What to do? after a accident.

newburb_1968

This week I was knocked off my bike, which was caused by a taxi in a que of traffic {at lights} and the passenger swinging the door open on the cycle lane and knocking me flying.
My injuries was a badly cut hand, whiplash, knee and elbow which all hit the door.
There is also some minor damage to my bike, though I have not lifted it out of the car yet to inspect properly.

I have reported the incident to the police, however I am unsure what to do next or what should happen next?

I have been off work for 2 days and proberly will have to travel for a few weeks on the train until my hand heels up and kneck.
Do I try to claim something or not? or should I contact?

tyskie

Whose fault was it? The cabbie, the passenger, bit of both and did you contribute to the incident in any way? If you can establish that someone was negligent then you will be able to claim against them for damage to the bike, injuries and any reasonable out of pocket expenses. The cabbie will have insurance and so if it was their fault you should get in touch with their insurer. If it was the passengers fault then you may have to take them to the small claims court. Are you a member of the CTC as they offer legal advice in these situations?

dondare

I believe that taxis have central door locking controlled by the driver. A passenger cannot just open the door without the driver unlocking it first, so the driver should be taking responsibility. Sue him.

Wynne G Oldman

If you have a crime number (the Police should have issued you with one when you reported the accident), ring the cabbie's insurance company. If not , ring the Police and ask for one. They should be able to verify who was at fault. You should be able to claim off the cabbie's insurance for any damage to your bike, and all of your injuries. I was in a similar incident a couple of months ago. A guy in a car pulled up on yellow zig zags in front of me. I was in my car, and there wasn't much room to get past him, as there was a car parked legally on the other side of the road. As I drove through the gap, the rear passenger opened the door and it scraped along the side of my car, damaging it. The driver admitted responsibility immediately, and we exchanged details. I rang his insurance company after getting a quote for the damage, they sent me a cheque to cover it.

BentMikey

Get in touch with a cycle specialist lawyer NOW. Don't try to do it on your own.

Gambatte

If you were injured and the police weren't called its likely the cabbies committed an offence

PrettyBoyTim

dondare wrote:

I believe that taxis have central door locking controlled by the driver. A passenger cannot just open the door without the driver unlocking it first, so the driver should be taking responsibility. Sue him.

The door locks on taxis are activated by the taxi moving, rather than directly by the taxi driver. Therefore when the taxi is motionless, the driver has no control over the passenger leaving the taxi.