Cycling Accident Compensation - Claim Now Settled

[gb60mail]

You may recall me posting some questions a couple of months ago about a compensation claim I was facing from a cycling accident I was involved in. The basic details were that I was cycling where I shouldn’t have been and I collided into a teenage girl who was walking, the accident was completely my fault.

The young lady I collided with suffered a badly twisted ankle and was unable to work for 12 weeks – she works in retail and standing for long periods was her issue. The young lady I collided with was seeking compensation from me for £4000 in damages - £3000 for loss of earnings and £1000 for personal injuries. My problem was that I didn’t have any cycle insurance and couldn’t afford to pay her this amount of money upfront so she began suing me for her compensation money.

I am now pleased to say that I have managed to agree on a settlement of £3500 for her. I had been considering options such offering to pay in installments or taking out a loan to settle this but a relative came forward and offered to lend me the money and pay it back without any interest for which I am extremely grateful.

Before we settled, I did have some direct conversations with the young lady concerned which were quite amicable, in one of the conversations she told me that she appreciated me stopping after the collision and for facing my responsibilities. She said she was very much aware that there would have been some who would have given no concern to her being injured and would have lept back on their bike and fled the scene as fast as they could leaving her with very little chance of identifying them and with no hope of her ever receiving some compensation. When we agreed the settlement, we had one more conversation where we wished each other well.

It’s not exactly what I would call a happy ending, but more of a satisfactory outcome. I am relieved that this is now over, I will be able to pay back my relative within two years and I will then put this fully behind me. With some hindsight, I know that I could and should have settled this matter earlier without having the threat of court action hanging over me, or putting this girl though any further stress, but I guess we all know what a great thing hindsight is!

Through the questions I asked on here, I’m now well aware that I have got off lightly with this. Some of you told me very honestly that in the same situation as this young lady, you would have been suing me for much more substantial amounts than the £4000 this girl was, so I’m thankful that I wasn’t faced with having to pay out a much larger outlay than I did.

At the end of it all, I know that I made a very careless mistake and I have rightly had to pay for it. I will learn from this and never do anything like it again, I now have some cycle insurance and I’m taking great care when cycling. All cyclists should be aware of the possible consequences of being involved in an accident and not having insurance, and also never to flout any cycling laws as even with having insurance, it may not pay out in the event of an accident if laws have not been adhered to.

Thank you all for your answers and for your interest in this. If you have any further comments or opinions you want to state, I will welcome that.

[ummmm]

Glad it's sorted. You do sound like a decent type.

[Mamyalynne]

Glad it's now resolved gb , thank you for letting us know.

Take care.

[gb60mail]

Thank you ummmm & mamyalynne. I'd like to think I'm a decent type! Everyone makes errors and mine was careless and costly. As I've said though, I will learn from it and put it behind me.

[sinderella]

Your honesty will be paid back to you.Be proud of doing the right thing.

[Tilly2]

Is she ok now?

[gb60mail]

Thank you Sinderella, I appreciate your comment.

[gb60mail]

Yes Tilly2, she is OK and fortunately she hasn't sustained any long-lasting injury.

[Quoi]

I wouldnt have even thought about cycling insurance if i hadnt read your post so thank you for that.
It seems an expensive experience for you but I am glad you did the right thing.

[Tilly2]

Well done for getting it sorted. I'm glad she's ok.

[gb60mail]

Quoi, so many cyclists don't even give insurance a thought just as I didn't. It was an expensive experience for me, though quite a few people pointed out on here that their expenses would have been considerably higher than those of the young lady I collided into and I could have been sued for a much more substantial amount than the £4000 this lady claimed for. I would now certainly advise any cyclists to have insurance.

[gb60mail]

Thank you Tilly2, I am glad she is OK too.

[wildwood]

You can now continue your life with your head held high. Facing up to one's wrongdoing is a great virtue to have. Good on yer for being honest.

[Islay]

Congratulations (think that is the right word)

Glad it all sorted

[gb60mail]

Hi Islay, nice to hear from you again. Yes it is very pleasing for me to now have this sorted. I do remember that you very honestly told me that if you had been in the same situation as this young lady, you would have been suing me for a much more substantial amount than she was, I think you said that as you a earn a lot more than the girl I collided with, you would have sued me for around £20,000. Having to pay out that kind of amount would certainly have caused me severe financially difficulty for a long time, so this has now made me feel extremely fortunate about the £3500 that I have agreed to pay and that I am not facing several years of paying out a much larger amount. So thank you for being very honest and giving it to me straight, as it has helped me to appreciate How fortunate I have actually come out of this.

[Islay]

Lol gb60 hope your insurance is up to date its a dangerous road out there.

[gb60mail]

It can indeed be a dangerous road Islay, as well as an expensive one lol. Rest assured I now have up to date cycle insurance!

[gb60mail]

Thank you Wildwood, that's the way I am and always will be!