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Knocked off bike whilst holidaying in the UK
Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for a good solicitor to help me with my cycling injury.
I purchased a new Cervelo R3 in June whilst I was in the UK, and 5 days later was knocked off my new bike whilst waiting at a roundabout.
The driver was not looking and just drove straight into the back of me busting my rear wheel and resulted with me landing on the bonnet.
She admitted liability and we exhanged details.
It wasn't till a few hours after that my back locked up and resulted in me spending a few hours in the local A&E.
Her insurance company at the time was very helpful in providing me with some physio, but they didn't understand anything about carbon fibre bikes.
I explained to them that due to the frame damage I didn't know if the bike was a right off.
I had to pay for the bike to go off to be scanned out of my own pocket.
Anyway the frame scan came back ok, but I still have a hefty repair bill at £723.
Due to the bike going off for repair, and my holiday coming to an end I had to leave the bike back in the UK.
Her insurance company has failed to respond to my emails in regards to paying for the repair and ignored my request to have them pay for the bike to be shipped over to Sydney.
They have tried to early settle at £2000, but with my lower back still causing me problems I'm reluctant to settle.
If anyone can recommend a good UK solictor I would be most obliged.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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7 comments
I would still be reluctant to settle at £4K at this moment in time, given the back injury you have mentioned and not being fully aware of extent of injuries sustained and any long term issues you may have and I am not sure of your country medical treatment whether free or have to pay for it.
You may be able to use a local law firm in your country to help you persue your full losess, from a UK insurer and will have legal obligations under tRTA laws,
Depends how much time and energy you have. My reletive simple case took nearly ywo years to setlle, the driver and their insurers have already accepted liability so its just the bill that needs agreeing
Good look and all the best.
My travel insurance (Columbus direct) is bloody useless, again they asked me to fill in endless amount of forms and I haven't received a response in about a month.
I would recommend you stay clear of them.
So to update the insurance company have upped the offer to £4000, which I'm going to accept as I've been wasting my days stressing over this and I need to move forward.
Thanks for all your help! Next time I ride abroad I'll be sure to take out separate cycle insurance.
This sucks. Yeah don't settle. BLM were great for me but they were provided by the other party's insurer at no charge to me. I also settled for £2000 for injury (is this the standard amount that's offered?) but with costs on top and there wasn't much wrong with me whereas your injury sounds worse. BehindTheBikeSheds is right your bike would have and should have been written off easily. Perhaps when you get a solicitor you can get a second opinion? - Ideally not from someone so qualified with a scanner but a run of the mill bike shop like Evans who will definitely write it off.
Out of interest who is the insurance company?
I’d be interested to hear what our Australian friend (I’m assuming here given the Sydney reference) thinks of Slater and Gordon. They’re originally an Australian firm, and the last I heard, which was admittedly a long time ago, they had a bit of an ambulance chasing reputation. I haven’t noticed that reputation relating to their UK operations, so if they take a strong plaintiff line and CUK are happy with them, might be good.
Happy to recommend Slater and Gordon.
Solicitors will take something like 25% of whatever you win at court, if they even think it's worth their time to bother with. Otherwise, they may be willing to send you their small claims pack for you to fill-in and submit all by yourself.
Does your holiday/travel insurance cover you?
You get nothing for loss of enjoyment of holiday, it sucks. Injury compensation and costs only.
Ah this sounds messy. I'd also reccomend Bikeline.
https://www.bikeline.co.uk/content/about-us
Don't settle, did you contact the police at the time?
Loss of enjoyment of holiday plus injuriy and frankly a bike shop would have written off the frame as a matter of course that would have sufficed for insurance purposes but all too late now.
Cycling UK use Slater and Gordon https://www.slatergordon.co.uk/unions-federations-and-charities/ctc/
hope you get a result but don't expect a quick resolution.