Fife/Edinburgh commuters

chewa

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone commuting over the bridge this morning saw or spoke to a woman riding a blue and green Roberts tourer (my wife Sandra). I was also out and on my way back home found her standing by the steps to the bridge offices with blood pouring from a head wound and a hand injury.

She has a fractured collarbone and some extensive bruising/swelling on the right side, and has stitches in her right hand. Helmet and shorts are a write off. Unfortunately she has amnesia and can't remember what happened. Her bike has a bit of scraping damage to the right side of the bars and right pedal and the rear light is smashed and her rear carrier scuffed.

She left for her usual run at about 8.30 so it would have been peak time for commuting. If anyone saw her (she had grass marks on her clothes so must have walked back to the bridge, but was obviously injured) I'd like to know when so we can work out what/where it happened.

Cheers

John

dee4life2005

I wasn't down that way, but crossing the Tay Bridge this morning was interesting to say the least with the cross gusts. Perhaps she was just unlucky and got caught by a gust and was blown off the path.
Hope she's okay.

chewa

dee4life2005 wrote:

I wasn't down that way, but crossing the Tay Bridge this morning was interesting to say the least with the cross gusts. Perhaps she was just unlucky and got caught by a gust and was blown off the path.
Hope she's okay.

Shes very sore and looks like she has done a few rounds with Mike Tyson! It wasn't that windy here this a.m but unless she remembers something I suppose we will never know. I'm surprised no-one stopped to help as she was obviously hurt and it was a busy time near a main road.

Ah well, at least it wasn't worse. She has just ordered another helmet so that's a good sign.

First.Aspect

If it happened by the road anywhere near the bridge, there will be cctv coverage somewhere. Whether you contact anyone that regard depends whether you think there is any suggestion that anyone else was involved.

You talk about walking back to the bridge. Any chance she fell descending from the bridge to Queensferry? That's extremely steep and the adjacent bank is covered in grass.

chewa

First Aspect wrote:

If it happened by the road anywhere near the bridge, there will be cctv coverage somewhere. Whether you contact anyone that regard depends whether you think there is any suggestion that anyone else was involved.

You talk about walking back to the bridge. Any chance she fell descending from the bridge to Queensferry? That's extremely steep and the adjacent bank is covered in grass.

The bridge guys have nothing. We thought about that descent, but her route takes her over the bridge, past Tescos and then up to turn into Dundas Castle before heading west to Duntarvie and then looping back. She never goes under the bridge unless we are taking MTBs around the Forth path (mainly because she hates the climb towards Newton).

It's really puzzling, because from the state of the contact points on her bike (pedal, lever/bars pannier rack), and her contact points, she went down hard on something that ground bits away, but there is grass in her lever. The only grassy bit nearby is the bit either side of the cyclpath turn off at the south end of the bridge which would be uphill and slow and I wonder whether she had an accident then fell off again on the way back.

When I was in a hit and run between the turn off for Dalmeny and the bridge I somehow managed to cycle to the bridge with no memory of doing so.

I just hate the thought that people bypassed her (cars or bikes) without stopping to help.

imatfaal

chewa wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

I just hate the thought that people bypassed her (cars or bikes) without stopping to help.

Glad she is OK and back to shopping - gotta be a good sign. And the fact that no one stopped is a disgrace - but doesn't surprise me. I came off in September and broke a few ribs - and whilst I was lying on the canal path dazed and bleeding people were actually brushing past me and one prime candidate for re-education trod on my finger as he walked past

MrGrumpy

Real sorry to hear this, surprised nobody stopped to be honest, I ride from Fife to Edinburgh every day in this case though I`m over the bridge early doors just after 6am, defo alot more commuters later in the morning. Will check some of my strava buddies as I know one in particular stops for everyone in trouble no matter what. Trying to work out where abouts the of may have happened, does the Shell garage have CCTV for that time ? Even if it saw her cycling past would help piece things together ?

chewa

MrGrumpy wrote:

Real sorry to hear this, surprised nobody stopped to be honest, I ride from Fife to Edinburgh every day in this case though I`m over the bridge early doors just after 6am, defo alot more commuters later in the morning. Will check some of my strava buddies as I know one in particular stops for everyone in trouble no matter what. Trying to work out where abouts the of may have happened, does the Shell garage have CCTV for that time ? Even if it saw her cycling past would help piece things together ?

Thanks. I think thats the thing that has upset her most, the fact that nobody stopped to help and that area is pretty busy with cyclists (I know coz I commuted to Edinburgh for 16 years and I'm out that time for my "working from home" commute most mornings and am constantly seeing cyclists). Even getting back to the bridge I'd have thought someone would have been about.

Sandra's bony injuries are healing well, black eye nearly away, but the soft tissue stuff got worse as bruising came out to the extent that she became immobile for a day or two.

She is badly bruised just above her behind, inside legs and calves. It suggests to me she was maybe hit from behind when waiting to turn right as the bruising would line up with her saddle thumping her back and top tube against leg etc as she stands with left foot down. If that's the case it would be the right turn into Dundas Castle, as the only right turn she makes that early on.

I think it will be a few more weeks until she can get back on a bike, but she has bought a new helmet, and we can set up a turbo trainer so that her mobility can improve.

We may never know, but it has given me a slightly jaundiced view of my fellow man, cyclists included.

MrGrumpy

bloody hell that is bad, so she would of been heading down the B800, would she turn left into QEY and down to burnshot ? Your Mrs doesn`t work at the western ?? Spoke with lady before whom travels a similar route to me ? I honestly think that no other cyclist has seen her right after this event, surely she would of been in some distress and not moving too good ?