Catapulted over car bonnet this morning.

Bustacapp

So I was riding along at about 18mph when some blurt decided he didn't see me and pulled out of a side road and directly into my path. I duly collided with said blurts vehicle and was flung across the bonnet and into the road in front of oncoming vehicles. Fortunately said oncoming vehicles slowed down (presumably to prepare their smartphones to capture images which could be uploaded to liveleak), and in their disappointment that I was still breathing they then drove off. I was then left at the roadside with the blurt apologizing for 'simply not seeing me'. He gave me his number and address and off he went. My bike was a bit bent - the brake hood was wrenched 90 degrees, handlebar was off centre and the rear wheel is slightly buckled. I've managed to put most things right here on the works carpark, but the front brake assembly is too loose and can be swung from side to side. Anyone know what I need to do to tighten this up before my journey home after work?

il_principe

First things first. You need to report this to the police and get an incident number.
Then get yourself checked by a Dr,then get the bike properly checked. You may feel fine now, but things will probably start to hurt later on today.

If the bike or you are damaged then the driver's insurance should pay up.

Similar thing happened to me a few years back. I was unlucky and ended up with a broken collarbone which required 2 ops and months off the bike. Driver was prosecuted and I ended up with a lump sum payment.

bornagainroadie

The brakes will pivot on a bolt that runs through the top of the forks. You need to tighten that up. Though I would check to make sure that the bolt hasnt become loose due to forces applied to it and bending something.

When I ended up spread-eagled on the side of a panel van,similar circumstances, I had what appeared to be light damage to the bike but shortly afterwards the carbon forks started to seperate from the aluminum steerer and I had to replace the forks.

Nice to see you are more concerned about the damage to your bike than to yourself

Good luck
Nick

veronese68

First off, glad you're not badly hurt.
I agree with all points above. If the brake has come loose as a result of this something has been damaged and I would check everything very carefully. Tightening the bolt may give a temporary fix, but whatever has caused it to become loose could get worse and allow it to come loose again.

DrLex

Ouch! Sorry to read your news; please digest this useful thread, but police, doctor and LBS ought to be on your "contact today" list.

rubertoe

The Police should have been called to the scene straight away, this is a motor accident - the guy could of been drunk.

Always call the police in case of a motor vehicle accident.

Other than that - what IP said.

Bustacapp

Il Principe wrote:

First things first. You need to report this to the police and get an incident number.
Then get yourself checked by a Dr,then get the bike properly checked. You may feel fine now, but things will probably start to hurt later on today.

If the bike or you are damaged then the driver's insurance should pay up.

Similar thing happened to me a few years back. I was unlucky and ended up with a broken collarbone which required 2 ops and months off the bike. Driver was prosecuted and I ended up with a lump sum payment.

This all sounds very well and good. However I have been the victim of someone else's neglicence before and spent a lot of time and energy chasing the guys insurance etc to the point where it consumed far too much of my precious time and the end result was I got nothing. In fact I ended up losing out for my troubles !! (long story, minor car accident).

What about I phone a no-win no-fee solicitor, pass on the phone number/address and let them do all the hard work? Bear in mind there are no witnesses.

Bustacapp

Veronese68 wrote:

First off, glad you're not badly hurt.
Tightening the bolt may give a temporary fix, but whatever has caused it to become loose could get worse and allow it to come loose again.

I will be checking the bike over at lunchtime but was thinking that perhaps the g-forces involved in the crash caused the brakes to become loose?

il_principe

Bustacapp wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

First things first. You need to report this to the police and get an incident number.
Then get yourself checked by a Dr,then get the bike properly checked. You may feel fine now, but things will probably start to hurt later on today.

If the bike or you are damaged then the driver's insurance should pay up.

Similar thing happened to me a few years back. I was unlucky and ended up with a broken collarbone which required 2 ops and months off the bike. Driver was prosecuted and I ended up with a lump sum payment.

This all sounds very well and good. However I have been the victim of someone else's neglicence before and spent a lot of time and energy chasing the guys insurance etc to the point where it consumed far too much of my precious time and the end result was I got nothing. In fact I ended up losing out for my troubles !! (long story, minor car accident).

What about I phone a no-win no-fee solicitor, pass on the phone number/address and let them do all the hard work? Bear in mind there are no witnesses.

That's what I did. I used Levenes who specialise in Cycling anyway. Took ages but was worth it in the end.

Bustacapp

Il Principe wrote:

That's what I did. I used Levenes who specialise in Cycling anyway. Took ages but was worth it in the end.

Just worried that since there are no witnesses, who's to stop this guy trying to turn it around and say I've damaged his car? This happened in a bit of a redneck area and I wouldn't be surprised if the guy got a mate to say he witnessed it and said it was my fault. Sounds very negative but as I mentioned earlier, I've been stung by liars before when it comes to insurance and no witnesses (accident went 50/50). I've a lot going on in my life at the mo, and could do without any unnecessary stress.

I appreciate your advice by the way.

markhewitt1978

Unfortunately the way the system works, the other guy can make up any old obviously BS story but because it's "your word against his" then it goes 50/50.

il_principe

Bustacapp wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

That's what I did. I used Levenes who specialise in Cycling anyway. Took ages but was worth it in the end.

Just worried that since there are no witnesses, who's to stop this guy trying to turn it around and say I've damaged his car? This happened in a bit of a redneck area and I wouldn't be surprised if the guy got a mate to say he witnessed it and said it was my fault. Sounds very negative but as I mentioned earlier, I've been stung by liars before when it comes to insurance and no witnesses (accident went 50/50). I've a lot going on in my life at the mo, and could do without any unnecessary stress.

I appreciate your advice by the way.

At the very least you should report the collision (driver may have previous) and get a Doc to check you out.

Bustacapp

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Unfortunately the way the system works, the other guy can make up any old obviously BS story but because it's "your word against his" then it goes 50/50.

Exactly what I'm worried about. The guy doesn't have my details so if I report it and make it official then I could lose out. I should have tried to snag a witness but honestly I don't think any were available. It's sad to say but there's no way I'm relying on this guys honesty.

fat_tail

If this happened in a city centre chances are there is film footage of it.

But police, hospital and then bike is the right order ...

greg66_tri_v2.0

Bustacapp wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Unfortunately the way the system works, the other guy can make up any old obviously BS story but because it's "your word against his" then it goes 50/50.

Exactly what I'm worried about. The guy doesn't have my details so if I report it and make it official then I could lose out. I should have tried to snag a witness but honestly I don't think any were available. It's sad to say but there's no way I'm relying on this guys honesty.

There are limitations on the lies that can be told though, arising simply from the location of the accident. If he was pulling across a give way line from a minor road to a major road, and you were on the major road, he has his work cut out for him making something up that pins blame on you.

slowbike

It costs you nothing to get checked out by the NHS.
It costs you nothing to report it to the police - although I can see a concern here about a counter claim - do you have 3rd party insurance - BC or CTC membership provides this.

Bike needs a full check over when you have time to do it - for now I'd settle on removing the front brake, visually inspecting brake & forks and re-fitting if no significant damage found.

If you find significant damage on either you or your bike then it could be worth claiming on his insurance - whats the worse they can say - "No" ? (or perhaps the counter claim - was there any damage to his car - if there was then the position of the damage could help collaborate your version of events).
I know what you're saying about hassle though - if it's just a true up of the wheels, straighten and tighten up then there's nothing to claim for really ... but if you don't report it to the police then potentially how many times does this driver get away with a SMIDSY moment before he kills someone?

MichaelW

You are carrying a digital camera on your phone. After checking yourself for any bones sticking out and getting to safety, you need to document the scene: where the crash started, where your bike ended up. The car that crashed into you, with licence plate and driver. Line of site photos from your point of view and the driver at the junction.

Insurance companies employ solicitors who's first line of defence is "Accident sir, what accident, we have no record of any accident. Do you have any proof of a crash, any proof that it was our driver or car".
They played this line of BS with me until I sent them a photocopy of the notebook of a passing policeman, then it was "how can we help you sir".

Your local bike shop make a useful living out of checking out crashed bikes for insurance claims. Make sure he stays in business at the insurance company's expense.
Dont forget to bill the ins co for every taxi, bus and plaster as well as damaged clothing, helmet replacement etc.

ugo.santalucia

The brake hood has a bolt under the rubber hood... typically an Allen Key job, unless it's a recent Campagnolo, then it's a Torx T 25 job. Undo, adjust, tighten, job done

tgotb

What's the fork made of? The only possible reasons I can see for the front brake being loose are:
1. It was loose already (though presumably you'd have noticed)
2. The bolt or some part of the brake assembly has got longer
3. The nut on the brake bolt has been loosened (as the result of a collision? seems unlikely)
4. Your fork crown has changed shape

Given the nature of the crash, the last option is a very real possibility, so I'd inspect very closely. Could also look up the wheelbase of your bike on the web, and check it correlates with the distance between front and rear skewers. If it's the same it doesn't mean nothing's damaged, but if it's now less you've bent the fork and/or steerer.

16mm

Bustacapp wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

First off, glad you're not badly hurt.
Tightening the bolt may give a temporary fix, but whatever has caused it to become loose could get worse and allow it to come loose again.

I will be checking the bike over at lunchtime but was thinking that perhaps the g-forces involved in the crash caused the brakes to become loose?

I'd join BC or the CTC. Maybe ring first to check they'd deal with it. Plus you get 3rd party for a year.

bails87

t costs you nothing to report it to the police - although I can see a concern here about a counter claim - do you have 3rd party insurance - BC or CTC membership provides this

You almost certainly have this if you've got a home/contents insurance policy. You're probably covered for 3rd party liability without realising it. So a counterclaim shouldn't cost you anything (in the unlikely event he makes one).

mrc1

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Bustacapp wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Unfortunately the way the system works, the other guy can make up any old obviously BS story but because it's "your word against his" then it goes 50/50.

Exactly what I'm worried about. The guy doesn't have my details so if I report it and make it official then I could lose out. I should have tried to snag a witness but honestly I don't think any were available. It's sad to say but there's no way I'm relying on this guys honesty.

There are limitations on the lies that can be told though, arising simply from the location of the accident. If he was pulling across a give way line from a minor road to a major road, and you were on the major road, he has his work cut out for him making something up that pins blame on you.

I get where the OP is coming from but I was thinking the same as Greg as i read through the thread.

Main thing is get to a doctor and get checked out properly.

I had a very similar thing happen to me in 2006, car pulled out and over the bonnet I went. Landed on helmeted head, shoulder and then back. Shoulder was dislocated so that and concussion got the bulk of the attention by ambulance and A&E and back was brushed aside as impact trauma.

Insurance settled 1.5 years later based on dislocation but nothing else - i was too lazy in the accident aftermath in terms of seeing doctors and getting treated so had very little evidence of anything else - which I settled on as I was a skint student and saw a fairly big chunk of money as a lifeline. Fast forward to 2010 and I had to have an operation on my shoulder (luckily paid for by work health insurance - which I no longer have!) directly linked to the crash and I'm currently seeing various doctors due to ongoing back problems that all route back to that accident.

alexl89

Il Principe wrote:

You may feel fine now, but things will probably start to hurt later on today.

Very true, I remember sitting in A&E for 2 hours after I had crashed... Couldn't walk properly after I had stood up to finally see the doctor. Yet after I had crashed I was right back up on my feet and way more concerned about the front wheel of my bicycle being folded in half, probably the adrenaline.

sloppyschleckonds

Bustacapp wrote:

I should have tried to snag a witness but honestly I don't think any were available.

Make your mind up

Bustacapp wrote:

Fortunately said oncoming vehicles slowed down (presumably to prepare their smartphones to capture images which could be uploaded to liveleak), and in their disappointment that I was still breathing they then drove off.

rolf_f

If someone plain pulls out on you and then tries to lie their way out of it, chances are they are going to be too stupid to do it convincingly. For example, if you record your ride (on GPS or by camera) and the driver tried to make out you pulled out on him, the evidence will be recorded that you didn't. And if you hit the drivers side bonnet as he pulled out on your left, it is going to be hard for him to explain how you hit the drivers side wing by pulling out on him (you'd have to go straight across one lane and into the opposite lane) - then he has to say where he was going too and from and you likewise - and if you have no business down the side turning why would you be coming out of it etc etc. Scroats are usually as thick as sh1t and will probably get found out.

CTC or BC do help - I have two claims ongoing via CTC...... :roll: Note that the CTC at least is primarily injury oriented. They will try to get redress for damaged equipment etc but there does need to be an injury element even if it isn't serious.

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Bustacapp wrote:

I should have tried to snag a witness but honestly I don't think any were available.

Make your mind up

Bustacapp wrote:

Fortunately said oncoming vehicles slowed down (presumably to prepare their smartphones to capture images which could be uploaded to liveleak), and in their disappointment that I was still breathing they then drove off.

How about a new years resolution "I SloppySchleckonds do hereby promise to try to make at least one positive contribution to the forum a week"? It wouldn't be hard - you might even enjoy it!

In what way would a witness in a car who drove off while the OP was busy doing nothing but lie in the road aimlessly after being hit by a car be 'available'?

@ Bustacapp - assume for now that the driver isn't a scroat. Give him a chance to prove he isn't but still go via some form of no win, no fee. Saves you having to get stressed about stuff.

dondare

This happened to me a few years ago and the driver gave me a false name and address.

Mikey23

Pleased you are ok... Sounds frightening. Do please get your body checked out...

markhewitt1978

dondare wrote:

This happened to me a few years ago and the driver gave me a false name and address.

Probably a more serious offence than running over a cyclist!

Widgey

Firstly Im glad your fine, shame about the bike..

I would definitely seek proper medical attention, if anything just for peace of mind. You may have got away with just bruising, in which case its only a loss of a couple of hours. But a hairline fracture could be more trouble than a few hours waiting.

I find it strange why you wouldnt or dont have third party insurance. Its dirt cheap per annum and one phone call and it is all sorted out for you. May take a while - I had a similar incident last year and its still going between solicitors..

Mikey23

Not to criticize the op but it surprises me how few seem to be prepared for the possibility of an accident, either to self or others... Both in terms of insurance and coping strategy...

I would have been inclined to have stayed down on the basis that I might have head or neck injuries, damage to bones or internal organs. If that had happened then witnesses would have been available, the authorities would have been involved and the offending driver would not have been able to pass on his details and flee the scene

markhewitt1978

It does seem that Rule No. 1 when involved in an accident is grab nearby witnesses and get their name and address, as they are likely to slope off before they become involved. However chasing down and collaring people for their personal details is the last thing you want to be doing when you're lying on the road just having been hit by a car.