Hit by a driver? The 9 vital steps cyclists should take next

"In an emergency, telephone 999. If you are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, a text phone is available on 18000."

You can also text (SMS) the emergency services on 999, but you must register before doing so.

To access the service:

• Text the word ‘register’ to 999.
• You’ll then receive an automatic text response which contains some information about the service. It’s advisable to read the information
• Once you are ready to proceed with the registration, reply to the message by texting ‘Yes’ back.
• You’ll then receive a ‘success’ response, confirming that your mobile is now registered.

NB:

• no 'success' means check with your network provider
• if you change your number, you need to re-register
• to check if you're still registered, text 'register' and you'll get a confirmation if you are
• it's still SMS, and delivery may not be spontaneous, so voice calls are better if available
• It depends on signal still, but SMS may get through if voice doesn't

Only had one incident thank god. 

I was following (slowly) behind an elderly gent in a mobility scooter in the cycle lane. I could see him eyeballing me in the wing mirrors. As I followed at a safe distance, I was looking behind to find an appropriate gap in traffic to overtake.

Next thing I know I'm on top of this scooter cage, and my bike is on top of me. He had slammed the brakes on and come to a complete stop in front of me.

Luckily no real damage to me, him or the bike. Although, at the side of the road as I'm checking he is ok he adamantly informs me that his mobility scooter is bust, and that he cant afford to replace it so I will have to. At that stage of my life I had sold my car and was commuting on a bike to save money for bills so I was gutted to say the least.

Luckily I had the confidence to reach into the scooter and try his accelerator lever and it burst into life and he sped off without a word.

The week after I saw the same guy stranded in the middle of a busy junction shouting at some motorists, so I think it was his hobby.

When I was hit by a car and bust my collarbone, the A+E medic spent 15 minutes lecturing me on my lack of plastic hat. I asked him if he ever did the same with car crash victims

Step 0 - join Cycling UK or another organisation that will give you insurance and also fight for justice

Re Injury and going to hospital. I recently had a crash that was self inflicted and went to the local hospital expecting to get my knee stitched up. While sitting there the doctor insisted on giving me the once over she found "deep puncture wound" on my elbow, two sprained wrists, as well as the knee at the time I felt no pain anywhere except my knee. It helped that her experience meant she knew what she was looking for. Always worth getting it checked by the experts.

All good tips, I'd just add one.

When I was hit a few years ago in Crystal Palace, I took down all the details on my phone (including make/model of car and number plate). A good samaritan had chased the driver down. When I asked the driver for her name, phone number and insurance details she started to read them out, then offered to just write them down on my phone. In a bit of a daze, I handed her the phone and she wrote them down. Later that morning when giving the details to the police, I found not only had she given false information, she had also changed the number plate details I'd written down whilst doing it! The police weren't able to track her down.

So, be suspicious of drivers who knock you over. Don't hand them your phone, have them dictate the information to you. Before they or you leave the scene, double-check the number plate, make and model of car. Obtain a phone number from the driver, and ring it to check it is their number whilst they are standing in front of you.

In the mid-nineties I was struck by a car in Newington Green London. The driver stopped, got out, verbally abused me, and threatened to "put me through that fuckin window". The police, who saw everything, came over to see what was going on. They had all the sympathy in the world... for the driver, and spoke to me as if I were a criminal. They told me I shouldn't be riding at such a traffic-heavy hour, getting in the way of people who have places to be. They told me the driver had had a bad day, he was stressed, and the traffic was really bad and the fact that I was in front of him was really the last straw. Ever since then I've taken the law into my own hands. I always hold a hefty D-lock now. Fuck the Police, fuck the law, they're useless. 

All great advice - I would say it applies for all collisions - not just for cars.   Get witnesses addresses as well.  Take lots of pictures.

Most importantly get liability insurance as you never know what will happen when an ambulance chasing lawyer gets involved.  Its not widely known that most mortgage holders have public liability insurance from their house insurance.   

All well and good you say.   Well that depends.   If they get chased by said lawyers they and the circumstances are remotely grey - in my personal experience - they are likely to fold like a cheap suit, and any payout will show up on your house insurance claims history and premiums AND you will have no say in the matter.   At least with an experienced cycle insurer they are likely to consider the claim on its merits.

Yes, I am bitter - I collided with a pedestrian, hung around, gave him First Aid - in spite of the fact I was also leaking from several new orifices - and in return his lawyers took my insurance company to the cleaners (£30k!) as one witness supported my version of events and another witness supported his and my house insurance company declined to fight any further, and hey presto higher premiums.

At least with a dedicated cycle insurer I would have had the comfort of knowing that they took the my view into account - even if they ultimately settled.

as always YMMV! 

Quote:

plus the make, model and registration number of their vehicle(s) – car details can be hugely valuable in the unlikely event the driver provides bogus personal information.

I'd always try to get the chassis number for that very reason - usually visible under the lower left edge of the windscreen. If the rest is bogus, chances are the number plate is too.

He was referring to the alleged incident. Throughout the trial he carefully worded any response in relation to the accident to deny it but not actually directly say he wasn't involved.

As to the civil case, the accident happened in January 2017, he was found guilty in November 2017 but due to continually denying it to his insurers it dragged on until I got settlement in January 2019 (two years and one day from the accident, it would have been two years exactly but the cheque was sent by Royal Mail and I wasn't in to receive it).

I think he may have been on the hook for quite a bit from the insurers side as they would not indemnify him. I got £3,400 and nearly three years on I do not appear to have any issues with the ribs, although I avoid contact sports now and focus on riding/Triathlon.

The kicker being that he has a child that goes to one of my children's pre-school so I sometimes see him about. So that gets a bit awkward. Neither of us has engaged the other and I am slightly worried that my daughter gets too friendly with his.

Southy83/Tightwad, lucky you weren't badly hurt, fair enough eventual conclusion,

When I got properly hit one of my broken ribs punctured a lung.  That hurts.

Just wondering

"He also confirmed that he only passed his test three months before and because of this was unlikely to drive again"

before what?  According to him, he hadn't done anything.

And of course, what happened next?

Bit of a shameless plug for my blog series about when I got knocked off a couple of years ago, which at present covers from the accident happening to the magistrates court where the driver was on trial.

Really need to get round to writing the bits post magistrates court in relation to the civil case.

http://tightwadcyclist.co.uk/hit-and-run/

Quote:

Never assume a road incident is ‘too trivial’ to call in, because the research based on these records is critical for road design and the future safety of cyclists.

When I wandered into New Bridewell in Bristol to report being doored by a taxi passenger, the next day, the staff on the front desk told me it wasn't reportable because it was the next day and I hadn't phoned them at the time.

I explained that I hadn't felt it necessary to call them at the time, and I was too busy trying to straighten my brakes and wipe up blood off my leg.

Plus I hadn't got a registration number and the passenger in question apparently didn't speak English (the taxi had sped off, as far as one can in Bristol rush hour traffic).

I felt like I had to really push to get them to even make a note of it to add to their road stats (I'd accepted that there was nothing actually 'police-y' they could do about it).

When I got knocked off the motorbike last year, I didn't get any pictures of the scene/car involved, for a few reasons:

• ambulance crew insisted on treating me first in case of any serious injuries (fair enough)
• CCTV from local garage deleted before incompetent insurers requested it
• Helpful driver with dash cam footage apparently vanished without giving contact details to me/police

Ambulance crew were pretty swift on scene, as had been attending another case nearby. By the time I'd made sure I was generally ok, bike wasn't about to burst into flames, the other driver was ok and I'd retrieved my bag with phone in, I was checked over by them.

I'd expected the policeman that turned up (again, just around the corner), to have done a bit more than just take 2 sets of details, hand it over to the insurers and wash his hands of it.

Question.  How do C-AMS differ from the Compensation culture driven Ambulance chasers that infest the Motor Insurance sector?

Genuinely asking - just because they represent cyclists - they also off a similar service for Drivers - doesn't mean they are angels.  Maybe they are, maybe they arent.

Anyone have any evidence either way?  Marginal claim turned down for example?

(Bitter because I got ambulance chased after I knocked over a pedestrian on my bike.  Too long a story for here)

No legal obligation for a cyclist to stop at the scene of an incident, never mind give their details.