The wrecking In Port-Of-Spain!

[BrotherHood]

Yes folks. I was just a witness to a wrecking. It took place on the corner of Shine and Sydney Streets in POS. For those of you that be unfamiliar with where this is, it is south of Victoria Square & Duke Street west.
I had just safely and legally parked my vehicle. As I was coming out my vehicle, the wrecker pulled up. The car they stopped by was in my view, parked legally, i.e well clear of the corner. Is it 8ft from a corner? Confirm or correct me on this please. However, there were not any guidelines (white or yellow markings) to indicate where it is safe to park with relation to distance from a corner.

So the wrecker pulled up. The driver and police officer got out with measuring tape. They both measured the distance of the car from the corner. After seeing that the car was not well away enough from the corner, they proceeded to wreck the vehicle. Apparently, it is not wise to visually average that you have safely parked away from a corner.

 

[anthonemorris]

Its actually 9ft from a corner. Also I realise that they don't measure from the exact corner ( the point where the corner comes to a point) but from the start of the curve which is almost a foot less in some cases. Also they measure to bumper, not the wheels.

 

[LadyDeath]

oh man i saw this twice happening. Yes i think its 9ft from a corner. Some corners actually have a white line from where the 9ft stops so that citizens know where exactly to park. Guess it wasn't their lucky day . :/

 

[BrotherHood]

Its actually 9ft from a corner. Also I realise that they don't measure from the exact corner ( the point where the corner comes to a point) but from the start of the curve which is almost a foot less in some cases. Also they measure to bumper, not the wheels.

Ok, well first time I have witnessed this.
The 9ft from the corner is supposed to be measured from the wheels? I always thought it was from the tip of the front bumper. That is where the officer and wrecker driver measured from yesterday.

 

[Saxman642]

oh man i saw this twice happening. Yes i think its 9ft from a corner. Some corners actually have a white line from where the 9ft stops so that citizens know where exactly to park. Guess it wasn't their lucky day . :/

Don't trust those while line markers. I have heard of people being towed despite being parked behind the markers. When they check, it is because the marker was incorrectly placed.

Even then fancy new yellow markers I not trusting.

My only question is: if those markers are intended to tell the public that its location is 9 meters (27 feet!) from a corner and you are still towed, can you sue the state for negligence?

 

[LadyDeath]

True! On the other hand, if it wasn't port of Spain and i got a ticket, i would of contest it in court.

 

[admin]

oh man i saw this twice happening. Yes i think its 9ft from a corner. Some corners actually have a white line from where the 9ft stops so that citizens know where exactly to park. Guess it wasn't their lucky day . :/

Don't trust those while line markers. I have heard of people being towed despite being parked behind the markers. When they check, it is because the marker was incorrectly placed.

Even then fancy new yellow markers I not trusting.

My only question is: if those markers are intended to tell the public that its location is 9 meters (27 feet!) from a corner and you are still towed, can you sue the state for negligence?

How are you to prove that, the only think you can do is talk pictures of your vehicle before the vehicle was wrecked and not after on the spot. So whenever you park in Port-Of-Spain you need to take Photos of the location with you number plates clearing being seen and time stamps on the pics.

 

[Saxman642]

To be honest, admin, I have photographed my parking on many few occasions when I park as the nearest vehicle to the corner. Plus my dash cam records even when parked...

 

[admin]

To be honest, admin, I have photographed my parking on many few occasions when I park as the nearest vehicle to the corner. Plus my dash cam records even when parked...

I remember you have dash cams installed, in that case you should be about to have an compelling case. I taught some time ago the Mayor of Port-Of-Spain Mr Raymond Tim Kee, Said that he will be stopping the wrecking and he don't bluff?

 

[admin]

So the wrecking saga continues wonder who will be a victim of this again.

 

[BrotherHood]

I get take bout 3 times last year. None ah dat in 2015 na

 

[admin]

This is one of the vehicles that the wreckers wrecked, shameful because its a non functional vehicle and just to make 20 dollars a vehicle the police wrecked it. This should highlighted and stopped.

 

[LadyDeath]

wtf! so they wrecking derelict vehicles now just to make change. What are they gaining from that! Now the car has to park up in the yard there for what? Picking up space! This has reached to a whole different level now. Them so Piperish !

 

[nirtime]

I have almost been wrecked. I was parked alongside one of the streets where parking is permitted, in September 2014. I was in the car at the time and a White Mitsubishi Canter with the Intruder Self Loader bed pulls up next to me and starts to drop his boom. I looked at him in his face and when he saw I was in the car he drove off and raised the boom.
I'm unsure as to whether there was a police officer in the vehicle or not but I had the dash cam running and I was willing to take my phone out and record if needed.(Didn't have the 4wd to follow V2nr 3.0)

I was not parked illegally, not close to a corner, not close to a fire hydrant, no obstruction, nothing of that sort.

Also, are there any laws governing towing damages such as those caused by towing an all wheel drive(AWD = full time 4wd) vehicle and burning up one of the diffs and causing other damages?

At that point, my Corolla Altis had the factory body kit installed and while it was quite high, I have to wonder if these idiots can operate the boom without hitting something.

I really feel that these official wreckers should be marked because anyone can buy a white Canter and drop an Intruder or Vulcan Self Loader bed on the back and nobody would really know the difference. Also, with the way things are in Trinidad, these crooks will mark the times the wreckers work and they will make fake plates to match the official wreckers and come out during off peak times and nick a few.

 

[nirtime]

I have absolutely no problems with persons who break the law being wrecked. My concern is how it is done. Who is to be held accountable if your vehicle is damaged in the process.

My Story:

A couple months ago - I was in the POS area just outside Nicholas Towers in my van parked with the AC on. A wreck-car pulls in front of me and I am observing them closely. The unit reverses and two men jump out grabbing chains and proceeding to hook me up. So i blow the horn and indicate to the police that I am in the vehicle....the men continue to attach the chains and hook to my vehicle and proceeds to begin reeling me in. I locked in the 4-wd and stomp on the accelerator - the power of my van jerked the whole wreck-car backwards and burst the cable and chain. I came out my van - unattached what was there and drove off.

What kind of van you had with that immense power bro? Thats quite a story to tell and you gave me an idea, thanks!