drives towards you on the footpath is not contributory negligence.

    1. Pete Crenshaw

      The same goes for the protestors, once they mounted the road…..
      You didnt read all my post either. So if the driver or a passenger needed medical help he should just stay in his jeep and wait for the protest to finish…utter rubbish. Why didnt the pedestrian get out of the way??? He knew by standing infront of a moving vechicle he could be hit.
      Yes i agree, the driver should have stopped after hitting the person but the discussion is why did the driver mount the path and why didnt the “peaceful” protestors get out of the way?

      1. Shanti

        If the person in the car needed medical help they could call 999. By the looks of things the paramedics got there in a reasonable amount of time for the person who was injured. It does not excuse mounting the pavement and ploughing through pedestrians.

        1. Pete Crenshaw

          yes of course they could have called 999 but what if they didnt have a mobile or battery was dead? It could have been an doctor oncall going to an urgent call out. Im saying there could have been some sort of reason the driver had to get out of the line of blocked traffic and on to somewhere else urgently. Its a possibility. Anyone who is on the side of the protestors here assume the jeep drove into the people, maybe the people jumped in front of the jeep. Therefore regardless of the jeep being on the path or not, it shows that the protest was not peaceful and the protestors whated to cause trouble. Like its said many times above, if you stand/jump in front of a moving car your gonna be hit.
          Maybe that will knock a bit of sence into him anyway.

  11. Mr. T.

    The driver committed a number of traffic offenses there so I assume this will be followed up. There needs to be a complaint made to the Garda and then they will arrest and charge. The evidence is there.

    It’s irrelevant that the protesters were blocking traffic. That wouldn’t even be entered in any defense for driving a large car onto a footpath and into people, before driving off and leaving the scene.

  12. Father Filth

    Protestors carrying tricolours at a water charge protest. That would worry you, from the other side of the jeep window..

    A sizeable group of you would be bathing in the glow of ‘internet Schadenfreude’ had the vehicle driver got their head kicked in.

    Whing whinge fupping whinge.

    Some of us don’t have a problem paying water charges (family originate from Europe), but personally, do have a problem with the reality that Irish Water seems to exist as a well feathered nest for various political cronies. A strong whiff of Eircom off the whole thing.

    No investment and a big fupp you the day after the next election.

  13. gertrude

    i’m only saying like

    i’m pretty sure it was joan burton behind the wheel

    she was getting flash backs and lashed out

    that’s what i heard anyway

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