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Bike accident.

by london123
Sun, Feb 18, 2018 11:21
7

Hi lads,

 

I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me a hand out with some advice I only last year moved over from Ireland to London so I am still green to this place. 

I recently got knocked off my bike while in a cycle lane by an uber passenger car door while the light was green.

I broke my scaphoid damaged my bike and had soft tissue damage. Due to breaking my wrist just before exams in my masters, I must resit these exams in September which is a pain.

Anyway to my question. Do you guys recommend no win no fee people to look for money back? My bike was left in Uni over Christmas as I couldn't cycle it home with a hard cast when I returned after Christmas it was robbed. Youths broke into the Uni with angle grinders robbing many bikes, this has been reported stolen by police also.

I have international health insurance which includes legal cover also so wondering if no win no fee is best or should I let my insurer try find someone. I am conscious of not ripping anyone off as I have previously been on the other end of getting fleeced by a woman for whiplash when I bumped into her in rush hour traffic going max 4mph. Are these no win no fee notorious for this ripping off? Do you guys have any recommendations for solicitors in London. Or no win no fee? A guy from Bikeline rang me and advised that they take a 25% cut of compensation as they cannot reclaim expenses from the other side due to this ambulance chasing culture in the UK. What would a normal solicitors fees be in that regard if it is not no win no fee.

So if anyone has advice I would be very greateful to hear it.

 

Sorry for the very long post.

Cheers,

L

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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StraelGuy | 6 years ago
1 like

I agree with you Boatsie. It's a bit late now but joining a large cycling organisation that provides access to cycling specific insurance is a very good idea. I'm a member of British Cycling and have very little to do with them but I feel reassured knowing that they're there if I ever need them.

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london123 replied to StraelGuy | 6 years ago
0 likes
StraelGuy wrote:

I agree with you Boatsie. It's a bit late now but joining a large cycling organisation that provides access to cycling specific insurance is a very good idea. I'm a member of British Cycling and have very little to do with them but I feel reassured knowing that they're there if I ever need them.

Ya I completely agree never actually knew of such organisations until afterwards but I have been advising my pals to sign up due to the benefits. I am not yet back on the bike but when I am I am definitely going to be joining.

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Boatsie | 6 years ago
0 likes

Realizing it's not the same country. In Aust. BikeSA offer a service. As to my best knowledge it's prepaid membership at $80 annually which includes some insurance coverage.
Best of luck with your ordeal. Not knowing if the British have a similar support community yet if so could be useful with future rides.

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roadyb | 6 years ago
0 likes

Good luck

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Argos74 | 6 years ago
1 like

Have a chat with your travel insurers, they would probably farm it out to one of their preferred solicitors to deal who will assess whether or not there is a reasonable chance of recovery. Pursuing uninsured losses from RoI to UK is less of a bridge than say to Spain or Thailand, where the defending party can be difficult to trace or instruct local solicitors. A RoI solicitor may also have a UK office, making the job a bit easier. The upside of this option (from my experience - your insurer / solcitor set up may be different): costs get billed to the insurer; the downside - possible lack of knowledge of bike specific issues (road and case law), and possibly a more conservative assessment of the likelihood of successful recovery and consequently pursuing a claim.

As for biker friendly solicitors, Slater Gordon are used by Cycling UK. I've only seen Irwin Mitchell and Leigh Day in a professional capacity, but from what I saw, they are professional and competent and seem to get a good rap. Avoid the one man back street operations, and the bucket shop "WeClaim4U" set ups. You can expect a lot of push back from the defending insurer, so you'll want someone who's knowledgeable, efficient and professionally aggressive on your behalf. Caveat emptor.

Best of luck!

Avatar
london123 replied to Argos74 | 6 years ago
0 likes

Argos74 wrote:

Have a chat with your travel insurers, they would probably farm it out to one of their preferred solicitors to deal who will assess whether or not there is a reasonable chance of recovery. Pursuing uninsured losses from RoI to UK is less of a bridge than say to Spain or Thailand, where the defending party can be difficult to trace or instruct local solicitors. A RoI solicitor may also have a UK office, making the job a bit easier. The upside of this option (from my experience - your insurer / solcitor set up may be different): costs get billed to the insurer; the downside - possible lack of knowledge of bike specific issues (road and case law), and possibly a more conservative assessment of the likelihood of successful recovery and consequently pursuing a claim.

As for biker friendly solicitors, Slater Gordon are used by Cycling UK. I've only seen Irwin Mitchell and Leigh Day in a professional capacity, but from what I saw, they are professional and competent and seem to get a good rap. Avoid the one man back street operations, and the bucket shop "WeClaim4U" set ups. You can expect a lot of push back from the defending insurer, so you'll want someone who's knowledgeable, efficient and professionally aggressive on your behalf. Caveat emptor.

Best of luck!

Hi Mate,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. My insurer wont cover me as they said I am not travelling but studying full time in the UK thus I am considered a citizen in UK and the legal cover is only under travel. Disaster. 

I will try slater gordon and the other crowd thank you. Ya they are the exact shops I am looking to avoid. 

Last question. How would it work out going directly to Uber before anything has happened with a solicitor? Ask them to pay my expenses some comp for not being able to sit exams and wasting my summer studying and bike replacement. Is this a wise strategy or not?

Thanks again

Avatar
Argos74 replied to london123 | 6 years ago
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london123 wrote:

Last question. How would it work out going directly to Uber before anything has happened with a solicitor? Ask them to pay my expenses some comp for not being able to sit exams and wasting my summer studying and bike replacement. Is this a wise strategy or not?

Apologies for delay in reply. By all means give Uber a go, but I suspect it may well be a fruitless avenue of enquiry. My understanding is that Uber drivers are self-employed, and Uber itself only facilitates the putting drivers and Uber-users in touch with eachother. So they might well claim that they don't have any direct responsibility for the actions of the driver. 

What their stance would be from a PR angle would be I don't know. But I'm guessing if he's had a succession of third party claims against him, he might well be dropped from Uber's books. Which wouldn't help you a jot in terms of your pursuance of claim.

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