Case study: £19,000 for cyclist who suffered dental injuries in collision with car

Our personal injury solicitors helped a cyclist claim compensation after she sustained dental injuries in a collision with a car.

The Claimant, Miss D, sought our advice after unsuccessfully attempting to pursue a claim with the driver’s insurers directly. After 12 months of trying to pursue the claim herself, with no response from the driver’s insurers, she instructed us to help with claiming compensation for her injuries.

Accident circumstances and injuries

Miss D was cycling down the road when the Defendant’s vehicle pulled out of a side road and collided with her, knocking her off her bike.

As a result of the accident, Miss D suffered a laceration to her chin that required six stitches and left her with a visible scar. She also sustained a chipped tooth, requiring emergency dental treatment and ultimately required her tooth to be extracted. In addition, our client sustained soft tissue injury, cuts and bruises to the leg.

Although Miss D does not remember hitting her head, she had scratches to her helmet and the visor cap was partly broken. Thankfully, she was wearing a helmet and did not sustain a head injury.

Investigating the full extent of our client’s injuries and financial losses

After taking the full details of the claim at an initial meeting, our personal injury solicitors took out legal expense insurance on behalf of Miss D and drafted a Claim Notification Form (CNF). We submitted this to the Defendant’s insurers and liability was admitted within two months.

To evidence the extent of our client’s loss, we obtained full medical records and instructed a Plastic Surgeon and a Dentist to examine Miss D and report on her injuries and the impact these had on her life.

The reports confirmed that Miss D sustained the following injuries:

• Facial scarring: the Plastic Surgeon identified a permanent scar on Miss D’s chin which was visible on close inspection. He suggested she could use camouflage make-up to hide the scarring if she was conscious of it.
• Teeth damage: the Dentist’s report confirmed that our client had suffered a fracture to her upper right premolar tooth which resulted in an extraction. He recommended she use a resin retainer bridge to replace the lost tooth, which would cost roughly £2,000 and would require replacement every 10-12 years thereafter.

Our personal injury lawyers also collated details of our client’s financial losses, which included:

• Repair of the front wheel and frame of her bike, alongside a replacement helmet.
• General medication and travel expenses for treatment.
• Dental costs, including future treatment costs.
• The cost of camouflage make-up.

Our team drafted a schedule of Miss D’s losses and disclosed it to the Defendant’s insurers, alongside the supporting evidence and medical reports, to invite their settlement proposal.

The settlement

After not receiving a settlement proposal from the Defendant, we recommended our client make an offer of settlement. The Defendant did not respond to this offer, so we advised our client to start Court Proceedings. We drafted the claim form and Particulars of Claim, and sent these to the Court alongside the evidence obtained.

At this stage, the Defendant’s solicitor responded with a settlement offer of £18,000. Although the offer was not unreasonable, we recommended our client make a further counteroffer.

The claim finally reached a settlement agreement of £19,000.

Get in touch with our cycling accident claim solicitors

If you’ve been injured as a result of a bike accident that wasn’t your fault, you might be able to claim compensation. Our expert cycling accident solicitors work with clients across the UK from our offices in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

To speak to a member of our personal injury team obligation-free, call us on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.