Cyclist wins £100k payout for collision that left him in wheelchair for four months

A cyclist who was hit by a car, leaving him in a wheelchair for four months, has been awarded £105,000 in compensation.

Metalwork inserted into the cyclist’s legs after injuries sustained after being knocked off his bike by a car on a roundabout near Corfe Mullen in May 2010 was not removed for three years, during which time he missed many days of work and two holidays.

Following an MRI scan, he was diagnosed with a full thickness tear of the posterior cruciate ligament with joint swelling.

Although the driver’s insurer admitted liability and offered compensation of £50,000, the cyclist’s lawyer, Brian Parsons of Coles Miller in Poole, claimed for further damages and won, despite the three-year limit on the claim having expired.

Mr Parsons told the Bournemouth Echo: “My client suffered very nasty injuries to his legs.

“He sustained a fracture to his lower left leg but was unable to undergo surgery until the swelling subsided.

“His right knee was unstable.

“When surgery was able to take place, a plate was inserted in his left leg from the ankle to the knee with four screws to stabilise the fracture.

“After leaving hospital, he was unable to manage stairs and spent the first two months living in his lounge which had to be converted to a bedroom.”

Six-figure settlements for cycling injuries are not uncommon, due to the devastating effect they can have on a victim.

In 2014 we reported how a woman who was left with life-changing injuries after a lorry pulled left into her in 2010 won compensation following a long legal battle with the driver’s employer.

Kirby Stebbing, 27, was cycling along Balls Pond Road in Hackney when the HGV cut across her route, causing her to collide with the cab of the lorry. The impact threw her from her bike and dragged her under the wheels.

The incident left her with multiple injuries including a fractured pelvis and ankle, a dislocated shoulder and injuries to both legs. Her left leg required extensive skin grafts.

Ms Stebbing was left with post-traumatic stress disorder and her injuries continue to affect her.

A three and a half year legal battle finally saw her awarded a six-figure payout to cover her ongoing care and future loss of earnings.

The driver, Dean Simmons, pleaded guilty to careless driving. Insurers for his firm, Dunlea’s Enterprise, eventually accepted two-thirds liability.

And last year we reported how the widow of a cyclist killed during a charity ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats after he was thrown from his bike into the path of a car when he hit a pothole reached a six-figure settlement with the local authority responsible for maintaining the road.

Martyn Uzzell from Cleveden, Somerset, aged 51, was killed instantly in the incident on the A65 Settle Bypass at Giggleswick, North Yorkshire in June 2011.

A coroner’s inquest last year concluded that there was “no doubt whatsoever” that a 10cm pothole surrounding a drain cover was the cause of the fatal crash.

The victim’s wife Kate, to whom he had been married for more than 20 years, brought a civil action against North Yorkshire County Council, which had been notified of the defect by police five weeks before Mr Uzzell’s death, but took no action to repair it.

The council reached a settlement with Mrs Uzzell to avoid “prolonged involvement in further litigation.”

While the local authority said it "accepts no liability for the tragic death of Mr Uzzell", it acknowledged that the case was "a sensitive matter."