Collision: Witness Statement

Date: October 10th 2024.
Time: 19:03

I was the passenger in a private hire taxi on a journey from Tesco, Clough Street to my home address. The taxi was a Hyundai Ioniq, registration BJ69 WLZ and according to the Lucky 7 App I had used to book the taxi, the driver was named Araya. We were stationary at the traffic lights exiting Tesco. I was looking down at my phone when I heard Araya loudly beep his horn; I glanced up from my phone to see the rear of another vehicle collide into the driver side of the taxi. The entire taxi rocked confirming there was definitely impact.

The other vehicle was a dark Land Rover Discovery, registration ME06 MEG. The Land Rover drove away toward Tesco, meanwhile Araya got out of the taxi. Araya motioned after the Land Rover which did a lap of the roundabout by the petrol station and pulled up beside us. The sole occupant of the Land Rover was the driver, a female with blonde hair, wearing a pink top saying "Enjoy the Process" on the back, and a dark pair of trousers. She initially showed no intent of getting out of her vehicle to acknowledge the incident had occurred and instead was refuting that she had even crashed into the taxi.

Araya insisted that she get out of the vehicle and provide her particulars in respect of the accident. He also pointed out that she should not have driven away from the scene of the incident in the first place. The female continued to insist that she had not been involved in an accident and that there had been no collision at all. After Araya brought her attention to my presence in the rear seat as a witness, she instead changed her attention to dismissing the incident on the basis that there was no apparent damage to the taxi. Araya insisted that regardless of there being no immediately noteworthy damage visible, possibly due to the poor lighting, he still required her details.

The female driver stated that she was not from around this area and had initially made a wrong right turn. This may help explain how she came to reverse into the side of our taxi whilst seemingly attempting a 3-point turn manoeuvre. Araya took a photo of the number plate of the Land Rover and the female driver said she would provide him with her phone number. The female driver then retrieved what appeared to be an iPad from her vehicle and took photographs of the side of the taxi, along with a photo of the front registration.

I could hear the verbal exchange and the female was getting defensive and saying that Araya was talking to her in a manner she did not like. From what I overheard, Araya spoke in a perfectly reasonable manner at all times. After providing details to Araya, the female then got back into the Land Rover and left the scene. Araya then got back into the vehicle and asked for my details as a witness which I provided in his notebook. 

The female drivers details were recorded as Meg Evans along with her phone number.