Case study: £11,000 settlement for injured cyclist

Our personal injury solicitors advised a client on their cycling injury claim after being in a collision with a car.

Our client was cycling down the road when the Defendant, travelling in the opposite direction, turned right across our client’s path and caused a collision. As a result, our client was knocked unconscious and injured. He dislocated his left shoulder, fractured his left knee and sustained a cut above his eyebrow which left a small scar.

Our client’s leg was protected in a straight leg brace and he was given a sling for his arm. He was admitted to hospital overnight for observations and a CT scan of his head, fortunately, didn’t show anything sinister.

Submitting the cycling injury claim

The injury claim was submitted to the Defendant, however, no response was received in the initial 15 working day period. The Defendant was therefore allowed the full three-month investigation period from their date of acknowledgement to provide their views on liability.

The Defendant then failed to provide their response within this time period and we chased accordingly. The response received advised that they were waiting for the police report before providing their reply as they alleged our client was cycling in the dark without any lights, reflective clothing or helmet and was, therefore, not visible to their driver.

The Defendant’s Part 36 offer

The Defendant then instructed solicitors who made a Part 36 offer on liability on a 50/50 basis. This meant our client was 50% responsible for the accident. They also made an offer of £10,000 (meaning our client would receive £5,000 in his hand).

Our cycling accident solicitors responded with an offer of 80/20 split in our client’s favour. This accounted for the fact he was not wearing reflective clothing or helmet, but as street lights and the car’s headlights were visible, he was there to be seen. Our solicitors then began approaching experts to see if they were able to assist us in preparing the medical report.

We obtained a report which confirmed that our client’s shoulder injury no longer caused him trouble and his knee fracture appeared to have healed well. However, the injury may result in slightly increased risk of developing problems such as osteo-arthritis compared to the normal population. The Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon also confirmed he may never regain full muscle bulk in his thigh.

Our personal injury solicitors worked out our client’s financial losses, including a loss of profit in his business (he was self-employed). Whilst there was no actual loss compared to the previous year, we calculated the likely trajectory given the previous years of trading and the years after the accident when he was able to work as he did pre-accident. On the basis of this calculation, we were able to evidence a loss which was recoverable.

The settlement

We disclosed our evidence to the Defendant and they responded with an offer of £11,000. This included any deductions for contributory negligence, i.e. in his hand. Our client accepted this offer in full and as final settlement of his claim.

Contact our specialist cycling accident solicitors

If you’ve suffered injuries in a bike accident that wasn’t your fault, our specialist personal injury solicitors can advise you on starting a claim. To discuss a potential cycling accident claim, call 0117 253 0343 or complete our online enquiry form.