Hit by a car this morning - advice?

[Tubbs]

I make you right.....

The driver's insurance company has left me a couple of messages asking me to call them to "check I am OK and see if there is anything they can do for me"... I'm not sure how these things work but it sounds like she has told them the truth - otherwise they wouldn't bother would they? I've not spoken with them yet as I was waiting to speak to my solicitor (RJW), who still haven't got back to me despite a couple of follow-up calls from me.

My back is still pretty bad, but I went for a ride for the first time this weekend 8 miles on Saturday and 26 miles yesterday - both times with my friend so not alone - my back hurts a lot but no more than it did before.

I wasn't sure whether I was ready to commute alone but a local bus strike made my decision for me... so this morning I braved the rush hour and cycled in. Despite having an overwhelming urge to stop whenever a car was coming out of a side road when I had right of way, it didn't go too badly.

I had an incident with a coach entering the bus lane I was in - I had just looked behind and saw it approaching - it didn't seem to be giving me enough room at all - as if I wasn't even there - so I moved more over the left and it was still uncomfortably close.

Then a nice incident! There is a section of my commute with three lanes of traffic - I need to get into the right-hand lane to turn right. The road is quite busy and was particularly so this morning so you do have to be quite assertive - but feeling a little bit nervous I was waiting for a bigger gap in the traffic. A bus approached me from behind and the driver must have seen that I was trying to change lanes - he then moved into the middle lane and slowed right down so I could go in front, then did the same again for me to get into the right hand lane. As he was passing he smiled and waved - I waved thanks back and forgot all about the daft coach driver from earlier.

Good to be back!

 

[ChrisKH]

The driver's insurance company will not be acting in your best interest; they will seek to reduce the effect of any claim on her/them by getting you to deal with them directly and reach a (smaller) settlement. Do everything through your insurance company/lawyer is my advice.

 

[Twenty Inch]

The driver's insurance company will not be acting in your best interest; they will seek to reduce the effect of any claim on her/them by getting you to deal with them directly and reach a (smaller) settlement. Do everything through your insurance company/lawyer is my advice.

What he says.

"How are you feeling?"

"oh, I'm fine, really...."

Sound of folder closing and insurance claims adjuster smiling...

 

[belairman]

you've done the right thing, dont speak to anyone until you have spoken to your solicitor, but I agree with the last two posters, I dont think you should deal with the insurance company direct at all. They are only trying to reduce what they have to pay out, sad fact but this is how insurance works. They are not on your side.

 

[Tubbs]

Yeah that's what I thought. I will leave it to the solicitors, if I ever get to speak to them.

I also have an appointment with a specialist about my back tomorrow so I need to wait to see how that turns out.

Anyway, made it home with no major incidents and felt more confident than this morning so all good.

 

[tricyclista]

Just been reading through all of this thread - so sorry about your accident.

I like the story of your friendly bus driver, nice to know not all bus drivers are maniacs I used to commute to university and work in Manchester and was pretty dubious about the sanity of lots of them - especially at busy times on Oxford Road!

Good luck with your claim and hope all goes well with the back specialist tomorrow!

 

[Tubbs]

Just been reading through all of this thread - so sorry about your accident.

I like the story of your friendly bus driver, nice to know not all bus drivers are maniacs I used to commute to university and work in Manchester and was pretty dubious about the sanity of lots of them - especially at busy times on Oxford Road!

Good luck with your claim and hope all goes well with the back specialist tomorrow!

Thank you! Fortunately I don't commute down Oxford Road but I know a few people who do - my friend has had to jump off onto the pavement a couple of times because buses have forced her off the road. I am quite lucky coming from Bolton and I've had a few really good experiences with bus drivers... I can travel all the way to work alongside the same bus so I always try to build up a bit of a rapport with the drivers and find most of them really courteous and friendly. I get the odd one passing closely but other than that I've been really impressed with them - so much so I might write to the bus company to praise them on their drivers.

 

[Perry]

Loads of great advice on here, from my experience I'd say get a log of all the calls you make and recieve including any letters and emails too.

If you were commuting, your employee my be able to cover you under thier insurance.

Glad you're not too badly hurt.

PS Welcome!

 

[skudupnorth]

Just picked up this thread .I commute to Bolton and am licking wounds from my hit and run last Thursday.I need to get back on the bike ASAP but my knee is just a big scab at the moment so it is a pain to ride.
Hope all goes well,looks like the Northern section is getting it now !

 

[Tubbs]

Just picked up this thread .I commute to Bolton and am licking wounds from my hit and run last Thursday.I need to get back on the bike ASAP but my knee is just a big scab at the moment so it is a pain to ride.
Hope all goes well,looks like the Northern section is getting it now !

Yeah I read that - mine happened on the way into Manchester but yeah it's happening a lot up here lately.

Doctor told me not to ride my bike so I'm gutted about that, got to have a scan - Glad I've been back on though - I think I needed to get that out of the way before I worked myself up too much.

Hope you heal and get back on soon - it's so depressing not being able to ride isn't it?

 

[skudupnorth]

Yeah I read that - mine happened on the way into Manchester but yeah it's happening a lot up here lately.

Doctor told me not to ride my bike so I'm gutted about that, got to have a scan - Glad I've been back on though - I think I needed to get that out of the way before I worked myself up too much.

Hope you heal and get back on soon - it's so depressing not being able to ride isn't it?

Too right,you know what the traffic is like in Bolton,i hate being trapped in that every day.I feel a bit lucky as i did not do any back injuries,just legs and arm so i hope to be back very soon.
Good luck mate,we will keep each other posted on results ! RACE !!!!

 

[Crankarm]

Yeah I read that - mine happened on the way into Manchester but yeah it's happening a lot up here lately.

Doctor told me not to ride my bike so I'm gutted about that, got to have a scan - Glad I've been back on though - I think I needed to get that out of the way before I worked myself up too much.

Hope you heal and get back on soon - it's so depressing not being able to ride isn't it?

Whilst returning to cycling asap is the preferred course of action doing so before you have been fully checked out medically and before any treatment such as physio has been commenced is not a great idea. For one it will reduce the credibility of the severity and extent of your injuries. If the insurer decides to do a stake out and observes you cycling around in an apparently 100% mobile state you aren't going to get very far, plus it's really fraud. If you are genuinely in pain I would wait for your medical prognosis and any treatment. Soldiering on trying to cycle when you are genuinely injured and suffering is not the brightest move.

 

[Twenty Inch]

What crankarm says. Good you've got back on and got over that hurdle, but leave it for a while. No need to be macho these days.

 

[Tubbs]

Thanks for the advice.

I won't be claiming for anything I am not entitled to and if I am capable of riding my bike I will be honest about it - I'd rather get back to normal and cycling again as quickly as possible than claim for an extra few quid. I thought exercise might help loosen it up - it hasn't made it any better though (or worse).

The doctor thinks I should wait until after the scan though so that's what I'll do.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Thanks for the advice.

I won't be claiming for anything I am not entitled to and if I am capable of riding my bike I will be honest about it - I'd rather get back to normal and cycling again as quickly as possible than claim for an extra few quid. I thought exercise might help loosen it up - it hasn't made it any better though (or worse).

The doctor thinks I should wait until after the scan though so that's what I'll do.

Noble, but misguided.

You're now in a business negotiation with the insurance company. Their aim is to pay out as little as possible. The only way for you to counter this is to claim for as much as possible, without lying in bed for a year pretending you're paralysed. And anyway, what's "capable of riding your bike" actually mean? 300 yards round the park? Because that's what the insurance company will assume.

I was hit by an uninsured driver and the case went to the MIB. I didn't have a particularly good lawyer and it dragged and dragged. After 4 years the MIB offered me £5000 to go away. I took it, but I wish I had dug my heels in, as guess what? The injuries are still making themselves felt, 8 years later.

So don't be too noble about this. Make the bugger pay. Think of it like this - the more you get from his company, the more his premiums go up and the more careful he'll be around cyclists in future.

Best of luck