First accident today.

[DLB]

I'm a bit shocked still. Had my first accident today when a land rover rear ended me at about 20mph. Ended up going over the handlebars and landing on my right knee which is well graized. Rear wheel was brand new and rack is crumpled. Not sure about the frame - may be bent.

Any advice what to do next. I do have both the drivers details (he stopped and took me hme) and an independent witness (who happens to be a police officer)

Do i buy a new bike or wait until i get money from the driver? What do i need to ask him for (new helmet etc)? Should i claim through his insurance? help!

Any advice welcome.

DLB

 

[col]

I think the good news is that he will have to pay anycosts incured on his insurance,and by the sounds of it he wont want it to go to court as his driving would be questioned also.First thing i would do is contact a solicitor to act on your behalf.

 

[domtyler]

Of course you need to claim from his insurance for your losses, that is why drivers have to have it. Get a quote together and give the driver the option of paying for it out of his own pocket first though as a gesture of good will. He may not want to lose NCB.

 

[Tharg2007]

give the driver the option of paying for it out of his own pocket first though as a gesture of good will. He may not want to lose NCB.

er why? there is no reason for rear ending a cyclist other than careless driving, teach him a lesson, contact his insurance, contact the police see if they can do him for dangerous driving. You hurt your knee didn't you, theres a claim right there too. In fact as there was an injury the police should have been called anyway, the off duty should have made sure of that. Just because he gave you a lift home and was "nice" to you doesn't mean you have to let him get away with it.
If you don't teach him a lesson he will assume its not such a bad thing he/she did and maybe not bother being that careful in the future, who knows they may carry on driving the way they do and kill someone next time!! how will you feel then?

 

[Landslide]

Ouchy! Get well soon. In the meantime...

Get your bike checked out by a reputable LBS. Make sure everything is checked - wheels, paintwork, frame alignment etc. etc. etc.
Make sure you get any injuries checked out and documented. If anything else hurts after you've been checked out, go and get checked out again - injuries and any complications may not be immediately apparent.
Report the incident to the police.
If you do need to buy a replacement bike/helmet etc in the interim, make sure you keep receipts.
Notify your insurers if applicable.
Take everything to a solicitor.

After all this, you may have a certain degree of discretion as to whether you claim against the driver's insurance or let him pay up out of his own pocket. Either way, you should not lose out.

 

[Blue]

See the recent 'Accident Advice Please' thread for more general info.

 

[DLB]

thanks for those. I'll check out the other thread and give the police a ring. will look into calling a solicitor as well.

 

[Archie]

Join CTC and use their accident helpline service. They will deal with retrospective claims, and they have a very good reputation on the bike forums.

 

[MessenJah]

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread4213.html nuff advice.

 

[mr Mag00]

Hey hope you feel better, never been involved with a vehicle. chin up. i may be wrong but i dont think a police officer can be a witness

 

[MessenJah]

you are.