Is getting knocked off inevitable?

Headhuunter

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I didn't have driver's insurance details immediately after my off, I had nothing as I was busy lying on the ground being tended to by an ambulance crew. I phoned the driver the next day and after it became clear that he wouldn't offer me any more than £200 which was about half the value of the bike (which was a full write off), I took his insurance details and went to Russell, Jones & Walker... I think drivers are obliged to hand over their insurance details if asked for them.

Thanks HH! Useful info there! I had to chain my bike up at work, but was thinking of taking it into Cycle Surgery next time I get to it so they can give me a quote for repair. If she refuses to cough up I will insist on her insurance details and get the lawyers on her ass.

A dwarf turned up at one stage, which was very peculiar and had me wondering if I had received a head wound after all.

I know you don't like compensation culture but seriously you stand to gain a few grand from this. Her insurance company may simply cough up like the driver in dhope's did if you insinuate that you may take it further! I think often insurance companies just pay "small claims" off quickly to get them off their books. Yours would be classed as a relatively insignificant, small claim in comparison to car on car smashes which involve extensive repair or replacement of one of the vehicles involved.

jonny_trousers

Headhuunter wrote:

I know you don't like compensation culture but seriously you stand to gain a few grand from this. Her insurance company may simply cough up like the driver in dhope's did if you insinuate that you may take it further! I think often insurance companies just pay "small claims" off quickly to get them off their books. Yours would be classed as a relatively insignificant, small claim in comparison to car on car smashes which involve extensive repair or replacement of one of the vehicles involved.

Thanks! Will I not need to report it to the police as a RTA in that case too?

Valy

Ouch.. hope you get better OP.

Yesterday I was just out riding and there was a van in [pretty much stationary] traffic who suddenly and quickly pulled out from the inside lane just before a roundabout to an outside to make a u turn via the roundabout - I was only a few meters behind him as he did that. A camera would have been good for sure, though it was pretty dark.

dondare

Accidents aren't inevitable if you cycle nor are they guarenteed avoidable if you don't. Thousands of people don't cycle but still get injured in road accidents and most cyclists live to a fit and healthy old age.

jonny_trousers

It turns out the motorist who hit me reported it to the local police station and her insurance company last night. I guess I was lucky to be hit by a responsible (if stupid) individual.

Valy

Wonder if you are the first person that happened to?

jonny_trousers

Valy wrote:

Wonder if you are the first person that happened to?

Wouldn't surprise me. I guess it might help that she was a police officer and maybe was given advice back at work. It wouldn't have looked good on her record if things had got messy. Still, time will tell. I'll see what her insurance company has to say.

Thanks again for all the advice and positive wishes ladies and gents.

Valy

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Valy wrote:

Wonder if you are the first person that happened to?

Wouldn't surprise me. I guess it might help that she was a police officer and maybe was given advice back at work. It wouldn't have looked good on her record if things had got messy. Still, time will tell. I'll see what her insurance company has to say.

Thanks again for all the advice and positive wishes ladies and gents.

Ooooh, right - missed that bit. :P

dilemna

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Valy wrote:

Wonder if you are the first person that happened to?

Wouldn't surprise me. I guess it might help that she was a police officer and maybe was given advice back at work. It wouldn't have looked good on her record if things had got messy. Still, time will tell. I'll see what her insurance company has to say.

Thanks again for all the advice and positive wishes ladies and gents.

Crikey you've a lot to learn mate. Hope you heal soon though.

Get down to your GP asap to get your injuries assessed and whether you need remedial treatment. Take pics of your injuries or get some one else to. Keep a dairy of your daily pain and suffering. Then make your own complaint to the fuzz about this driver, it was a Mini driver afer all, they are all ^&$£s drivers Mini drivers. I suspect she reported it as she is fully aware of the law, being a WPC, which requires a collision to be reported to the police where another party suffers injury within 24hours. Strangley cyclists don't have to comply with this. I bet the WPC is crapping herself to make sure she does everything by the book as if she doesn't there would be a lot of mileage in you making a complaint to the IPCC. Did she not offer assistance to you once she realised she had knocked you down? Did she not want to call an ambulance/paramedic for you?

There may well be CCTV which caught the collision. Then contact LCC for details of their solicitors Levenes I think or CycleAid Simon Holt & Co solicitors or Alyson France solicitors to start your claim for repairs/replacement/compensation for injuries against her insurers. Therer is no point going the cash in your back pocket route. The value of your claim is probably several thousand pounds she won't want to pay that which is why she has insurance.

Take your bike to a decent bike shop for damage assessment and quote for repairs eg Condor. I don't know what your bike is or where you got it, but you want to make sure it is still safe and good to ride if repaired or whether there is something more serious wrong with it like a cracked or twisted frame. The front forks or bars could have taken more of a knock than you realise meaning they are slightly bent or weakened making your bike potentially very dangerous ............

Don't lose the contact details of the witlesses. And DO NOT GET BACK ON ANY BIKE TOO SOON, NOT LEAST BEFORE YOUR ARE FULLY RECOVERED.

_Brun_

_Brun_ wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

What I want to know is, why were Brun and Woodford awake at that hour of the morning :shock: Insomnia?

Didn't get home from work till midnight. Bought a bottle of wine on the way back and was winding down for a couple of hours before bed.

Quite tired today, probably have to do it again tonight as well.

As predicted, this is my groundhog night.

jonny_trousers

dilemna wrote:

Crikey you've a lot to learn mate. Hope you heal soon though.

Get down to your GP asap to get your injuries assessed and whether you need remedial treatment. Take pics of your injuries or get some one else to. Keep a dairy of your daily pain and suffering. Then make your own complaint to the fuzz about this driver, it was a Mini driver afer all, they are all ^&$£s drivers Mini drivers. I suspect she reported it as she is fully aware of the law, being a WPC, which requires a collision to be reported to the police where another party suffers injury within 24hours. Strangley cyclists don't have to comply with this. I bet the WPC is crapping herself to make sure she does everything by the book as if she doesn't there would be a lot of mileage in you making a complaint to the IPCC. Did she not offer assistance to you once she realised she had knocked you down? Did she not want to call an ambulance/paramedic for you?

There may well be CCTV which caught the collision. Then contact LCC for details of their solicitors Levenes I think or CycleAid Simon Holt & Co solicitors or Alyson France solicitors to start your claim for repairs/replacement/compensation for injuries against her insurers. Therer is no point going the cash in your back pocket route. The value of your claim is probably several thousand pounds she won't want to pay that which is why she has insurance.

Take your bike to a decent bike shop for damage assessment and quote for repairs eg Condor. I don't know what your bike is or where you got it, but you want to make sure it is still safe and good to ride if repaired or whether there is something more serious wrong with it like a cracked or twisted frame. The front forks or bars could have taken more of a knock than you realise meaning they are slightly bent or weakened making your bike potentially very dangerous ............

Don't lose the contact details of the witlesses. And DO NOT GET BACK ON ANY BIKE TOO SOON, NOT LEAST BEFORE YOUR ARE FULLY RECOVERED.

Thanks mate. Really useful advice there. I've already done much of what you suggest and I am now on the case with the rest. I don't know whether I am a unique kind of idiot in this, but I sometimes have to fight the "accidents-will-happen" urge and not want to cause trouble, but let's face it, this woman (a trained WPC who should no better) could have caused me some really serious damage just because she couldn't be arsed checking to her left. I totally agree with what you say about my bike too: even if the obvious damage can be fixed, structurally it will surely be less strong than it once was (It's an upgraded Pearson Touche worth over a grand new).

Anyway, cheers and I wish everyone a safe riding weekend.

ooermissus

Surely the police should be considering a prosecution.

jonny_trousers

Just a quick follow up. Thanks again to those who have offered such great advice. I have spoken to a CTC recommended solicitor and she is setting the wheels in motion for a claim against the driver's insurance company. When she was taking down the details of the event she was very pleased to hear I was wearing a helmet, a high viz jacket and had quality lights fitted. Another good reason to wear the right gear even if people want to question how much safety it actually offers: it shows we are taking our responsibility to be seen seriously.

I have been asked to take my bike into a reputable shop for damage assessment and wondered if anyone had any thoughts. I live near Crystal Palace so there is Brixton Cycles not far away and I work near Holborn so I could always take it to Cycle Surgery or Condor (I've always fancied getting the pipe and slippers on and riding a Condor so maybe it would be a good opportunity to have a chat with them). Any thoughts?

jonny_trousers

Well I cycled in today for the first time since the accident and I absolutely loved it! Brixton Cycles have done up my old Fuji a treat and it now rides like a dream. I wasn't especially nervous or overly cautious, which is great, but I did have to hold my pride in check when I was scalped on a couple of occasions.

I've gone back to using a freewheel on the SS, which felt a bit weird to begin with, but I think I will ultimately prefer it for city riding. The flat pedals have got to go, though, as not being clipped in felt bloody awful. A few times, as I set off from a stop, my feet left the pedals completely as I obviously used the pulling motion more than I realised. Nearly new pair of MKS's anyone?

Thanks so much to those of you who offered advice shortly after the crash. The compensation claim is ongoing and the police were as quick to dismiss the case as you suggested they would be. My left knee still clicks with every step and I still experience pain in both knees at times. Last night I had the pleasure of cramp in my left knee, which was a pure joy, as I'm sure you can imagine. My guilt at asking for compensation disappeared long ago. Sure, it could have been so much worse, but I’m still suffering discomfort two months on simply because someone who should have known better couldn't be arsed to check her mirrors. I had Condor do a crash assessment on my bike and they came up with a figure of £500 plus for repairs.

Anyway, cheers all and here's to incident-free cycling!