Hit By A Car

[harveymt]

I had my first accident two days ago. I was cycling down the road into town at 2 in the afternoon, bright day so no visibility issues. I always hold the middle of the lane when cycling. I had to stop as parked cars were blocking the inside lane. I got into the outside lane and continued on maybe 20 metres when a car stuck its nose out of a side road then drove half way out into the outside lane. I slowed and the car stopped. I could see the driver's face, he was looking in my direction, and the car had stopped so I assumed he had seen me. I drew level with the car and was just about to pass it when I heard the engine rev and the car shot forward into me. It knocked me off my bike into the wrong side of the road. Someone was looking out for me as no traffic was coming the other way and this is one of the busiest roads in town.

I think I was in shock as I couldn't stop my body shaking. Ambulance got called and I got checked over but no major damage bar a few bruises. I remember the police took a statement from me but then told me that no action would be taken as it was 'just an accident'. He hadn't seen me and I was wearing dark clothing (a black jacket). I presume if I was driving a black car this could also be applied? This has left me annoyed and I don't know whether I'm just angry or whether I should push for someone to be done?

The policeman did say to contact him for the guy's insurance details. My glasses are scraped and bent. I managed to bend them back but whether that has weakened them I don't know. My bike, a Triban 3, seems mostly ok. The gear level for the front derailleur is bent. Not the actually lever itself but it looks like something inside the gearing mechanism on the handle has bent and the lever is now sticking out at an angle. It still works and changes the gear but when I use it too brake it goes off at an even greater angle and the brake feels funny. The rear gears are now clicking but I think this means they just need adjusted.

Has anyone claimed off insurance? I've never claimed on any insurance before. Do I contact his insurance company directly or him? The gears on my bike will need fixed and maybe a service to check the bike over, I may claim for the glasses too. Do I just do this myself and then send them the invoices to be re-imbursed or will they pay out up-front?

Cheers

 

[AndyRM]

Get a solicitor involved and don't let the police brush you off; were there any witnesses? If not it'll be your word against his so make sure you note everything down and fight your corner.

Get your bike checked out as there may be damage you cannot see.

Be prepared to wait a long time for compensation - after my accident last year my claim took 11 months to be settled.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

As above: get the bike professionally checked over as soon as possible. The insurers will likely want to see a report before they'll pay out for anything and do write down every little detail you can remember while it's still fresh in the memory. As @AndyRM says, insurers are slow to react at the best of times and you'll probably need something to refer back to if they ask questions at a later date.

 

[fossyant]

Make sure you are OK before agreeing to settle. You first need to contact the driver. They may want to pay you for the damage, but be prepared for them to change their tune when they see your bill, as they expect bikes to cost £79.99. A busted STI lever is more than this.

You will need the bike checking over at a bike shop (LBS) and obtain a quote/let them fix it. I'm on friendly terms with my local shop. My bike was OK, other than scuffed up parts, so I was given a quote for the parts to be replaced (bar ends, quick release skewer, pedals) - these still worked fine, but were scratched to buggery.

If you aren't sure what's wrong with the bike then get it to the shop ASAP.

Might be worth a quick visit to the GP if you've got bumps and bruises - just so it's on record. Also photograph and damage to you and the bike.

If the driver does not play ball, then go direct to his insurance company. You won't need a solicitor if you are OK, and the insurance are accepting liability.

In my case, I was knocked off 5 years to the day in 2008 (17-18th December 2008) and I thought I'd got away fairly pain free. It wasn't until new year that I noticed my shoulder wasn't right. Then started the long battle and it was over 2 years before it was operated on and another 18 months before we sorted it out. My claim went on till Summer 2012. That said, the driver/insurance admitted liability immediately, and I had payment for the bike/clothing damage within 6 weeks. Damage to kit was less than £300. Me, £2k on physio, £8k-£10k on shoulder damages, and god knows how much 4 years worth of legal team costs were !! The bill must have been huge.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

The law has changed now, if you involve a proper road traffic accident solicitor, their fees are capped if your claim value is low, this also now must go through a fast track process, so hopefully if you have no serious injuries the claim could be settled and paid within a couple of months (assuming they accept liability)

 

[harveymt]

It's not so much the officer having a bad attitude, he was perfectly pleasant. It's the fact that I was in shock and he told me they were taking no action. I thought he could have at least waited until I was with it. I have reported close shaves with traffic to the police before and really they could care less. One had such a bad attitude with me I terminated the interview and I ended up reporting him over things he said.

I did phone one local shop but he got a bit sniffy when I said it was a Triban and said it would be middle of January before he'd even be able to look at it. Are Decathlon themselves any good at repairs or should I try round a few more shops?

 

[SWSteve]

It's not so much the officer having a bad attitude, he was perfectly pleasant. It's the fact that I was in shock and he told me they were taking no action. I thought he could have at least waited until I was with it. I have reported close shaves with traffic to the police before and really they could care less. One had such a bad attitude with me I terminated the interview and I ended up reporting him over things he said.

I did phone one local shop but he got a bit sniffy when I said it was a Triban and said it would be middle of January before he'd even be able to look at it. Are Decathlon themselves any good at repairs or should I try round a few more shops?

maybe don;t mention what it is, just phone up and say you need to book your bike in to be assessed. Then turn up with the Triban

 

[benb]

Just an accident?

If that's not driving without due care and attention, I don't know what is.
The fact that you were wearing a black jacket is irrelevant, IMO - you said it was daylight.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

policeman talking out of the wrong end. Dark clothing is an irrelevance (but a salutory warning on the attitude of officialdom) if they'd run over a pedestrian in dark clothing hi-viz would never have been mentioned. Agree with fossyant too, I thought I was ok with the shock and adrenaline in the immediate aftermath of being hit and run. 2 years 3 operations, MRIs & physio galore and I'm still a way off being fixed properly. Take the time to get you and bike properly checked out and long term prognosis sorted before agreeing a settlement.

 

[Ganymede]

Good advice on here, I'll just add

 

[fossyant]

Decathlon are fine to take it into. Our local one has a fantastic mechanic