Do I (14m) call the police on my mum’s hit and run?

A 14-year-old user is struggling with a moral dilemma after witnessing his mother’s involvement in a hit-and-run accident. While driving him to school, his mother hit another student who was on a bike, and despite the child’s injuries, she insisted on not reporting the incident.

The user has since seen a photo of the injured student and feels guilty for not taking action. He’s unsure whether to report the incident or stay silent, fearing the consequences for his mother.

‘ Do I (14m) call the police on my mum’s hit and run?’

Mum was driving me to school this week. She was taking a turn and obviously wasn’t looking because she took the turn wide and hit a kid from school who was riding to the bike racks. He was in the other lane that goes the other way. Our car went over him and I heard him yell out.

I don’t like “know” him but he’s in a different year than me. After that happened mum just kept driving. I told her we need to call the police or ambulance or something. Mum just kept saying that he swerved and hit her and that we don’t call the police if we did nothing wrong. She told me to keep quiet and knows i’ll do the right thing.

I saw a photo on insta of him in the hospital and he’s all bruised and looks rough as guts. I’ve just been feeling really bad and it’s like I can’t eat and feel like throwing up. It’s like mum did something really wrong and it feels really bad to not say anything.

I wasn’t even allowed to tell dad about it (but him and mum are divorced and I’m not allowed to tell him lots of things…). If I tell someone, mum will probably get arrested and then it’ll be my fault. I don’t know and want to stop feeling so bad, do I tell on my mum or not?

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

Toincossross −  I’m on team “tell your dad”. This is too big for a 14 year old to deal with, and you need support around this that your mom is incapable of providing. Your dad needs to know all of this, including how you feel and your mom is wrong to tell you not to seek his help.

RunningTrisarahtop −  If your mom is arrested? It’s not your fault. It’s her fault. You tried to tell her. She knew better. She was terrible.. Tell your dad. Ask for his help.

Platypus_Over −  Is anyone else concerned about the “I’m not allowed to tell my dad lots of things” part of OP’s post? It makes me wonder if there are other things the mom does that we don’t know about that may make her unfit to be a parent since she doesn’t want the other parent knowing about them.

It sounds like OP still sees his father and doesn’t have a bad relationship (aside from being required by his mother to hide things from him), so I think we can assume he could stay with him if the mom found out he reported her. I would advise to make an anonymous tip to the police.

It sounds like the hit and run happened right next to the school since the kid who was hit was riding up to the bike racks. Anyone could have seen it out a window from inside the school even if they weren’t outside. Heck, the kid she hit could have recognized OP in the car and reported that it was whoever drives OP to school that hit him.

The possibilities are endless. Whatever happens, don’t blame yourself, OP. Your mom could have prevented anything that happens after this by listening to you that day and pulling over to check on the CHILD she hit to see if he was okay and calling for help. Even if it had happened like she said and he was the one who hit her, it would have still been the right thing to do.

20yearoldwinemum −  Talk to an adult you trust like a school counselor and they can report it on your behalf.

Born_Faithlessness18 −  Maybe try it this way: Go to the police/ call them. Tell them what happened. And ask them to say that it was an anonymous call/ the person won’t be exposed. Imagine yourself in the injured kids situation. What if something worse had happened? If his injuries were so severe that he could have died.

You would have wanted/needed help. And someone running away from the Situation and letting the person „to d**th“ is not acceptable. This is a very dangerous game she is playing. What if it happens again? But more severe? Could you deal with the thought that she has not helped someone who could have survived?

You are not at fault. You won’t be if you call the police. But you will be if you don’t.

GingieB −  You need to do the right thing. Your mum broke the law and this kid could have died.

[Reddit User] −  What do you mean you aren’t “allowed” to tell your dad lots of things??? This sounds like a massive red flag. You should be able to tell your parent whatever you need to. She sounds like she has a lot to hide and you should go to your dad for support instead of bottling it up because your mother doesn’t want to look bad.

Eatthebankers2 −  Your mother turned an accident into a crime. That the kid is in the hospital shows the damage she has done. Her insurance would have covered the medical bills, but now the victims family might be bankrupt if they don’t have decent insurance of their own.

It was selfish of her to expect you to just act like her crime was nothing important. She has no integrity. You obviously do. Tell your father, and ask him what you should do. Your too young to be shouldering this kind of secret on your own.

oysputnik −  Whatever happens to her please know it’s not your fault. I strongly believe you should tell your dad or another adult you trust.