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I've commuted by bike for 10 years, mostly try to avoid roads on commute although I do a bit of road riding too. I'd consider myself extremely cautious, always 2ND guessing what drivers around me are likely to do etc. Luck ran out on Tuesday morning....
Heading down a hill in a residential area, car a way in front of me heading in the same direction pulled across to right of road looking like he was pulling over although with no indication, just as I was about to pass him, he suddenly swung full left lock to turn into a driveway.... again no indication. I ploughed square on into the rear quarter of the car at about 30mph if not more, smashed my face and head off rear of car before cartwheeling over top and onto the road.
I was carted off to A+E then discharged, miraculously with no broken bones, just lots of cuts and bruises and torn muscles in my lower back. Been laid flat out for 2 days now. Could have been way way worse so counting myself lucky.
Anyway, I'll heal, but my bike was less fortunate.... frame is destroyed and I doubt I'd dare use the forks again even if they look OK after that kind of impact... pics here for morbid curiosity purposes -
[url= http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/13301968/ ]broken niner[/url]
Be careful out there folks!
wow luckish outcome.
The forks would be written off by the insurance, they couldn't guarantee they'd be ok.
Hope the recovery goes well
Ooof, bad luck, hope all gets fixed.
Bike looks a bit like a Mondraker now...
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Glad to hear you are ok.
One hell of a whack, that.
Oof, glad you're (relatively) okay. Got a claim in with the driver's insurance?
Glad to hear you're okay that sounded like a decent collision! Is it the angle of the photo of is the front wheel relatively straight? I would have thought it'd be a little more buckled than that!
Got all insurance details as police have been involved, although they said there's no offence involved and it was just an accident.....
I've been in touch with a solicitor. Doubly sucks as I'm a self employed design engineer contractor, so 3 days pay lost already. At least Easter hols will give me some more recovery time.
I haven't actually gotten up to look at it myself, but yeah it looks like the wheel is pretty straight! I did hit the car completely square on, don't know if that's helped, but they must be good tough wheels!
Blimey, sounds bad. Can you claim from his insurance?
Firstly - glad to hear nothing broken - looking at the bike it could have been a lot worse.
There's no way you're going to be able to prove this without independent witnesses.with no indication
I also hate to say this, but from your description, it sounds a bit 50-50 (he was maneuvering, you tried to pass).
Glad you're OK! I am (was!) in very similar situation to you... commute every day, stick to off-road where possible, ride very defensively & consider it unlikely I'll get hit. Food for thought. 🙁
In what world can failing to indicate or even look before swerving over the whole road & causing a collision be "an accident"?! Just proves that to most people, the car is king & everyone else better get out of the way!Got all insurance details as police have been involved, although they said there's no offence involved and it was just an accident.....
Doesn't sound anything like that to me. This is how I always think about it: what would your driving instructor have said to you if you'd done that during a lesson (or your test?)I also hate to say this, but from your description, it sounds a bit 50-50 (he was maneuvering, you tried to pass).
That's awful news, reallytake care of yourself the next week or so . I hope you are able to successfully claim on their insurance. Claim for lost income also, I have done this in the past. It was a long tiring paperworky nightmare, but it paid off in the long run. Good luck, and I hope you heal up well.
I also hate to say this, but from your description, it sounds a bit 50-50 (he was maneuvering, you tried to pass).
Also, probably not best to mention you we're possibly doing over 30mph in a residential area.
Edit: Plus side, you're not dead! Bike looks kinda cool too.
Doesn't sound anything like that to me. This is how I always think about it: what would your driving instructor have said to you if you'd done that during a lesson (or your test?)
He'd have slammed the brakes on if I'd tried to pass a car on the left that was swerving all over the road...
Edit: I wasn't watching the incident unfold so I can't comment but the description needs work if it's going to result in a positive result for the OP's insurance claim.
e.g. the car was pulling over to the right and appeared to be stopping there, I attempted to pass in the main carriageway but the car suddenly pulled across my path.
Heal fast.
It sounds like you were very lucky to be honest. I hit the side of a 4x4 at 20 mph when it turned across me. I didn't bounce and was stopped dead, breaking 15 bones - not to mention bars and forks. Bike is fixed, bones are fixed. If you are a CTC/BC member, call them for their legal cover.
He'd have slammed the brakes on if I'd tried to pass a car that was swerving all over the road...
yeah could be a 50-50 because of this. If you're unsure of what's happening you stay well away until it is clear. Sorry OP, think you might struggle for a decent claim here. Good to see the crumple zones working on the bike!
Yeah fair enough!He'd have slammed the brakes on if I'd tried to pass a car on the left that was swerving all over the road...
Thank goodness it's not worse. Best wishes for a full recovery.
How did the driver of the car respond?
Good luck you weren't seriously injured 😯
But I think you'll be lucky to get 50-50. It sounds like the driver didn't look, and was unaware of your presence. But he's not going to admit to that is he 🙁 What he's going to say is "I was approaching my house looked in my mirror indicated, next thing a cyclist going about 100mph rode into my car". It'll be that or something similar, because on insurance forms 99% of people always lie.
IIRC if you drive (cycle) into the back of someone, it is usually your fault. I appreciate the driver wasn't indicating, but that is hard to prove. You maybe lucky not to get a counter claim against you for any damage to the car.
hope for a payout that doesnt involve insurance.
one version is you were the vehicle behind and you tried to undertake. any significant damage to the car
You maybe lucky not to get a counter claim against you for any damage to the car.
Assuming the OP has home insurance or a BC/CTC membership then he should be covered for third party liability, which will cover the damage to the car (if the driver's insurance want to pursue it).
The only thing he did wrong was not indicate, if you can prove this then you definitely have a claim. Swerving to the other side of the road to complete what I imagine is a 90 degree turn to the left is daft but I suppose its not technically illegal as you often need to do this on much tighter turns.
If he was indicating while doing this then he could legitimately expect you to slow down and wait - which would mean you were in the wrong.
You never know - he might admit to not indicating. Worth I try I think because if you cant prove he wasn't indicating then he can't prove he was. So you have nothing to loose.
Glad to hear your relatively ok.
I think the police may well be right, not indicating is not an offence and even indicating incorrectly wouldn't I think be taken into account. If they were turning into a narrow drive they may well have needed to move over to the right before turning in, you have effectively tried to pass on the inside, something that I try to avoid and where I can't I always do it very slowly.
I think it would all come down to how long they pulled to the right for, if it were one manoeuvre then I think you have no claim and potentially it could all be laid at your door but if they moved over, stopped and then moved again then I'd say it was entirely their fault. I think you'd need to send this one up to the TMO to see if the ball went over the line in one movement or not 🙂
But again the important thing is that you'll make a full recovery unlike that frame! Still it must have absorbed a lot of energy that otherwise would of gone through you. Worth hanging on the wall I think as a little reminder of just how easily things can go wrong.
You were undertaking yes? Really 30mph? How much room was there?
I'd hope there's some duty on a driver to look to the inside before turning left in this situation (in a civil claim).
Glad you're OK.
I'm not going to comment on the rest - I just hope it's a favourable outcome.
I'd contact the driver and try to get a 'no fault' amicable agreement with them TBH. If you or they try and get insurance and legal involved, it could get messy and expensive for everyone.
Obviously I can't be certain on my speed, but it was in that ball park.
If the car had drifted right but with left hand indicator on, there's no way i would have passed on left as I would have known what he was setting up for. He had moved completely over to the right of the road and slowed to a crawl, hence appearing safe to continue down the left hand side of the left of the road, I didn't consider it undertaking and I wasn't shooting for a 1m wide gap. His drift to the right had also started probably 80ish metres further up the road, further giving the appearance he was moving over to stop on that side of the road.
Best of luck. If he had stopped to literally 2mph and was right by the curb on right side of road I think you have a good point if he then suddenly went completely across the road in front of you.
Doesn't sound like he was just taking a swing before his drive and you were not undertaking him if he was completely on the other side of the road.
This is exactly what happened to me 2 years ago.
The police offered me the option of a prosecution as it was very clearly, in their eyes, the drivers fault. However I didn't push for prosecution as he held his hands up and admitted full liability, although his insurers managed to push 15% of the blame onto me.
It's still not resolved. I am not entirely sure why.
Let us all learn from the experience. Be sceptical and hold back.
Hope you get better quickly OP and I totally understand how these things happen. Been a whisker away from similar in the past.
Well at least that bike will turn nice and sharply next time, what with the short wheelbase.
Swerving to the other side of the road to complete what I imagine is a 90 degree turn to the left is daft but I suppose its not technically illegal as you often need to do this on much tighter turns.
Not daft, it's pretty much the only way you'll get into most driveways on my street. And my street's not out of the ordinary, just a loads of semi and detached houses with walls separating the front gardens so you need to be lined up with the driveway, not turning over the pavement.
Doesn't help the OP, but I'd not have done what he did. 50/50 driver should have indicated, OP probably shouldn't have undertaken unless there was some indication that the car really was parking (i.e. had indicated right, it was a definite parking spot or something like that).
Not daft, it's pretty much the only way you'll get into most driveways on my street
Can't you go in backwards, thereby removing the need to back out onto the road?
Always annoys me when people who live in busy roads drive into their driveways and have to cause a big kerfuffle to get out. Pull over to the kerb, wait for a clear spot then back in.
Can't you go in backwards, thereby removing the need to back out onto the road?
I could do, but it would be pointless seeing as I can do a 3 point turn on the driveway itself, only the entrance is narrow, thus eradicating any roadside kerfuffle at all.
Ok then, but my point stands with regards everyone else who doesn't have space and then just backs out into busy traffic.. grr.