Note: the correct use of “claim culture” is when people make claims for injuries which were their own fault.

fail- back of the class for you.

I think most right thinking people would describe it as Junkyard did above as taking a claimable opportunity and using it to enhance ones life (normally monetarily) beyond what is reasonable to put right the wrong you were done.

Maybe it’s a generational thing – there seem to be more young adults of claimable age who see “milking it” as reasonable and expected practise.

I rightfully claimed for damage even though I am still riding the parts carbon stem,handlebars seatpost the forks I will be changing,I just went with the advice from the shop.I was going to go sick from work but would have lost about a £1k in tips so I battled through the pain barrier so they did not have to pay loss of earnings so they got of lightly 😉

Car insurance is specifically to cover for injuries caused to other people due to drivers’ mistakes…

No. It isn’t. It’s a legal requirement to cover other peoples losses.

Going ‘ow’ when you get out of bed isn’t a loss. Damage to your gear and replacing that is.

I’m not against folk claiming when they are clobbered. But the assertion that insurance is for that SPECIFICALLY is a bit OTT.

Get in touch with http://www.cycleaid.co.uk/site/home/

They’ll send you all the paperwork and lead you through it all step by step

Thanks again for all the advice.

I went to the hospital, got my hand checked, I think its ok. I went to the bike shop and I’ll be taking my bike in on monday for a damage assessmet.

I’ll go the solicitors on monday and see what they ahve to say.

I dont really have the right mindset for “milk it for all its worth”. Probably my upbringing, or the fact I live in a quaint market town where people will rush out of their shops to come and mop the blood from your cuts and scrapes after an RTA!

Perhaps I need to spend some more time in the big bad (real?) world!

If I get some money to cover all my bicycle issues then I’ll be happy.

Going ‘ow’ when you get out of bed isn’t a loss.

How major an injury do you have to have for it to be a loss then?

But the assertion that insurance is for that SPECIFICALLY is a bit OTT.

Not when it’s factually correct!

nice mail link though and example to show what I think most folk mean and why many disapprove

Hmm – there’s an claim for an injury which was the fault of the person injured. So most people agree with me then?

I dont think people are objecting to a legitimate claim for actual losses what they are objecting to , and rightly IMHO [ al for example] is the advice tom “milk it” for all it is worth which suggests to gain as much as possible rather to reclaim actual losses.

Thanks Junkyard for bringing this back on topic. IMO the OP should claim for legitimate costs and compensation. And I’m glad he’s largely ok.

‘Milking it’ is just immature and showing a gross sense of entitlement, driving up the costs for the rest of us, and would be fraudulent IMO. But it was not the OP who suggested he would do this. Some other muppet who hasn’t even been knocked off his bike and suffered the consequences 😯

I hope they are not insured with Swiftcover! My mate got knocked off last Nov and his bike was written off. He is still waiting for a pay out!

Junkyard – Member
I dont think people are objecting to a legitimate claim for actual losses what they are objecting to , and rightly IMHO [ al for example] is the advice tom “milk it” for all it is worth which suggests to gain as much as possible rather to reclaim actual losses.

I disagree with your definition of claim culture as it about claiming for anything you can rather than just faking it – the later is just fraud surely.
For example my sons school suffered vandalism resulting in a injury to him on a piece of equipment when the school did not know it had bee broken and he was hospitalised…nothing major or life threatening. We would have won a claim v the school but did not…claiming would have been legitimate but would have been part of claim culture. I filed it under shit happens tbh
In this case [OP’s] i would claim for legitimate losses but would not milk.
i could not find a definition of claim culture online with a quick Google

nice mail link though and example to show what I think most folk mean and why many disapprove
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2149648/The-historic-carnival-killed-claim-culture.html

Nice edit there..

However if the lads been knocked off through no faulty of his own (see OP) and the other party has admitted liability (again see OP), then he has the RIGHT to claim.

By “milk it” means a claim should be made for any and ALL damages caused by the accident – no more but absolutely NO LESS.

Call it claim culture, call it what you want. However this claim is a genuine claim and therefore deserves all the compensation OFFERED to him by the 3rd party’s insurance company.

brooess – Member
I dont think people are objecting to a legitimate claim for actual losses what they are objecting to , and rightly IMHO [ al for example] is the advice tom “milk it” for all it is worth which suggests to gain as much as possible rather to reclaim actual losses.
Thanks Junkyard for bringing this back on topic.

You mean for agreeing with you… 🙂 🙄

IMO the OP should claim for legitimate costs and compensation. And I’m glad he’s largely ok.

Yep imo too. 🙂

aracer – Member
Going ‘ow’ when you get out of bed isn’t a loss.
How major an injury do you have to have for it to be a loss then?

It does make you wonder…

aracer – Member
To all those who think claiming for injuries received when hit by a car is part of a “pathetic claim culture” – you’re getting confused. Car insurance is specifically to cover for injuries caused to other people due to drivers’ mistakes – why exactly should you not claim compensation for such injuries? It’s not like your life is just the same as if you hadn’t been hit by a car – at minimum you have pain, and more than likely it will affect your life in other ways (in that you can’t do what you normally could for some period). I hate the tendency of some people on here to suggest it’s part of a claim culture and that you shouldn’t claim for such injuries because they’re bothered about their insurance premiums.

Note: the correct use of “claim culture” is when people make claims for injuries which were their own fault.

Here, here.

specifically to cover for injuries

It just isn’t. Really it isn’t. If it was it wouldn’t cover damage to property. It’s mis-use of the word ‘specifically’. It should naturally cover property and loss of earnings etc. Compo is where it starts getting woolly.

If the insurance company offer you money, take it. If you want to chase it, it’s up to you; so long as you are honest you are doing no wrong to anyone.

It’s the suggested silliness to maximise a payout that seems immoral. To me at least. Everyone has their own moral dipstick.

The OP wasn’t knocked off on purpose

The OP wasn’t knocked off on purpose

Probably not, but I don’t see how that could be taken as precluding a claim for compensation.

The incident doesn’t sound like an accident, the OP should not be suffering material loss or injury because of another’s innattention or misjudgement.

You’re referring to drivers knocking cyclists off their bikes, right? Can’t see anything else on this thread which is any way illegal or fraudulent.

Since nobody’s mentioned it yet, http://bikeline.co.uk/ – proper NWNF solicitors who specialize in cycling accidents and don’t do a con job or screw you around, but simply deal with your claim and make it as painless as possible for you (and claim their fees direct from the driver’s insurance). They will sort out appointments with private doctor for you to assess injuries (when I had something similar I just turned up to see the doctor they arranged when told) and totally manage the claim saving you a lot of hassle.

Oh and for those who’ve had the insurance company settle quickly with them when they’ve had injuries – you do realise that they’ll have paid a huge amount less for the injury bit than if you’d got it all assessed properly – hence why they were so eager to settle quickly before you had second thoughts.

Jonathon Lear at bikeline took care of me when i was knocked off a few years back very professional and highly reccomemmded by myself

The last time i had an rta i was a mile down the road before the unmarked traffic cop who witnessed the incident caught up with me to give me his card.

He called me later that day to tell me the lorry driver had been slapped with a six hundred pound fine which he payed on the spot!?

I’m obviously not saying there is never a claim.. just i think most people are thinking what they’ll do with the bag or two which will soon be dropping through the letter box as they’re getting up off the floor.

wheeling out a sob story to some insurance **** is not something i can be arsed with, and if i ever do need to file a claim i doubt i’ll have to ask the internet for advice on how i should go about it.

The last time i had an rta i was a mile down the road before the unmarked traffic cop who witnessed the incident caught up with me to give me his card.

what about the first time you had an RTA?

the van driver put my bike in the back of his van and drove me home. now that one was a proper rta! and the reason i’ve had few since 😀

Did you get any money off him for repairs to your bike?

just i think most people are thinking what they’ll do with the bag or two which will soon be dropping through the letter box as they’re getting up off the floor.

Nope – the last thing on my mind. I don’t see what’s wrong with claiming for damage done to my kit and to me though. If you can’t be arsed with claiming I presume you’ve never had major damage done to your bike or your kit or ended up limping afterwards.

When I was spinal boarded to A&E (nothing major thankfully), the drivers insurers rang me after fracture clinic the next morning. They offered solicitors to act on my behalf (I took this up – perhaps I shouldn’t have done, but they have seemed to act fairly throughout). I limped to the bike shop and put £100 deposit on a new carbon road bike after clinic, after they told me the driver had admitted liability to them (as well as me, the paramedics and the police the night before).

The shop mechanic used his mechanic hands to show the carbon frame on my bike was gone- he squeezed the top tube with more force than I am capable of – it bulged and cracks were visible!

I had £1000 interim payment within a week. Cost of damaged clothing and bike replacement in full a month later. Injury payment after assessment by independent doc, though this took 6 months. I read his report which said physio could be useful so I asked them to increase the payment they had offered so I could get some private physio for the shoulder and neck that was still niggling.