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Today's Visit to the A & E

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UK and Europe
Published
1 November 2006
Last activity
8 November 2006
Original author
Rola
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39
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  1. This morning started off well, a little windy, and slightly chilly, but
    enjoying myself out in the country riding well thru some of the areas
    backroads.

    Just done 27 miles, with 11 miles to go when I approaches a roundabout,
    taking care to watch for traffic from the right and making not of
    traffic on the left. In good daylight.

    I see a young lady accelerate on my left out of the slip onto the
    roundabout, and think that was a little reckless when the guy following
    her does the same and gets me with a broadside.

    Up in the air go I. The areobatics would have got an 8 off of the judges
    if my toes had been straight.

    Hit the deck using various body parts to break my fall.

    Helmet (Bell Sweep-R) cracked on both sides. The side that hit the
    ground first has the most damage, but the other side craked too. Still
    managed to get a nice allocation of road rash on my jaw, and a swelling
    to the side of my head. I can't say the helmet saved my life, but I am
    very glad I was wearing it. After I regained consiousness, I found I had
    lost about 20 minutes leading up to the crash, but they came back to me
    an hour or so later whilst lay on the bed waiting for x-ray.

    Nothing broken. A dislocated thumb (that smarts!), road rash on both
    knees and a very swollen left knee.

    Bike has (hopefully) been taken to a local nick somewhere, so we'll see
    what condition that is in later.

    Surprisingly, my tights and jacket came thru unscathed.

    Just rang the guy to let him know I was ok, and keeping it very polite
    and friendly. Accidents is accidents and all that.

    I'll keep you posted on bike condition.

  2. "Rola" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Big snip

    Quoted message said:

    Just rang the guy to let him know I was ok, and keeping it very polite and
    friendly. Accidents is accidents and all that.


    I'd hardly call:

    * a swelling on the head
    * road rash to the face
    * a temporary loss of memory
    * a dislocated thumb
    * road rash on both knees
    * badly swollen left knee

    being OK. Admittedly it's better than being in intensive care. Do go over
    your clothing and bicycle with a fine tooth comb and charge every bit of
    damage to the motorist. What happened was not an accident. It was an
    incident caused by poor observation and driving standards.

    -=V=-

  3. Rola said the following on 01/11/2006 14:25:

    Quoted message said:

    Just rang the guy to let him know I was ok, and keeping it very polite
    and friendly. Accidents is accidents and all that.

    Well, I certainly admire your restraint! From the way you describe it,
    that was an avoidable collision (if the driver had been paying
    attention) rather than just an unfortunate accident. Still, I'm sure
    none of us, whether on a bike or in a car, can claim 100% attention the
    whole time.

    A much better attitude than the sue-the-bugger-for-every-penny approach
    that someone will surely suggest you do.

    --
    Paul Boyd
    http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

  4. vernon said:

    What happened was not an accident. It was an
    incident caused by poor observation and driving standards.

    .... and specifically a false assumption that what's OK for the vehicle
    in front is OK for me.

    PhilD

    --
    <><

  5. Rola,

    Report the incident to the police and take photos of your injuries now and
    again every few days in case you decide to persue the matter further. Keep
    a diary as well, noting discomfort and inconvenience you suffer each day.
    If the driver was in the wrong, you can sue him or claim from his insurance
    to get compensation for injury as well as expenses. Don't dismiss that
    possibility right now; keep your options open.

    Best of luck with everything.

    ~PB

  6. In article <[email hidden]>

    Paul Boyd usenet.dont.work@plusnet said:

    Rola said the following on 01/11/2006 14:25:

    Quoted message said:

    Just rang the guy to let him know I was ok, and keeping it very polite
    and friendly. Accidents is accidents and all that.

    Well, I certainly admire your restraint! From the way you describe it,
    that was an avoidable collision (if the driver had been paying
    attention) rather than just an unfortunate accident. Still, I'm sure
    none of us, whether on a bike or in a car, can claim 100% attention the
    whole time.

    A much better attitude than the sue-the-bugger-for-every-penny approach
    that someone will surely suggest you do.


    Wrong - you sue the bugger for every penny you can get, while remaining
    calm and civil.

  7. Pete Biggs said:

    Rola,

    Report the incident to the police and take photos of your injuries now and
    again every few days in case you decide to persue the matter further. Keep
    a diary as well, noting discomfort and inconvenience you suffer each day.
    If the driver was in the wrong, you can sue him or claim from his insurance
    to get compensation for injury as well as expenses. Don't dismiss that
    possibility right now; keep your options open.

    Best of luck with everything.

    ~PB


    Cheers, good advice.. Police where on the scene, and a guy stopped to
    give me his details as he is prepared to be a witness. Hopefully get my
    bike back tomorrow.

    Funny thing is, I was supposed to be having a wisdom tooth pulled this
    afternoon, but I can't stomach 2 hospitals in 1 day. So I'd banked on
    some lay-off time anyway.

    Unfunny thing is my Madone is only 5 weeks old :-(

    Just glad I'm walkin and talkin.

  8. Rola said:

    Funny thing is, I was supposed to be having a wisdom tooth pulled this
    afternoon, but I can't stomach 2 hospitals in 1 day. So I'd banked on
    some lay-off time anyway.

    You're just supposed to stamp on your foot to cure toothache. A bike crash
    is a bit over the top! ;-)

    ~PB

  9. Rola said:
    Quoted message said:


    Cheers, good advice.. Police where on the scene, and a guy stopped to
    give me his details as he is prepared to be a witness. Hopefully get my
    bike back tomorrow.

    Funny thing is, I was supposed to be having a wisdom tooth pulled this
    afternoon, but I can't stomach 2 hospitals in 1 day. So I'd banked on
    some lay-off time anyway.

    Unfunny thing is my Madone is only 5 weeks old :-(

    Just glad I'm walkin and talkin.

    You should sue of course, the driver is hopefully insured so his
    insurance company will probably pay.

    I can't give legal advice here though, if you are a member of CTC they
    will probably give, if not I guess someone on here may do so.

  10. Earl Purple said:

    You should sue of course, the driver is hopefully insured so his
    insurance company will probably pay.

    In some cases, with the help of a lawyer, it's easier and quicker to deal
    with the driver's insurance company direct rather than sueing. A lot of
    people don't seem to realise this is an option if you're a cyclist. It is.

    ~PB

  11. "Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:
    Earl Purple said:

    You should sue of course, the driver is hopefully insured so his
    insurance company will probably pay.

    In some cases, with the help of a lawyer, it's easier and quicker to deal
    with the driver's insurance company direct rather than sueing. A lot of
    people don't seem to realise this is an option if you're a cyclist. It is.

    There's no point initiating court proceedings if someone agrees to pay
    you the amount you intend to sue them for in the first place. You sue
    when they won't cough up for damages...

  12. Rola said:
    Pete Biggs said:

    Rola,

    Report the incident to the police and take photos of your injuries now
    and again every few days in case you decide to persue the matter
    further. Keep a diary as well, noting discomfort and inconvenience
    you suffer each day. If the driver was in the wrong, you can sue him
    or claim from his insurance to get compensation for injury as well as
    expenses. Don't dismiss that possibility right now; keep your options
    open.

    Best of luck with everything.

    ~PB


    Cheers, good advice.. Police where on the scene, and a guy stopped to
    give me his details as he is prepared to be a witness. Hopefully get my
    bike back tomorrow.

    Funny thing is, I was supposed to be having a wisdom tooth pulled this
    afternoon, but I can't stomach 2 hospitals in 1 day. So I'd banked on
    some lay-off time anyway.

    Unfunny thing is my Madone is only 5 weeks old :-(

    Just glad I'm walkin and talkin.

    People will do anything to avoid the dentist... :-)

    Hope your ok soon and I admire your calmness.

    Clive

  13. "Rola" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Pete Biggs said:

    Rola,

    Report the incident to the police and take photos of your injuries now


    and

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    again every few days in case you decide to persue the matter further.


    Keep

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    a diary as well, noting discomfort and inconvenience you suffer each


    day.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    If the driver was in the wrong, you can sue him or claim from his


    insurance

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    to get compensation for injury as well as expenses. Don't dismiss that
    possibility right now; keep your options open.

    Best of luck with everything.

    ~PB


    Cheers, good advice.. Police where on the scene, and a guy stopped to
    give me his details as he is prepared to be a witness. Hopefully get my
    bike back tomorrow.

    Funny thing is, I was supposed to be having a wisdom tooth pulled this
    afternoon, but I can't stomach 2 hospitals in 1 day. So I'd banked on
    some lay-off time anyway.

    Unfunny thing is my Madone is only 5 weeks old :-(

    Just glad I'm walkin and talkin.


    Trek Madone is carbon fibre and, as such, has to be checked out
    professionally by x-ray. Don't just give it a visual once over, it is not
    sufficient. I know it is inconvienient, but the frame has to go away for the
    check. Your safety is too important to leave to chance.

    --
    David Lloyd,
    The pub is responsible for my opinions.

  14. Paul Rudin said:

    There's no point initiating court proceedings if someone agrees to pay
    you the amount you intend to sue them for in the first place. You sue
    when they won't cough up for damages...

    for these sorts of claims there is usually no need to recourse to the
    courts; but when the driver gets your bill for new bike / clothing etc
    he may baulk and decide not to pay; this has happened to me.
    Get the CTC onto it; it's not your fault, you'll never rewind the clock
    to make it not have happened but you may need extra treatment eg
    osteopath, sports physio. There is a fixed scale of "settlements" for
    these types of things and it often runs into thousands.

    all the best and speedy recovery ;-)


  15. Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:


    Trek Madone is carbon fibre and, as such, has to be checked out
    professionally by x-ray. Don't just give it a visual once over, it is not
    sufficient. I know it is inconvienient, but the frame has to go away for the
    check. Your safety is too important to leave to chance.

    Sound advice. Trek do not offer x-ray services, but they do offer a 30%
    discount on a replacement frame.

    But... shifters, rear wheel, rear mech are all damaged, and the rear
    triangle looks odd (although that could be an illusion caused by the
    amount of bent stuff at the back).

    So weigh it up (New Bike or New Frame and Part Replace Groupset), as
    shifters alone won't give much change from 300GBP it looks like I will
    be taking delivery of a new one soon.

    Police called this morning and driver is being charged with reckless
    driving. I was given the option of fine+points or re-education for the
    driver. I went with the latter, as I hope it will do more good.

    I doubt his re-education would go as far as coming out on a ride with me
    at 06:00 every morning to experience the challenges first hand....

  16. Rola said the following on 02/11/2006 14:56:

    Quoted message said:

    Police called this morning and driver is being charged with reckless
    driving. I was given the option of fine+points or re-education for the
    driver. I went with the latter, as I hope it will do more good.

    *You're* given the option? Surely that should be down to the legal
    system! Anyway, IMO you made the right choice.

    Quoted message said:

    I doubt his re-education would go as far as coming out on a ride with me
    at 06:00 every morning to experience the challenges first hand....

    I wonder if you have a say in that as well :-)

    --
    Paul Boyd
    http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

  17. Paul Boyd said:

    *You're* given the option? Surely that should be down to the legal
    system! Anyway, IMO you made the right choice.

    Perhaps it comes down to what the police *recommend* in their copious
    amounts of paperwork that are undoubtedly necessary.

    PhilD

    --
    <><

  18. in message <[email hidden]>, David Lloyd

    (') said:

    "Rola" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Pete Biggs said:


    Best of luck with everything.


    Cheers, good advice.. Police where on the scene, and a guy stopped to
    give me his details as he is prepared to be a witness. Hopefully get my
    bike back tomorrow.

    Seriously, adrenaline in the aftermath of an accident can badly affect your
    judgement. Don't make any decisions for a few days.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Unfunny thing is my Madone is only 5 weeks old :-(

    Just glad I'm walkin and talkin.

    I know the feeling!

    Quoted message said:

    Trek Madone is carbon fibre and, as such, has to be checked out
    professionally by x-ray.

    Can also be checked on a stress rig if you have the individual frame's
    initial values. Look frames, I believe, now come with a stress test sheet
    just to as to be easier to check out after a crash.

    Quoted message said:

    Don't just give it a visual once over, it is not
    sufficient. I know it is inconvienient, but the frame has to go away for
    the check. Your safety is too important to leave to chance.

    After my big crash last year I sent the frame of my Dolan back to Dolan's
    for a check over. I also replaced the forks and handlebars on the
    precautionary principle - fork failure, in particular, has a way of being
    very unfunny.

    --
    [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

    ;; in faecibus sapiens rheum propagabit

  19. in message <[email hidden]>, Rola

    (') said:


    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:


    Trek Madone is carbon fibre and, as such, has to be checked out
    professionally by x-ray. Don't just give it a visual once over, it is
    not sufficient. I know it is inconvienient, but the frame has to go away
    for the check. Your safety is too important to leave to chance.

    Sound advice. Trek do not offer x-ray services, but they do offer a 30%
    discount on a replacement frame.

    But... shifters, rear wheel, rear mech are all damaged, and the rear
    triangle looks odd (although that could be an illusion caused by the
    amount of bent stuff at the back).

    So weigh it up (New Bike or New Frame and Part Replace Groupset), as
    shifters alone won't give much change from 300GBP it looks like I will
    be taking delivery of a new one soon.

    Police called this morning and driver is being charged with reckless
    driving. I was given the option of fine+points or re-education for the
    driver. I went with the latter, as I hope it will do more good.

    Which means you're good for a claim on his insurance, so just claim for a
    new Madone, helmet, and replacement for any damaged clothes. However,
    don't finalise your claim just yet - not until you know for certain you
    have no injuries which are going to cost you days off work or future pain.

    --
    [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

    ;; Conservatives are not necessarily stupid,
    ;; but most stupid people are conservatives -- J S Mill

  20. Paul Boyd said:

    *You're* given the option? Surely that should be down to the legal
    system!

    It surprised mw too.. but it was definitely a "how would you like us to
    proceed" question. Those were the only 2 choices, "a week in the stocks"
    would have made a pleasant third :-)

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