You're right, but it's entirely possible it was his fault, and more likely so given arallsop's description of his general riding and blaming of drivers. I'm certainly a little sceptical.
I appreciate that he has.. shall we say, some rather less than spectacular skills on his bike (from the descriptions given)... but how can he be to blame for a SMIDSY (unless he has somehow ridden off the pavement at the last minute in front of the car as the driver started the turn)?
If the car hit his pannier it would appear that he was directly in front of it... how could he not be seen by someone who has any driving skill at all??
Yes, positioning was probably p*ss poor, but it still isn't his fault that the driver didn't bother to check properly/at all.
Maybe (as has been said) this might be a useful tool in teaching him some basic survival skills and to have respect for other road users as they can hurt him quite easily (i.e. no RLJing as it's for imbeciles only).