Case Studies

Below is a brief description of some of the recent cycling collision cases which our team have been involved in:

SPINAL CORD INJURY

Our client was thrown off his bicycle after being hit by a lorry. He suffered a severe spinal cord injury. Despite footage from a camera mounted at the front of the lorry which shows the collision in full, liability is denied. Collision reconstruction experts have been instructed.

Our client is now wheelchair reliant and has required adapted accommodation as well as nursing care. This case is on-going, however we are pursuing a seven figure cycle accident compensation settlement for our client.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND FRACTURED SKULL

Our client came off his bicycle whilst on a cycle path. This was after a large stone became lodged in his front wheel. The local authority responsible for the cycle path are contesting liability and High Court proceedings have been issued.

Our client is undergoing intense rehabilitation to overcome the effects of his brain injury. We are pursuing a seven figure cycle accident compensation sum for our client.

FRACTURE TO SHOULDER

Our client was injured on an East London road when a car pulled out of a parked position into his path as the driver tried to turn her vehicle around. Our client suffered a fracture to his right shoulder blade which was functional within one year but would take two years to recover fully. Damages were settled at £11,781.98 including £2,900 for the Claimant’s bicycle damage and £400 for his loss of opportunity to enjoy his summer holiday and daughter’s birthday.

FRACTURE TO WRIST

Our client was cycling to work when a passing car clipped his handlebars and he fell into the road. He suffered a scaphoid fracture to his right wrist and required surgery following the collision. His losses included additional travel expenses as he was no longer able to ride his bike to work. We settled the claim for our client achieving over £20,000 for him.

FOREARM FRACTURE

Our client was riding in a cycling lane when the passenger door of a stationary car was suddenly opened into his path. He was knocked off his bike and suffered several injuries, the worst being a forearm fracture which required surgical plating. In this case surgery failed to unite the fracture and he will need to undergo more surgery including bone grafting. It is unwise to settle the case when the prognosis for recovery is still unclear so we are waiting until a full evaluation of the injury and the effect it will have on his life can be ascertained before valuing his case.

NECK AND LOWER BACK INJURIES

Our client hit his bicycle brakes as he approached queuing traffic. As he was doing this he was passing a side road to his left. A vehicle travelling in the opposite direction failed to see our client as he attempted to turn right into the same side road. He drove straight into our client, knocking him to the ground.

Our client suffered multiple injuries, the most serious being injuries to his neck. Medical reports were sought to corroborate this. Liability was admitted by the driver’s insurance company and also a further medical report commissioned by us to prove that the injury had not healed as quickly as was initially thought. The case settled for over £6000, which included compensation towards the travel costs he incurred whilst recovering from his injuries.

HEAD AND FACIAL INJURIES

Our client was cycling to work. He approached a crossroad where he had right of way when a white van unexpectedly pulled out in front of the crossroad before our client. Our client was unable to brake in time and crashed into the side of the van. This resulted in him coming off his bicycle, injuring his head, face, arm and knee.

The driver of the van denied the collision was his fault, however we were able to obtain a witness statement whose account supported our client. Settlement amounted to £5,000 which also included the damage sustained to his bike and travel expenses incurred whilst recovering from his injuries.

SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Our client was a successful businessman when is was knocked to the ground. He suffered various fractures and internal injuries. The most severe injury was a traumatic head injury which left him with a diffuse axonal brain injury.

Following rehabilitation our client did retain mental capacity, however the changes to his behaviour meant that he could no longer continue his lucrative career.

A diffuse axonal injury is difficult to diagnose, but we used the very latest in brain scanning techniques to establish the presence of this injury. Had this not been diagnosed the settlement would not have been commensurate to the injury. We were able to achieve a seven figure cycle accident compensation settlement plan for our client.

FRACTURE TO ANKLE

Our client was cycling at night with lights and a hi-vis jacket. He was using a mini-roundabout when a car drove into his rear as it entered the roundabout behind him. The impact fractured the Claimant’s ankle requiring fixation surgery, effectively leaving our client housebound and having to wear an ankle boot for seven weeks before a course of physiotherapy. The Defendant attempted to argue contributory negligence to reduce the Claimant’s claim but the arguments were successfully defeated by us and our client was awarded £8,500 in damages which included roughly £1000 for his care, travel and bicycle damage claim.