Knocked off Bike

[msemma]

My OH was knocked off his bike yesterday on the way to work by a car. He was in the cycle lane, the driver of a nice little sporty number overtook and turned left in front of him. Caught his front wheel and upended him.

Car stopped a few yards up the road, OH looked up and saw it. As he tried to sit up and get a pen out of his pocket to get the numberplate the car driver drove off - obviously satisfied that he hadn't killed him but not showing enough care to actually help.

OH tried to get back on his bike and find a police officer, couldn't remember where the police staion was and phoned 999. Police turned up, and the also called an ambulance and he was taken to A&E as he was in shock and covered in blood.

Spent yesterday in casualty - had to be checked out and x-rayed as the cuts were so deep that they had to look for foreign bodies. A nice pair of trousers ripped to shreds too!

Police couldn't trace the car from what fragments of the numberplate OH could recall. Not sure what they will do next. There were cameras on the road which probably never caught the accident but may have the car on them.

OH lost a days work without pay too (gets paid for the hours he works as a notetaker for a disabled student)

What should be our next step to make sure the driver gets caught? Can we try and claim for anything through one of those "no win no fee" places without knowing who the driver is or do we have to know the driver's details? Woudl trying to claim mean someone would try and track the driver down? (not fussed about the compensation for a day's earnings, more interested in catching the scumbag!)

[chrisrob]

I'm sorry but it seems there's little you can do. The police probably won't pursue the matter. If they could find the driver and evidence, they could (and should) prosecute for dangerous driving, There is too little regard paid to cyclists and Tetjam's comment shows the moronic attitude of many.
I cycle and I drive. (And I walk.)
there are many times as a driver (and pedestrian) I get frustrated by cyclists. Likewise there are many times as a cyclist I get frustrated by drivers and pedestrians.
I am not blameless and a number of years ago knocked a cycolist off his bike. The police were called and would have prosecuted me but the cyclist prevented them. I did end up paying for the ambulance that tookhim to hospital (just bruising) and �80 to have his bike repaired.

[msemma]

Why is it karma for a cyclist who always cycles on the road as he should to be knocked off his bike? The madness of bigots never fails to amuse me.

I cycle and I drive. Being a cyclist and a driver helps me to understand the needs of other road users.

Tetjam, get on a bike and try cycling around a busy city centre - as the government and all environmentally concerend people would like us all to do. Although maybe I should make some presumtions abut you - lazy? ignorant, oblivious to others kind of driver? 4x4 in the city centre?

Pity the driver never just ran my boyfriend over and left him permanently injured or dead? One less law abiding good citizen less for you to have to not run over yourself.

[sara3]

why don't you contact the local authority or highways agency to see who covers the area CCTV? it's worth a shot, but probably not worth getting hung up on.

I can't believe the driver didn't stop, arrogant pig.

[Ethel]

A 'no win, no fee' solicitor won't help as there is nobody to prosecute.

As has already been said, we have heard your husband's side of events but if traced the driver could say s/he was unaware of any cyclist running in to his/her car and deny stopping.

When a cyclist ran in to me (I was stationary in a queue of traffic at the lights, he came literally flying from the canal and landed in to the side of my car) I had to pay the ambulance costs as is standard and had to bear the costs of repairing my car myself.

If the driver is ever traced and prosecuted for any driving offence your husband could sue him for loss of pay and other losses such as the trousers, maybe compensation for shock and cuts, but that is all.

[msemma]

The police phoned last night and said they are going to get cctv footage from a nearby building to see if that shows anything up so we'll take it from there.