Help - Seeking a Lawyer, snapped forks

[Tim_Hackney]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and looking for advice. I'm a keen lifetime cyclist and I'm trying to help my friend who had a severe accident when the fork steerer tube snapped on his hybrid bike (made by a very large bike company, that I don't really want to name). He lost consciousness and arrived in hospital having lost a tooth, fractured his cheekbone and cut his face and arm badly. It now also looks as if he will lose two other front teeth.

There was no one else involved in the accident, the forks broke (on a two year old bike) whilst cycling at a moderate speed on a flat road in East London. It's always been serviced by the shop it was bought from, has been kept indoors and has never been cycled more than 10miles from his home in London.

Too see what happened to the fork - see attached image, quite scary.

We have been in touch with the bike company who have offered to replace the bike. As the injuries would seem to be as a direct result of the failure of their product, whilst used in a very restrained manner, it seems reasonable to also request some compensation to help with the dental surgery that my friend will now require. They have said this is a matter for legal action, and they would not offer anything in this regard.

So, can anyone offer any advice on lawyers who might be able to help in this situation?

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Theseus]

Is he a member of CTC or similar?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Russell Jones and Walker are the lawyers the CTC use. Your friend does not need to be a CTC member to use them. My b-i-l used them is his case and they were superb though his was a deal more open and shut than your friend's.

EDIT: and that is a truly scary picture. Was the steered bonded somehow into the 'race' machined part of the fork. The break appears to be inside that section.

 

[gb155]

Russell Jones and Walker are the lawyers the CTC use. Your friend does not need to be a CTC member to use them. My b-i-l used them is his case and they were superb though his was a deal more open and shut than your friend's.

EDIT: and that is a truly scary picture. Was the steered bonded somehow into the 'race' machined part of the fork. The break appears to be inside that section.

RJW dealt with my case and I have nothing but good things to say about them tbh

 

[Black Sheep]

We have been in touch with the bike company who have offered to replace the bike. As the injuries would seem to be as a direct result of the failure of their product, whilst used in a very restrained manner, it seems reasonable to also request some compensation to help with the dental surgery that my friend will now require. They have said this is a matter for legal action, and they would not offer anything in this regard.

So, can anyone offer any advice on lawyers who might be able to help in this situation?

Any advice gratefully received.

Don't think too ill of the company yet, they're trying to avoid the situation where they pay out for once case and so end up with a flood of both legitimate and dubious claims coming in, also if it's gone through personal injury route then the ''usual'' method of deciding the amount will be used, settled and the claim closed removing the risk of a further claim because their offer of compensation was not enough etc.

 

[Red Light]

Too see what happened to the fork - see attached image, quite scary.

We have been in touch with the bike company who have offered to replace the bike. As the injuries would seem to be as a direct result of the failure of their product, whilst used in a very restrained manner, it seems reasonable to also request some compensation to help with the dental surgery that my friend will now require. They have said this is a matter for legal action, and they would not offer anything in this regard.

I would have thought it would need a thorough investigation and possible product recall as that looks like it could be a design or fabrication fault which could apply to other bikes.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and looking for advice. I'm a keen lifetime cyclist and I'm trying to help my friend who had a severe accident when the fork steerer tube snapped on his hybrid bike (made by a very large bike company, that I don't really want to name). He lost consciousness and arrived in hospital having lost a tooth, fractured his cheekbone and cut his face and arm badly. It now also looks as if he will lose two other front teeth.

I appreciate that you don't want to name the company, but just in case you were aware Specialized have recently issued a recall for one of their hybrid bike due to a fault with the front forks - just in case this is of interest to you, and you weren't aware.

 

[Vikeonabike]

@ojeffcott on twitter


Worth a try..He speacialises in cycling accidents..rides too.

 

[Tim_Hackney]

Thanks for the replies, advice is appreciated, I think he'll be talking to a lawyer next week.
These are the two images I have that show the each side of the break. The steerer tube appears to have been bonded into the shinier metal sleeve (that is in turn bonded to the fork crown) with a plug or join of mouldable alloy of some sort, this is what fractured. Looks like a fairly pointless bit of (value?) engineering to me? I'm used to mountain bike forks where sensible alloy tubes bond straight into alloy fork crowns.


Black Sheep - Not aware of the recall thing - can you point me toward a link?

Thanks

 

[vernon]

The recall is about the cantilever bosses pulling free of the forks.