Temporary one handed bike after hit and run

[OneArmedBandit]

Hi all,

Thank you for your posts and sorry for the delay in replying. I looked and couldn't find my thread earlier.

Some great ideas. I may get shot down but I'm not amazingly concerned about road legal, as long as it's safe. I tended to use the front brake for 99.9% (too much Sheldon perhaps) of my braking anyway so if I put them on one lever it would be front brake heavy anyway.

Enjoyed reading through Mickle's site and he has PMed me his number so will give him a bell... not tomorrow evening! But this week.

They are funding private physio but it is painstakingly slow. I am just an impatient sod and hate using a car every day.

With the police it's all a bit unclear, I can't remember anything at the scene because was doubled over in pain with bits of bone floating around in my arm until the ambulance crew knocked me out. My understanding was he told people at the scene that he wasn't involved and proceeded to move his car, my bike and (unsuccessfully) me out the road. I can only think the police didn't pursue him because they thought he was an useless witness. In fact I suspect if it hadn't been for the CCTV that would be the accepted version of events, after all a cyclist who remembers little of the incident vs motorist... only one outcome.

In the video it looks like I am flying along but the distance between edge of frame and the chiane is about 50m. Also in the original footage it's clearer than I stop short of the chicane and he still tries to floor it through impacts my side - hence why my bike is only scraped but my wrist is ruined.

With the police they have assigned it to a civvie investigator who seems polite but I don't really get much hope from, he told me that my injuries were civil and separate from any criminal charges. I think he will just say I have the insurance details and that is enough. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm just frustrated because the driver knows I broke my wrist and texted me to ask me for... my insurance details, because he wanted to claim for damage to his car (before his insurance accepted liability). No checking how I am, no sorry. It sticks in the throat because if it wasn't for the tiny chance the CCTV was there he would be getting away with everything.

 

[Drago]

Blimey, that looks nasty.

First off, you're quite right. The dibble need evidence to progress anything, and unconscious cyclists aren't the best for remembering stuff. They're investigators, not magicians. Thank heavens indeed for the CCTV.

The civvie investigator is only partly correct. If matey isn't prosecuted then your injuries, or recompense for them at least, are indeed a civil matter. However, if he is charged then he should be charged with causing injury by careless or dangerous driving, and that is very much a criminal justice matter, and the case builder should be app,ting to the court for compensation on your behalf.

Interesting snippet. Dangerous driving at the lower end of the scale that is liable to be heard in magistrates court, the police can make the charging decision now, only has to go to CPS if a crown court hearing is suitable, which to be fair is most of them.

I think a charge of causing injury by careless might be justified. He can't argue it was simply a 'momentary lapse'. Not only did he fail to give way, he drove though up the arriss of the van so was deliberately moving forward in such a position that he had no forward view. To be fair though, a painful lesson for you in travelling at a speed that allows you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear. Interesting snippet - in Milton Keynes all those traffic calming bottlenecks have been removed, because they caused the accident figures to quadruple at each site.

If you have any questions about process etc at any point feel free to PM me,

 

[mjr]

Interesting snippet - in Milton Keynes all those traffic calming bottlenecks have been removed, because they caused the accident figures to quadruple at each site.

Or rather, they exposed the widespread shoot driving in MK at just the points where you least want it exposed. They didn't actually cause the collisions. I love that city and grew up near it but its design of wide boulevards and sweeping bends does seem to enable a lot of motorists who frankly would have written off their car into a wall or drain long ago in much of England.

 

[OneArmedBandit]

I've had the debate a few times but ultimately if I stop short of the chicane then it is difficult to mitigate against someone not braking when heading towards a collision. In hindsight, and with a better angle than mine then you can say if you were going x% slower or braked y metres earlier you would have avoided the collision.

But my local council has an obsession with putting in chicanes and pinchpoints, I ride through dozens on my commute, and if I slowed to a speed where I could stop short of every one when there is oncoming traffic it would quickly get ridiculous.

Thank you for your offer of help though @Drago. Bought a camera for my bike just in case now, I think I've used up my luck with camera locations.

 

[Arjimlad]

That is very nasty. I've had drivers force their way through those chicanes in the past too. Hope you heal well soon.

 

[mjr]

Chicanes in King's Lynn have cycle bypasses. While shoot and often full of shoot and I don't use them if it's clear, they do at least give an escape route if an incompetent oncoming motorist usurps priority.

 

[OneArmedBandit]

That type of chicane was recommended against by the Department of Transport as dangerous for cyclists back in 1998. But they are cheap to install and the councillor responsible transport confirmed to me it only became council policy not to install them 15 months ago.

The chicane is on one of the council's top six "premium" routes which in their 2015 local transport plan they said would be improved, encourage cycling, actually care about them, etc. Since then by their own admission they have done sod all improvements to any of them. In fact the other direction they actually dug up a tarmac cycle path and replaced it with a light sprinkling of gravel over the rubble path foundation.

But of course when you point any of this out they just tell you they have no money. Apart for the £9m they paid for a multistorey car park at the other end of the path so people can drive to the train station. But, as I was told, that money has already been spent, you can't use loads of money spent on motorists as evidence there must be a small amount of money to spend on cycling infrastructure.

 

[boydj]

The incident happened because the driver was travelling far too close to the car in front and was therefore unsighted. I see this happening countless times every day and I'm sure there must be plenty of 'rear-endings' because it.

The council are also cuplable for not installing the cycle bypass which is normally used at these narrowings.

 

[Drago]

The cycle bypass, AKA the 'cars two wheels up on the path and use it as a bypass' doon sooth.

 

[mjr]

The cycle bypass, AKA the 'cars two wheels up on the path and use it as a bypass' doon sooth.

Both path and chicane island here have posts in to prevent that. If only the kerblines approaching traffic lights and T junctions had some solid posts in, it'd help reduce the horrifying levels of pavement driving.

 

[OneArmedBandit]

I thought I would just update this in case anyone else is in the same situation and googles it.

I am back on my bike after 5 weeks. Probably it is a bit too early, braking or changing gears with my right hand is uncomfortable but possible.

I have switched brakes so the front brake is on the left side and, when changing gears is a bit uncomfortable, it's amazing how many hills you can just power up instead.

If I'm going over bumps I do hold the handlebar loosely on the right side so I can control steering but there is a couple of centimetres play to avoid bumping the wrist. You also definitely need a road bike as the hoods mean you don't need to twist your wrists - likewise twist shift gears are out of the question.

I have also bought a helmet cam which had given me confidence with oncoming traffic. Maybe it's a placebo effect but cars seem more likely to stop at pinch points where previously they would have just bullied their way through.

I was really depressed when they told me no cycling for five to six months but if you are in the same situation it may be much sooner. I think that advice is given on the basis of MTB bars, which would be impossible. Also see don't be dispirited, for the first three weeks you are as weak as a baby and you worry things will never get better. But then suddenly you notice you are doing more and more things every day.

At that stage I was sitting on my bike every day trying to stretch and control it. Getting closer and closer was a big motivation in itself! Yesterday I did my full 50km commute to work and back. A month ago I'd never believe that was possible.

 

[Crankarm]

I would just like to wish you well and hope you make a full recovery. Don't jeopardise this by cycling prematurely as the wrist is a tricky joint. You need it to be strong again with full mobility with no ongoing symptoms later in life. Get yourself a solicitor who is going to fight hard for YOU to get you an excellent payout from insurers of what sounds like a lying scumbag dangerous driver. If you get back on your bike too early not only might you be putting your recovery at risk but also potentially the other side will see it as a means of reducing what they want to pay you. It's terribly frustrating but injuries can take a long time to properly heal and sometimes prognosis is unclear. Providing you have a good solicitor you should be compensated for this. It can take years though. I was knocked off from behind by a hit and run driver 4-5 years ago, but fortunately I wasn't seriously injured compared to my bike at the time. It cost me about £300 to repair it which I never got back as the police just weren't interested and a claim to the MIB had a threshold of £300 you had to carry yourself. On two other occasions I have been knocked down and suffered injuries that have kept me from cycling for some considerable time, but in each I got a substantial settlement from the drivers' insurers and they were both prosecuted for driving offences which helped my civil cases no end as they could not dispute liability.
I am not sure I could get back on a bike again if I was ever knocked off again. As it is I try not to ride on roads with any serious traffic on which can be quite limiting but I manage. Many roads I just will not ride on now as they are simply too dangerous and would mean being hit and killed and I don't mean busy A roads just normal roads.
Keep a diary of your recovery and what happened at the time and shortly after as a record.
As I say I wish you well. Good luck with your cycling.

 

[si_c]

Glad to hear you are back on the bike. Take care of your wrist and if you aren't already see a physio - the pain in your wrist whilst using it is sufficient reason alone, and a good physio will give you exercises to do to help improve the strength of the muscles and joint. NHS physiotherapists are excellent, but very overworked so it's worth going private - you'll be claiming the cost back anyway.

 

[Bazzer]

I thought I would just update this in case anyone else is in the same situation and googles it.

I am back on my bike after 5 weeks. Probably it is a bit too early, braking or changing gears with my right hand is uncomfortable but possible.

I have switched brakes so the front brake is on the left side and, when changing gears is a bit uncomfortable, it's amazing how many hills you can just power up instead.

If I'm going over bumps I do hold the handlebar loosely on the right side so I can control steering but there is a couple of centimetres play to avoid bumping the wrist. You also definitely need a road bike as the hoods mean you don't need to twist your wrists - likewise twist shift gears are out of the question.

I have also bought a helmet cam which had given me confidence with oncoming traffic. Maybe it's a placebo effect but cars seem more likely to stop at pinch points where previously they would have just bullied their way through.

I was really depressed when they told me no cycling for five to six months but if you are in the same situation it may be much sooner. I think that advice is given on the basis of MTB bars, which would be impossible. Also see don't be dispirited, for the first three weeks you are as weak as a baby and you worry things will never get better. But then suddenly you notice you are doing more and more things every day.

At that stage I was sitting on my bike every day trying to stretch and control it. Getting closer and closer was a big motivation in itself! Yesterday I did my full 50km commute to work and back. A month ago I'd never believe that was possible.

Glad you are back on the bike.
A word of caution, don't rely on the camera for confidence. A dickhead driver is still a dickhead driver whether or not a camera is there. Some might see the camera and have second thoughts about bullying you, but from what I saw of the video, a helmet cam wouldn't have made any difference to the driver who hit you. All a camera can do is corroborate your side of an incident.

 

[adamhearn]

Shoot me down but just because you have right of way doesn't mean you don't have to plan ahead. Clearly the car was driven by someone who takes chances but I don't see yourself doing any favours. In fact if you frame by frame the video it actually looks like you hit him after losing control on the wet surface.

Glad it wasn't more serious but lose the thought of a camera protecting you. They're good for youtube riots and possibly some police encouragement but maybe not so much else.