[Closed] Cyclist wins £1500 in faulty seat clamp case

Mr Buck, 41, of London Road, Portsmouth, also suffered from the psychological trauma, which led to five weeks of insomnia as he had flashbacks and memories of the crash and traffic.

😐

unusual for no gagging clause in an out of court settlement?

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Matthew Buck was cycling home from a trip to the supermarket in April 2011 when the seat clamp on his bicycle snapped as he was travelling at about 15mph, according to his solicitors Irwin Mitchell.

A spokesman for the firm said: “The fault caused Matthew to lose balance and fall whilst still on his bike, trapping his left leg and exposing him to oncoming traffic in the middle of the road with one car missing his head by only two to three feet.”

The accident caused neck injuries that took 11 weeks and a month of physiotherapy to recover from as well as “severe” cuts and bruises.

Mr Buck, 41, of London Road, Portsmouth, also suffered from the psychological trauma, which led to five weeks of insomnia as he had flashbacks and memories of the crash and traffic

Genuinely can't think how a snapped seat clamp (or anything that could be called one, however incorrectly) could cause ones leg to be trapped, if riding correctly?

Stephanie Whatmore, a specialist personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell,

Ah, I see.

Methinks they've settled just to avoid the legal costs, even if they got them back later, by winning

I read it as his leg was trapped by the fall.

He should have got a better solictor. Some kid got £2500 for getting a splinter in school.

A friend as a child was out riding with a friend when his friends seat suddenly tilted back dumping him on the back wheel .
His bike skidded to a halt and went over with the young boy screaming like a banshee.
When my friend went to his aid he found his friends tackle had been pulled into the wheel and seat stays jamming the rear wheel.

He had to let the tyre down and back the wheel up slowly.
As soon as his friend was freed he got to his feet and ran of at speed screaming for his mum .

My friend must be a very empathetic chap as he cannot re tell this story without wiping tears from his eyes. .D

When my friend went to his aid he found his friends tackle had been pulled into the wheel and seat stays jamming the rear wheel.

A guy at my school lost his in a similar incident 😯

exposing him to oncoming traffic in the middle of the road with one car missing his head by only two to three feet

So the fault caused traffic to give him a wider berth than normal?

I wish people missed me by two to three feet...

We are pleased that he has now received justice for an accident that [i]could have been prevented[/i]

This case highlights the importance of ensuring that the parts of a bicycle are correctly fitted and maintained to prevent any similar accidents in future

I don’t want anyone else to have to experience what I did and I hope that those involved take the steps necessary to make sure that it doesn’t happen again

Unlucky chap for sure, and glad he is now OK, but no mention of why/how the clamp failed so a bit odd that they settled, surely if it was a design flaw they would have recalled? And if it's a one-off materials failure then doesn't that just come down to bad luck rather than preventable?

For two weeks following the accident I was unable to wash my clothes, go shopping, drive or socialise.

^ that was my admittedly flippant thought as well...

Bugger! I've missed my chance. Several years ago, after a week of creaking, there was a sudden bang underneath me, and the saddle slumped forwards and sideways, leaving me to ride the next ten miles home perched on one corner of the saddle, and with my eyes watering.....

That must have been worth a few quid

I doubt he was the delicate flower portrayed. but either after getting home thought kerr-ching or maybe after hearing the words "have you been in an accident lately that was not your fault".

he got £1500 but I bet his solicitors earned more than that out of it.

the pinboard next to the payphones in my local hospital are full of cards for minicab companies and compensation solicitors.
Shit happens just don't wash no more, not when there is money to be made.

[i]He has now received a £1,500 settlement from Cycle World Wessex and clamp producer Fisher Outdoor Leisure who both denied liability for his injuries but made the out-of-court agreement.

[/i]

Key sentence..., paid up as it was far cheaper than doing anything else IMO.

I read it as his leg was trapped by the fall.

Good point, well made sir. Having re read, I agree.

Still think he's a chancer though.

Whole bloody worlds on its arse.

I've got a cold and am particularly unsympathetic today , as I can't ride my bike. Maybe I should sue whoever I caught it from ?

Or perhaps I should man up and risk chest issues and ride it.

......then sue.

😯

A guy at my school lost his in a similar incident

Losing your castanets , ouch .
If that had happened to the chap in the original post, I would expect him to be above Richard Branson on the richest persons list after that payout .

anyone else hope both he and his solicitor choke to death on their celebratory bottle of champers?

anyone else hope both he and his solicitor choke to death on their celebratory bottle of champers?

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Cycle World are a pretty good small chain of LBS's. Thats quite a bit of money to them I'm sure. I just hope the guy spends it on a new bike with them (and doesn't ask for discount 😉 )

Would be interesting to hear the whole story, and whether CW had supplied the bike or serviced it recently, or whether it was a 10yr old BSO which had never seen a lick of oil.

Will have been paid out by their insurers to avoid a more costly court action, £1500 plus costs to date is sadly probably not worth fighting for.

I had a hope seat clamp snap half way on the Dyfi Enduro once. I still fisished but couldn't walk for a week.
It was my fault as I overtightened it.
I never used a torque wrench.
I'm sure the guy did. 🙂

Judging by the quote referencing correctly fitted and maintained id guess cycle world either fitted the seat collar or supplied the bike.

Seat collar fails and bloke has accident. Cycle world blame fisher as faulty product, fisher blame cycle world as incorrectly installed or can't prove it wasn't fitted to specifications etc. Both agree to share settlement to wave goodbye to the problem.

I'm speculating but if that's the case the rider has still had an accident that could have been worse even if he has creamed it. If you buy a new product or pay a professional to fit it you expect it to be safe.

My guess is that the sum settled at reflects the physical injuries rather than the other stuff folk here are (somewhat predictably) flaming him for...on the strength of a press report - we know how accurate, unbiased and thorough they are.

oh so its not pitchfork o'clock.

#putsitaway

Seriously he must have grazed his knee for him to accept £1500.

A quick google search brings up some seriously stupid pay outs for seriously minor injures you would shake off and not worry about with in five minutes,

But because they happen on other peoples property it's Kerr-Ching time.
People getting thousands for splinters, pin pricks even a minor burn from leaning against a hot radiator.

Things that if they happened at home would make your nearest and dearest laugh and warrent no more than a kiss better.

Why does money make everything better for the victims?
I hate this "where there's a blame there's a claim" shit mentality that people now tend to have.
Surely knowing it won't happen again to others is all the reward you need?