[Closed] Knocked off on cycle path by dog - injured. What to do?

Some folk think I'm after as much cash as I can get. I'd be happy to come out of it as rich as I went in. That's £40 for a helmet.

The guy has caused himself grief by his actions and I'm not happy that his dog walking choices have caused it so much harm. He's also lost the dog. I'm not happy with that and I hope he chooses to walk dogs safely in the future. It would also be nice to see a future law enforced to not ride a bike on these types of paths with unleashed dogs. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that it could have been a child riding beside or in front of me and his dog ramming it and causing harm. Different story then,eh?

You're not talking straight now... Either you were concussed with a totalled helmet confused on the floor or you were well enough to report to the police then drive 18 miles home after a slow speed collision according to your garmin?

As a dog owner who runs and rides with the dog I think the dog owner was in the wrong here. If it were me I'd have either stopped and made the dog sit and wait or (more likely) slowed and called her to heel on the opposite side to where the OP would pass. If he'd given some indication he had a dog with him the chances are the OP would have slowed down or at the very least been more aware and so if the dog bolted he could have reacted and the incident probably wouldn't have happened.

Aye, in a law abiding world. I wish this was the way it went!

I've posted about 20 times over 6 pages,Tony. 35 posts to each page. The idea was to see if anyone had experienced something similar or if anyone was in a job that could give me an idea.

andy3809 - Member
You're not talking straight now... Either you were concussed with a totalled helmet confused on the floor or you were well enough to report to the police then drive 18 miles home after a slow speed collision according to your garmin?

Yes,Andy.Confused,not replying to questions,Dizzy and a bit spaced out. Taking a wrong turn on the way back to the car,cycling off when one woman asked if I was going to get seen to and not giving her a straight answer, forgetting I heated a meal in the oven later in the eve and looking for more food once I got home weren't normal. I shouldn't have been allowed to drive for 24hrs following mild concussion (although I wasn't unconscious) but I kept telling folk I'd be fine.

Should I have only stayed on the deck until someone picked me up after mild concussion? Is it not possible for the way I described to have happened like that?

or if anyone was in a job that could give me an idea.

Everyone wanna donate A quid to his PayPal to pay for a new lid and end this thread?

I'm in a job to give you an idea op... How about not using the emergency services to 'data capture' for a minor accident. If youre hurt, especially with a head injury then call a ambulance amd don't drive 18 miles home putting people on the road at risk. If you have issues/damages with somebody after an accident, give them chance to sort things with you. Maybe after a couple of days he'd have bought you a pint and a shiny new helmet due to being at fault. Who knows as you didn't give him chance, just presumed.

[quote=andy3809 ]How about not using the emergency services to 'data capture' for a minor accident. If youre hurt, especially with a head injury then call a ambulance amd don't drive 18 miles home putting people on the road at risk.

I'm surprised he didn't realise all that. There must have been something wrong with his head.

FWIW, I think the other guy should have at least warned you he had a dog.
But mainly - OP, I hope you heal quickly, and that you don't have problems with work. I hope the other guy finds his dog. He might have had to explain to his kids that Fido wasn't going to be coming home. Which is not a job I'd relish.
Of course you're pissed off. But it sounds like both of you had a shitty evening. I sort of hope the other fellow posts on here and finds this thread - and that the two of you end up resolving things amicably over a pint.
But then I'm a bit stupid like that. The whole tone of this thread has been unnecessarily confrontational*. IMVHO.

last weekend i was riding on a quiet but twisty shared use path, possibly a little fast as a bit distant from carparks so lacks punters - a jogger coming the other way put his hand up for me to slow/stop - was already slowing - the reason for his panic was his small dog was on "my" side of the path and hidden from my sight by bushes on the bend, he didn't have a lead at all, or call the dog to heel.
The path is signed keep left and is signed dogs on lead (conservation area) - now i know it could have been an orphan child with a terminal illness crawling to hospital but I just concluded that the guy was just plain selfish.

Similar anyone riding in the dark with a dog off lead - dog injured, other cyclist injured and out of pocket = person enjoying their ride with dog off lead for their pleasure/convenience 100% at fault

I am with the OP.
this is a accident that could have been avoided if the dog was under control via a lead.
Reflective coller, hi vis or flashing lights on the dog might have made a differnce too.

P.S I hope they find the dog and its in good health aswell, after all it was in a accident too.

[quote=zoota ]P.S I hope they find the dog and its in good health aswell, after all it was in a accident too.

Indeed - the other cyclist was also at fault (I hope rene is paying attention) in failing to look after his dog properly - the dog can't be expected to know better.

Was the dog joining the path from a slip road?

As well remembered above...

I'm not sure how to go about it all.

File it under sh&t happens and move on.

Maybe the dog was dazzled by your bright lights?

The main problem is these "shared" cycle paths are unto grade if being used for proper commuting.

Its fine if you just out MTBing you can stop but if you actually want to be getting somewhere you cant be stopping every 2 seconds.

I was on national cycle path 4 the other day. It is a BOAT that rather strangely goes over Bowsey hill in Berkshire.

The path is pretty wide as its almost a road, although very dirty in Winter.

A horse was coming one way I was coming the other the horse rider wanted me to stop completely and let her past because
"she does nt know how the horse reacts round bikes."

Know this was fine I was just out on a Sunday morning.

But officially this is the main Cycle way between london and bristol.

This is akin to take a horse down the A4 or M4 and expecting every car approaching to stop "she does nt know how the horse reacts round cars.".

The main problem here to be fair is the NCW4 goes a very weird route at this point and there should be a cycle path built onto the A4 at the foot of the hill.

But it seems to me it should also be the riders responsibility to make sure her horse does know about cycle before getting on a National Cycle Way.

I've had a similar experience where I hit a dog in the dark and broke both wrists and my face.
If you want any advice and help give me an email (in profile)

Hope you're ok

Junkyard=KatyHopkins-KatyHopkins=Junkyard EUGGHHHHH!

If you did it as a witty ironic homage to her style I salute your efforts.

So in summary the OP has an accident which is not his fault and items are damaged as a result of the actions of a dog not under proper control.
OP does not want to sue, but would like recompense from the person responsible for the dog to cover the replacement of damaged items.
Seems reasonable to me. Why should he be out of pocket through no fault of his own?

If a child hits a cricket ball in the wrong direction and it breaks someone's window, should the person whose window was broken just "suck it up" too?
No.
The child or their parent / guardian should pay to repair the broken window.

Title says cycle path. If it was a cycle path I would have some sympathy.
Shared use, you have to expect the unexpected and ride accordingly. Shared use paths I treat as a sidewalk (sorry for the Americanism) that I don't have to get off and push and ride in the same manner as I would if were on the pavement, which would be not much faster than walking pace.

Only the op knows how fast he was going but encountering a dog on a share used path is not even unexpected. If the op was pootleing I would say the dog owner would be at fault, but if he was pushing his speed I would consider his behaviour dangerous on a shared use path and consider his actions a contributory factor.

It's generally considered bad form to leave an animal injured. You are supposed to track it and finish it off.

aracer - Member
andy3809 » How about not using the emergency services to 'data capture' for a minor accident. If youre hurt, especially with a head injury then call a ambulance amd don't drive 18 miles home putting people on the road at risk.

I'm surprised he didn't realise all that. There must have been something wrong with his head.

Thanks,Aracer. A knock to the head confuses you and I didn't know what to do. I was asked questions and I don't think I gave anyone a straight answer. As for going 2 mins out of my way to the police station, the reason was that I had a head injury along with all the other stuff due to a guy running a dog off a leash (take note of this,Andy3809. I'm getting as sick as everyone else on this thread with the number of times it's taking to get the scenario into your head along with the others that's fail to read the details so I'm not going over it again)
I was definitely not going to be wandering around with these injuries through no fault of my own, not knowing who the hell this dog owner was. I had to find out who he was as I had no idea of the extend of the injuries and damage, if he vanished and I found I had problems that kept me off work for weeks, then I'd have no info for anyone regarding what had happened. It could just as well be a fall off my bike as far as far as the people that ask questions are concerned. Like I keep saying, and like Aracer keeps trying to point out, I wasn't in the right frame of mind. How many time's have you seen people agreeing to go to hospital after an accident? They are usually out of it or just plain not wanting to put people out of their way.

As far as 'buying me a pint and sorting things out' I'm not looking for a friendship with the guy. There is not a chance in hell that if someone has an injured dog with his attitude, that he's going to pay for a helmet. Not to mention that the days off work I'm having as I can hardly hold things in my left hand and barely lift both arms shoulder height, leading to what works out to be just over £10 a day in wages when I'm not at work, yes £10 for each day.. I need to take note of these things. I'm no sue-head. I just want what's due and happy to put a few cuts and grazes elsewhere on my body behind me. I'm also wanting this guy to know and hopefully learn some way that coming down a path with a dog running behind is not something he should continue doing. If it blows over and he has a dog that's fine and I'm out of pocket having missed work days and having to replace essential kit (the scuffed jacket,lever and light unit isn't essential and I won't claim for that)then he's got off with his negligence. If you can't see that from my point of view in any way then there's something far wrong with you.

Like I previously said, It turns out I'm in work, alone for the next 2 weeks as my boss is out the country. I need hand movement and strength in it for the work I do. It also involves going up ladders to lift stock down from a certain height quite often. I won't be able to do this. The next two weeks are going to be tricky due to all of this. This is why I had reporting this incident, and hopefully someone finding the dog owner so I knew who I was dealing with, BEFORE going to hospital. The next few weeks I'll be next to useless at work, explaining to customers that things won't be getting done on time due to the injury, and calling people to let them know to collect or rebook work.

Thanks Bigyinn, Eddiefiola etc. I'll keep that in mind.

Martin, above all else it sounds like you had a nasty bump to the head. Hope it gets sorted, and you heal ok.
You may just have to take a hit on this and replace the broken bits. Maybe the dog owner has learnt a valuable lesson and won't take the dog out without a leash again.
Sorry to hear of your crash.

[quote=martinxyz ]Thanks,Aracer.

np. I'm not sure why people don't understand that you simply wanted to avoid losing out from this, not to make a mint out of it. Given what it says in the HC about dogs on shared use paths it's quite clear where the fault lies. Though I'm afraid I also tend to agree with those who suggest that without witnesses, and with the other party having disappeared it will be hard to prove anything.

If you need to track the guy down, on the tellybox they always check the local hospitals for gunshot wounds. Have you checked the local vets for dogs that have been hit by bikes? They might not be able to give you any info of course, and if plod aren't interested in helping with this you might be stuck.

Why don't you try to find him and ask him for some money?

you have to expect the unexpected and ride accordingly

Been done and its just not practical and no one not car, nor walker nor cyclist does this . A pedestrian could jump into the road every time you pass them so so you slow to a crawl to pass. Every parked car the door could open so you wait to pass on the other side of the road. that car may not stop at the junction even though you are on the main road so you slam on etc.

Love Katy

Have you checked the local vets for dogs that have been hit by bikes?

Good idea Columbo.

FFS... 🙄

Have you checked the local vets for dogs that have been hit by bikes?

The one with your tyre pattern down it's middle would be the guilty culprit. At least if you contacted the police they may have been able to organise a line up.

Love Katy

[quote=Junkyard ]Love Katy

A bit short on your normal contentious reactionary bile there, Katy, do try harder.

Well I can always fall back on Pitch's idea of chipping in for a new helmet. I'm sure he'll start it off with a £5er.

"Have you been in an accident recently that was not your fault"

No win no fee!
Or
Chalk it up to experience and move on,

^^ Totally.

Why do people constantly want someone to blame? What if it was a rock the other rider kicked up into the path, and the OP fell off?

Back in the day people would just accept that accidents do happen, but now we live in a sodding blame culture.

Life's too short, people generally don't do horrible things on purpose that appear on the face of it appear to be accidents.

Hell, someone cut me up in a race one - took out my front wheel and I got smashed up. Another time someone rode into me, and destroyed my front brake.

What was my first thought 'I should sue, or call the police?'. No, it was 'Shit, that guy was a moron, better pay more attention next time'.

It was a bit of wit taken from Ace Ventura Pet Detective ironically put in there! ;D
Seeing as this thread was turning into all about you so thought it best to pitchfork in. Lol.
Even Katy has more balls than the way you drivvle on this particular thread.

But of all points I forgot to mention to Martyn - I do hope speedy recovery and that your helmet suddenly regains normal protective shape. Oeerrrr!

[quote=rickon ]^^ Totally.
Why do people constantly want someone to blame? What if it was a rock the other rider kicked up into the path, and the OP fell off?But it wasn't a rock. It was someone's dog. The SOAC is quite clear on the matter - dogs should be on a lead or close at heel. It doesn't mention rocks at all - even pet ones.

[quote=rickon ]Life's too short, people generally don't do horrible things on purpose that appear on the face of it appear to be accidents.

So, as I suggested above, if somebody accidentally dented your car with their door in a supermarket car park, would you shrug your shoulders and chalk it up to experience? If somebody accidentally rear ended you at a roundabout would you pay for your car repairs yourself? If you were out walking and somebody accidentally knocked you over as they were cycling along the pavement and broke your leg, you were off work for a month and lost lots of wages would you think "better pay more attention next time"?

If the answer to those is no, why is this different?

I'll tell you what makes [b]my[/b] blood boil - people going on about "blame culture" when somebody just wants not to lose out because of an accident caused by somebody else's negligence, where they hadn't done anything wrong.

Rickon, I can see your views and attitude on MY issue..

I'm a dog owner / lover. AFAIC the guy with the dog should be prevented from ever having one again, his stupidity caused the dog serious injury at least and the OP could have been Schumacher'd. Idiot. As for dazzlingly bright lights on cycle paths, more boiling blood...

But... "not losing out" is worrying about £40 while having absolutely no desire to chat to the bloke about it in a civilised manner or even consider the view as it may look from the other side.

I don't think anyone is doubting the dog off the lead contributed to the accident but it also sounds like there could have been half a dozen contributing factors from the OP too towards the unfortunate accident. There is always more that can be done to prevent an accident otherwise it wouldn't have happened- most likely from both sides. I'm sure the other guy is equally unhappy to have lost the dog/ having to pay vets bills for injuries from a speeding out of control cyclist with dazzlingly bright lights when they should have slowed due to a shared use path etc etc or however else the other side may see the accident. Not saying this is the case- just saying we are getting a bit of an aggressive one sided viewpoint.

The main issue is the OP just wants to vent and it is getting tiresome (sorry!). I hope the injuries heal up but it sounds like you won't be happy until you receive a hand written apology note from the dog with £40 stuffed in... 😕 That is really the only option you are leaving open and all other sensible suggestions have been ignored. Either do something about it or relax and get over it

[quote=DanW ]But... "not losing out" is worrying about £40

Try reading before posting.

Are you suggesting the OP is lying about what happened (as implied by your description which is completely at odds with his)? If not, in what way was he in any way to blame?

but different advice coming from you when you reply in another thread to Grobin13's dilemma..

grobin13 - Member
Hi Guys

Hoping for some advise please....

I had 2 bikes stolen over the weekend. One was my beloved Bronson C which the insurance company will replace (hoping to convince them to swap it for a Nomad). The other was an old Lapierre Zesty that I use mainly to tow my toddler around trail centres in his Croozer trailer.

For the Lapierre, they have agreed to either give me £1700 cash OR they said I can purchase a bike through their supplier (Wheelies) to the value of £1800 and they will give me £500 Cash (both options are really generous considering the bike is 3 years old).

Do I;

A - Go all out and get the best hardtail I can for the £1800 and possible upgrade parts with the cash (bearing in mind it will probably be overkill for what I would need). If so any suggestions?

B - do the sensible thing and take the £1700, buy a cheap hardtail (or a Canyon)and pocket the difference.

Either way, I think hardtail is the way I need to go for trailer towing, especially as I have my F/S for the other stuff.

My mind is clouded by the prospect of shiny new toys so hoping anyone sensible out there can throw their opinion in / offer advise.

POSTED 1 MONTH AGO

rickon - Member
Totally take the money and run.

Could've easily counted his losses and moved on, eh ;O)

Please folks, I came for advice, not to repeat myself with details of the event over and over to the people that haven't read it. The idea was to get info from anyone that might have had a similar experience. Instead I got dragged into a pack of hyena's along the way and I dread to think what they'd be like on dury duty if they ever have to go! (god help the accused ;O))

Let's just stop right here. Cheers to everyone with a good logical head on their shoulders, which amazingly turns out to be the majority! STW has amazed me this week! I'm off to find out about the poor dug..

I'm a dog owner / lover. AFAIC the guy with the dog should be prevented from ever having one again, his stupidity caused the dog serious injury at least and the OP could have been Schumacher'd.

Yeah,Flapjack. I feel lucky.

The full quote would show the point was to question what plan of action the OP is prepared to accept to recoup the £40 (an annoying but fairly insignificant amount in the grand scheme of things)? "Don't want to lose out" but also "don't want to do anything about it"... hence maybe best to let it go.