Roubaix - hit and run

[Andrew_P]

Well played at seeing personal fault, begs the question why you are chasing the driver so hard? I know he left the scene which is a complete shoot thing to do but its to your advantage in this situation why are you waving a video at the Police which shows you at fault? Unless I have completely misread the thread?

 

[winjim]

If it's 20mph limit doesn't that mean it's a residential zone? So you should be expecting lots of hazards such as pedestrians with prams. Slowing from 19mph to 19mph doesn't really count IMO.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

He said he drove off

Yes but he also said

I was in shock - I tried to get the guys details but he drove off like i said. I dont think he would of hung around if i had called the police

So I read that as the driver did stop, have some sort of conversation then drove off, but I maybe completely misinterpreting the situation.

Well played at seeing personal fault, begs the question why you are chasing the driver so hard? I know he left the scene which is a complete shoot thing to do but its to your advantage in this situation why are you waving a video at the Police which shows you at fault? Unless I have completely misread the thread?

I'm confused as well, it was a pretty crap thing to drive off, but if he thought you were okay, not injured, all the damage was on your bike & not on his vehicle, you ran into him, then maybe he thought he had done everything he could. Without seeing the footage it's a difficult one to call, had you been behind him in the same lane, he had indicated, then turned, then stopped you would have been at fault. But as you were on the inside lane & he turned across you I'm not sure where the blame lies, I suspect it depends on how far in front he was when he made the turn, should he have slowed, allowed you through then turned, which if you were a bus or taxi he may have done. This is pure conjecture, I'm not sure how the insurance people will see it, they may just draw a line & say 50/50.

 

[vickster]

I read it that he started to turn but then stopped to allow a ped to cross as he should

 

[jefmcg]

BC offer free legal advice. Use it to find out who is liable, then proceed on their advice.

 

[vickster]

And 3rd party indemnity if the driver feels a need to counter sue

 

[RoubaixCube]

Im guessing going after this guy will be opening up a can of worms.

 

[jefmcg]

Im guessing going after this guy will be opening up a can of worms.

Probably. But talk to a lawyer. Lawyer/client protects you.

 

[Origamist]

Im guessing going after this guy will be opening up a can of worms.

Well, if you think the driver's manoeuvre made the collision inevitable, I'd pursue this. If you think that you could have avoided the collision by riding more cautiously and/or not making assumptions about what the driver was going to do, I'd let it go. Still take legal advice though.

How are you feeling today?

If you are unsure, upload the video and send me a link to the (private) video and I'll give you my two-penneth.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Im going to let it go i think. Its one of those situations where i was silly for going so fast especially just after it had been raining or just started to rain heavily. The weather here seems to be running the gamut of emotions at the moment. One moment its sunny then theres a light bit of drizzle. Drizzle stops, sun comes out again then out of the blue sky clouds over, thunder and lightning and torrential rain in a matter of minutes. It was my error

 

[Andrew_P]

Im going to let it go i think. Its one of those situations where i was silly for going so fast especially just after it had been raining or just started to rain heavily. The weather here seems to be running the gamut of emotions at the moment. One moment its sunny then theres a light bit of drizzle. Drizzle stops, sun comes out again then out of the blue sky clouds over, thunder and lightning and torrential rain in a matter of minutes. It was my error

Sounds sensible, I have a stretch of bus lane where I can do 30+ downhill of course, but I have had a few near misses where cars break in to it as it ends near some lights. So I take it easy now if there is traffic backing up.

A cyclist came a cropper on there on a couple of weeks ago, not sure of the circumstances but the car involved was parked in the bus lane.

We all make mistakes take it easy on yourself and heal up, learn from it and move on!

 

[RoubaixCube]

I will upload the video footage a bit later I guess. Im just about to head off down the pub for a few drinks...something more entertaining then being stuck indoors filling out paperwork (207 form)

 

[jefmcg]

It sounds like you are making the right choice. I want to emphasise that talking to a lawyer will not leave you any worse off than you are now, as you've paid for them with your BC membership and they have to advise you on a course of action that is best for you, and they can't disclose anything you tell them without your permission. But if you were following him, and he stopped unexpectedly, then the accident is probably mostly your fault.

There's the bright side to this: if he had done the right thing and stopped then you (via BC insurance) would be paying for any damage to his car. So karma got him, though he'll never know.

Glad you are doing ok.

 

[newfhouse]

It was my error

From what I've seen you write here I think that's right. Well done for having the cojones to say so.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Triban is back from the LBS. the front of the bike was completely dismantled and the forks inspected & headset re-greased when re-assembled. No damage .

Also took the opportunity to speak to them about my brake caliper issue on my Cube and they told me that the likely problem was that Cube were using bolts/screws for aluminum or steel bikes as opposed to ones for carbon which have a flat head so have more grip on the frame to stop them being pulled out of balance.

I'll probably take the cube down to them tomorrow for them to replace the bolts/screws.

Right leg is still giving me a bit of pain but Im sure i can manage a short 8mile trip.