Just Witnessed The Aftermath Of A Bicycle Accident.

Soni
Soni Posts: 1,217
edited July 2009 in The bottom bracket
On the way home from work this evening, the A228 from the M20 J4, had traffic queing all the way back to the roundabout, its a dual carriageway with 2/3 lanes each side of the road.

Initially i didn't realise what the problem was, but as i got closer, i could see loads of police cars with lights flashing, then no traffic on the other side of the road, then 2 police officers walking accross the otherside of the dual carriageway and erecting the police crime seen blue tape 'do not cross', then i saw a Range Rover sitting in the middle of the carriageway, all debris and bits of clothing scatters all accross the carriageway, and then a bike, still upright, with the whole of the back section of the bike, including the wheel, flattened under the front wheel of the Range Rover.

I couldn't believe how the bike was still upright?

I couldn't see the cyclist, there was no ambulance on scene either, hopefully the cyclist has been taken away in the ambulance and is ok......

Comments

  • dilemna
    dilemna Posts: 2,187
    Not another cyclist down. I hope they are ok. It's been a bad bad day as a woman has apparently been killed by a truck up at the Oval in London this morning.

    Safe ridng everyone. The mercury is rising and so are drivers' temperatures. Be safe and extra careful.
    Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
    Think how stupid the average person is.......
    half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I hope they got away with it, fingers crossed!
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    Heard about the Oval yesterday. I'm starting to wonder what the hell is going on in London? I mean we have the same amount of big vehicles and less mayhem here in Southampton (excluding the other vehicles). I dont and cant beleive every one of those women undertook the HGV. :?

    Christ Soni. That sounds a mess. Makes you wonder if the cyclists legs went under too. What side was it? Passenger side? Makes you wonder if the driver f***ed up the overtake. :(
  • bristolpete
    bristolpete Posts: 2,255
    Terrifying really. Hope the outcome is as well as it can be.
  • drewfromrisca
    drewfromrisca Posts: 1,165
    downfader wrote:
    Heard about the Oval yesterday. I'm starting to wonder what the hell is going on in London? I mean we have the same amount of big vehicles and less mayhem here in Southampton (excluding the other vehicles). I dont and cant beleive every one of those women undertook the HGV. :?

    Christ Soni. That sounds a mess. Makes you wonder if the cyclists legs went under too. What side was it? Passenger side? Makes you wonder if the driver f***ed up the overtake. :(

    Unfortunately downfader, the quality of drivers around here is pathetic. A lot of drivers don't have a licence of any kind, or just don't know the way the roads work.
    My ride to work is 4 minutes long in a very nice part of london at 6.30am every morning and I get at least one incident a day. Most of time I take the bus now as it's just not worth the risk!
    There is never redemption, any fool can regret yesterday...

    Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave!
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    Hi Guys, as soon as i hear anything i'll post up the outcome.

    However, it really didn't look good, as i said there was debris scattered accross the carriageway, which looked like clothes etc., also the police were taping off the area with the blue/white police do not cross tape, and were not letting anybody or any vehicles through....

    I believe they only do this if its a death or expected death?

    DownFader: The carriageway on the other side of the road from where i was is a 3 lane carriageway, my side was a two way, the other side has two main lanes, and a merging lane onto those two which then continues all the way towards the roundabout, so you end up with 3 lanes, and the merging lane traffic sometimes need to merge onto the other two lanes all the way over to the far right before they hit the roundabout, if this makes sense......

    The bike was in the middle lane/carriageway, and the Range Rover was directly behind it, it was the front right wheel which was sitting ontop of the rear of the bike all the way upto and i 'think' touching the saddle, however the saddle was still intact....

    I just don't understand though how its possible for the bike to remain in the upright position?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Soni wrote:
    Hi Guys, as soon as i hear anything i'll post up the outcome.

    However, it really didn't look good, as i said there was debris scattered accross the carriageway, which looked like clothes etc., also the police were taping off the area with the blue/white police do not cross tape, and were not letting anybody or any vehicles through....

    I believe they only do this if its a death or expected death?

    DownFader: The carriageway on the other side of the road from where i was is a 3 lane carriageway, my side was a two way, the other side has two main lanes, and a merging lane onto those two which then continues all the way towards the roundabout, so you end up with 3 lanes, and the merging lane traffic sometimes need to merge onto the other two lanes all the way over to the far right before they hit the roundabout, if this makes sense......

    The bike was in the middle lane/carriageway, and the Range Rover was directly behind it, it was the front right wheel which was sitting ontop of the rear of the bike all the way upto and i 'think' touching the saddle, however the saddle was still intact....

    I just don't understand though how its possible for the bike to remain in the upright position?

    Pretty much.

    The bike may have been stood up by the twisted back wheel / embeeded in the front of the car.
  • synchronicity
    synchronicity Posts: 1,415
    Gosh that doesn't sound good.

    You know I just took a ride with my sister in law and her little boy abut 1 or 2 - and she was looking away from the road all the bloody time to check what he was up to in the back (there are lots of curves here in Tenerife). FFS he was only putting on a pair of freakin' sunglasses! :evil: That's how these kinds of accidents happen. :roll:
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent_messen ... ccide.aspx

    This ? Good news anyway the guy sounds like he's going to be OK.

    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent_messenger/news/2009/june/30/cyclist_injured_in_road_accide.aspx

    This ? Good news anyway the guy sounds like he's going to be OK.

    Thats the one Tom, thanks for finding the news report on it, glad to hear the guys is gong to be ok!!

    Notice how the poster at the bottom of that webpage seems more interested in the amount of time the road was closed! :evil:
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Soni wrote:

    Notice how the poster at the bottom of that webpage seems more interested in the amount of time the road was closed! :evil:
    Road closure
    01/07/2009 11:00:45 by JL
    Why did the Police have to close the road for such a long time causing traffic chaos? I walked to the scene at approx 18:00hrs and everything was cleared and the Northbound road just had Police cars on.

    What a div.
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    I believe the Air Ambulance was called for the one on the A228. Didn't realise it was a cyclist and car, we all thought it was a couple of cars at work.

    I didn't try and ride home that way, so didn't see it. Hope the guy pulls through and the driver is questioned to what happened, looks like it drove into the cyclist from the pictures I have seen.
  • dizzydane
    dizzydane Posts: 322
    In regards to the accident at Oval, I cycle this route every day. Due to the increase in traffic resulting from warmer weather, I have resorted to leaving for work at 6.30am when I only start work at 9am.

    I’m finding my commute a little more dangerous at the moment and hate to say this, but am waiting on the colder weather to reduce the traffic on the roads. The A3 is busy and this is not helped by the road works – causing impatient drivers.

    During the tube strike, I saw a bike accident every day on my route.

    Guys, please ride safely and my thoughts go out to this woman’s friends and family….

    http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondon ... be?image=0
  • volvicspar
    volvicspar Posts: 208
    I hope the cyclist makes a full recovery. What I don't understand is why is the bike on the right side of the car. I don't know the road so there may be a reason?
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    volvicspar wrote:
    I hope the cyclist makes a full recovery. What I don't understand is why is the bike on the right side of the car. I don't know the road so there may be a reason?

    I came by just after it happened, the bike was still under the wheel as in the picture.

    Its a junction that 'used' to be a roundabout until about 1-2 years ago, they removed the roundabout and put a massive junction/set of lights in place.

    Imagine a cross roads, with a set of lights, you come along the road from Leybourne Way (which by the looks of things he was) and you approach a set of lights, however another lane splits off to the left to avoid the lights and you can turn left without having to go through the lights, however you then use that filter lane to merge onto the two lane carriageway which runs accross the lights, and the filter lane stops becoming a filter lane as it joins the 2 lane carriageway and you end up with a 3 lane carriageway.

    I 'personally' believe that the cyclist was coming from Leybourne Way, turned left into the filter lane, merged onto the 2 lane carriageway and wanted to get as far accross to the far right lane as possible as you then approach a roundabout where you can either turn left, straight accross, or right, however both left and right is the M20, so i think he was trying to get into the middle lane of the 3 lane carriageway, i've seen many cyclists in the middle lane and it looks so so dangerous, as you've got cars flying up either side of you on the left and right lanes, as well as cars coming up from behind you in the centre lene you are in, its like the old computer game 'Frogger' if anybody remembers it....

    A very dangerous stretch of road, only about 12 months ago there was a 17 year old boy cyclist killed on that same stretch of road at West Malling/Kings Hill, he was hit by a coach.....

    Here: I remember it well......

    http://cyclistskilledontheroads.wordpre ... oach-a228/
  • My brother David is doing ok, he was airlifted to the queens hospital in Romford, he has quite a bad head injury and lots of cuts and bruises with stitches in the cuts.

    The main concern is he has a fractured spine about six inches down from the neck, he is at the moment being measured up for a body brace that will have to wear for 3 months at the moment he is flat on the hospital bed and will be for atleast another week, he has movement in his feet and the rest of the body, Thank god!

    I went to the scene of the crash at about 19.15 and the bike was still in the road upright, I was really shocked and very worried to see what I see, as at that time I was still unsure how bad my brother was because they will tell you nothing, the Landrover Discovery was right back down the road, I think the police had moved the car before I arrived, a police recovery low loader arrived and took both the bike and the Discovery away for examination.

    I assume by reading messages above, that the Discovery was still imbedded into the bike and remained like that for quite sometime.

    While I was at there and the police taking details from me as I told them the injured guy was my brother, over the police radio it said that the injured cyclist was stable and unlikely to die and the road could be cleared and opened, I assume if it was a death they look into it more, even so me hearing on a radio that my brother was "unlikely" to die still had me worried sick on how bad he was!

    He will hopefully make a full recovery but it will take a long time considering he is 63 years old, he is a spritely 63 years old and a lot fitter than me at 50 years old :-)

    My brother has rode a bike all his life and it is is main transport and must cover 8000 miles a year, he wears bikes out in a year!

    If anyone has information or even see the accident or photo's I would appreiciate it, I can give my contact details to them

    PS Soni.... you mention in the message above about a photo, but I can't see any photo attached to your message? is it a photo of my brothers crash?

    Kind regards to all of you for being concerned about how he is and will keep you all informed.......Mick.
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    My brother David is doing ok, he was airlifted to the queens hospital in Romford, he has quite a bad head injury and lots of cuts and bruises with stitches in the cuts.

    The main concern is he has a fractured spine about six inches down from the neck, he is at the moment being measured up for a body brace that will have to wear for 3 months at the moment he is flat on the hospital bed and will be for atleast another week, he has movement in his feet and the rest of the body, Thank god!

    I went to the scene of the crash at about 19.15 and the bike was still in the road upright, I was really shocked and very worried to see what I see, as at that time I was still unsure how bad my brother was because they will tell you nothing, the Landrover Discovery was right back down the road, I think the police had moved the car before I arrived, a police recovery low loader arrived and took both the bike and the Discovery away for examination.

    I assume by reading messages above, that the Discovery was still imbedded into the bike and remained like that for quite sometime.

    While I was at there and the police taking details from me as I told them the injured guy was my brother, over the police radio it said that the injured cyclist was stable and unlikely to die and the road could be cleared and opened, I assume if it was a death they look into it more, even so me hearing on a radio that my brother was "unlikely" to die still had me worried sick on how bad he was!

    He will hopefully make a full recovery but it will take a long time considering he is 63 years old, he is a spritely 63 years old and a lot fitter than me at 50 years old :-)

    My brother has rode a bike all his life and it is is main transport and must cover 8000 miles a year, he wears bikes out in a year!

    If anyone has information or even see the accident or photo's I would appreiciate it, I can give my contact details to them

    PS Soni.... you mention in the message above about a photo, but I can't see any photo attached to your message? is it a photo of my brothers crash?

    Kind regards to all of you for being concerned about how he is and will keep you all informed.......Mick.

    I think we all hope your Brother makes a full recovery!

    The photo can be seen in the link Tom posted above I think (a Kent newspaper iirc)
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    My brother David is doing ok, he was airlifted to the queens hospital in Romford, he has quite a bad head injury and lots of cuts and bruises with stitches in the cuts.

    The main concern is he has a fractured spine about six inches down from the neck, he is at the moment being measured up for a body brace that will have to wear for 3 months at the moment he is flat on the hospital bed and will be for atleast another week, he has movement in his feet and the rest of the body, Thank god!

    I went to the scene of the crash at about 19.15 and the bike was still in the road upright, I was really shocked and very worried to see what I see, as at that time I was still unsure how bad my brother was because they will tell you nothing, the Landrover Discovery was right back down the road, I think the police had moved the car before I arrived, a police recovery low loader arrived and took both the bike and the Discovery away for examination.

    I assume by reading messages above, that the Discovery was still imbedded into the bike and remained like that for quite sometime.

    While I was at there and the police taking details from me as I told them the injured guy was my brother, over the police radio it said that the injured cyclist was stable and unlikely to die and the road could be cleared and opened, I assume if it was a death they look into it more, even so me hearing on a radio that my brother was "unlikely" to die still had me worried sick on how bad he was!

    He will hopefully make a full recovery but it will take a long time considering he is 63 years old, he is a spritely 63 years old and a lot fitter than me at 50 years old :-)

    My brother has rode a bike all his life and it is is main transport and must cover 8000 miles a year, he wears bikes out in a year!

    If anyone has information or even see the accident or photo's I would appreiciate it, I can give my contact details to them

    PS Soni.... you mention in the message above about a photo, but I can't see any photo attached to your message? is it a photo of my brothers crash?

    Kind regards to all of you for being concerned about how he is and will keep you all informed.......Mick.

    Hi Mick, i'm really pleased to hear that your brother is doing ok, i won't say 'fine', because quite obviously although he is thankfully alive, he has suffered both severe mental and physical injuries.

    I came off the M20 J4 at approximately 5:30ish, and at first thought the hold up was due to the traffic backing up from the lights, as you sometimes get the traffic wanting to turn right down Leybourne way towards Tesco, and as you are probably aware this filter lane is very short and it doesn't take a great deal of cars to start backing up onto the main carriageway.

    However, i soon see the police vehicles, and then noticed the traffic had stopped on the opposite side of the carriageway, and when i see the Discovery front wheel over the bike and the back of the bike completely crushed under its wheel, my heart just dropped, i honestly thought the cyclist had been killed, they were also putting the police tape accross the road creating a crime scene, which convinced me further that it had been a fatal.

    However, although your brother is seriously hurt, he is a VERY lucky man, and although he is 63, i am sure with his level of fitness that you describe, he will be back on a bike in no time at all.

    The picture was on the Kent Online website here:-

    http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent_messen ... ccide.aspx

    Please pass on our thoughts to your brother when you see him, it would be great to hear from him once he has made a full recovery.

    Soni
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Snopwwolfwarrior,

    Thanks for posting in here and letting us know how your brother is doing, glad to hear he will be 'ok'.

    As a traffic officer I saw too many that didn't end up being 'ok'.

    Let him know of our support from afar!
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    Soni wrote:
    [A very dangerous stretch of road, only about 12 months ago there was a 17 year old boy cyclist killed on that same stretch of road at West Malling/Kings Hill, he was hit by a coach.....

    Here: I remember it well......

    http://cyclistskilledontheroads.wordpre ... oach-a228/

    Actually his accident was well up the dual carriageway near West Malling station, his accident was due to the fact he crossed the road as a bus was driving up the dual carriageway. So you can't really say they are similar, apart from a vehicle and cyclist involved.

    Glad to hear the rider is OK, and making a recovery.
  • LorneC
    LorneC Posts: 149
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Snopwwolfwarrior,

    Thanks for posting in here and letting us know how your brother is doing, glad to hear he will be 'ok'.

    As a traffic officer I saw too many that didn't end up being 'ok'.

    Let him know of our support from afar!

    +1 from me
    Already signed up for the following 2010 rides:

    Etape Caledonia (May 16th)
    AMR's Trossachs Ton (June 20th)
    AMR's Cross-Border Sportive (Sept 19th)

    http://www.twitter.com/LorneCallaghan
  • Soni
    Soni Posts: 1,217
    SBezza wrote:
    Soni wrote:
    [A very dangerous stretch of road, only about 12 months ago there was a 17 year old boy cyclist killed on that same stretch of road at West Malling/Kings Hill, he was hit by a coach.....

    Here: I remember it well......

    http://cyclistskilledontheroads.wordpre ... oach-a228/

    Actually his accident was well up the dual carriageway near West Malling station, his accident was due to the fact he crossed the road as a bus was driving up the dual carriageway. So you can't really say they are similar, apart from a vehicle and cyclist involved.

    Glad to hear the rider is OK, and making a recovery.

    Thats what i meant by West Malling/Kings Hill, however that second stretch is even worse, traffic travel at far greater speeds on that stretch.......
  • drewfromrisca
    drewfromrisca Posts: 1,165
    Yeah I hope your brother get's well soon.


    NapoleonD - your a RAT!?!?!??! NNNNOOOOOOO :D
    There is never redemption, any fool can regret yesterday...

    Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave!