And now a sad bike story...

I was shopping in the West End yesterday to feed my Tumi loggage fetish. Cycling home, west along Piccadilly, shortly past the Ritz by Green Park there's always cars parked up at the weekends with paintings being sold.

A young lady in her early twenties runs out into the road in front of me between the parked cars looking the wrong way, I slam on the brakes but I couldn't stop in time.

She fell to the ground and couldn't move and thank goodness there was a lady doctor passing as I don't know what I would have been able to do.

Turns out she is from Europe training over here. Anyway, lots and lots of crying, moaning and screaming as she lay there on the tarmac. I thought there was possibly a broken bone or something.

Along come the cops, who I thought were especially fair. They took all my details and my desciption of what happened. They rapidly added two and two together and said it was just one of those things. Plus, they immediately brought a level of calm (for me anyway) to proceedings.

Then the paramedics turned up. Five minutes later, just as the cops tell me I can go, I get back on my bike, look behind, and she's miraculously back on her feet.

Also it turned out she's a lawyer. I just hope not the ambulance chasing type.

Howard

[HighFlyer]

Sadly I think the ambulance chasing part is probably right. After my car accident last month i was amazed at how many times i was asked if i was injured or whether I'd be seeking damages for injuries. The police and insurance companies seemed far more interested in that than in the claims. The world has gone compensation crazy it seems. I'm just glad that neither of you were seriously hurt - which is the most important thing. [:)]

Thanks,
Sarah

[HighFlyer]

Sadly I think the ambulance chasing part is probably right. After my car accident last month i was amazed at how many times i was asked if i was injured or whether I'd be seeking damages for injuries. The police and insurance companies seemed far more interested in that than in the claims. The world has gone compensation crazy it seems. I'm just glad that neither of you were seriously hurt - which is the most important thing. [:)]

Thanks,
Sarah

[Darren Wheeler]

On the face of it, she was to blame, plain and simple.

Ran into road without stopping, looking the wrong way.

If she does try to sue, counter-sue for damage to your bike, emotional shock and distress. Not one to advocate the no-win, no-fee system but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

I do admire you bravery though, cycling along Piccadilly on a Saturday. Ben-Hur would be proud [oo]

[Darren Wheeler]

On the face of it, she was to blame, plain and simple.

Ran into road without stopping, looking the wrong way.

If she does try to sue, counter-sue for damage to your bike, emotional shock and distress. Not one to advocate the no-win, no-fee system but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

I do admire you bravery though, cycling along Piccadilly on a Saturday. Ben-Hur would be proud [oo]

[honey lamb]

Reminds me of the time I looked out of my front room window on hearing a commotion outside. A bus was dropping off a load of teenagers for a local disco and as I watched, to my horror a young girl dashed in front of the bus into the path of a car overtaking the said bus and was hit. Fortunately the driver was crawling along as he felt the kids were too hyped up (probably from booze consumed on the bus) to be sensible and was able to stop in time. Cue, writhing in agony, moaning and screaming until she heard that the cops were on their way, whereupon she leapt to her feet and she and her pals headed off to a local pub then well-known for serving under-age drinkers. [V]

Later that night, having been told that she was missing a compo claim, there was more histrionics resulting in a doctor being called who could find nothing wrong. The claim was proceeding until they realised there was an independent witness - me!

[honey lamb]

Reminds me of the time I looked out of my front room window on hearing a commotion outside. A bus was dropping off a load of teenagers for a local disco and as I watched, to my horror a young girl dashed in front of the bus into the path of a car overtaking the said bus and was hit. Fortunately the driver was crawling along as he felt the kids were too hyped up (probably from booze consumed on the bus) to be sensible and was able to stop in time. Cue, writhing in agony, moaning and screaming until she heard that the cops were on their way, whereupon she leapt to her feet and she and her pals headed off to a local pub then well-known for serving under-age drinkers. [V]

Later that night, having been told that she was missing a compo claim, there was more histrionics resulting in a doctor being called who could find nothing wrong. The claim was proceeding until they realised there was an independent witness - me!

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
On the face of it, she was to blame, plain and simple.

Ran into road without stopping, looking the wrong way.

If she does try to sue, counter-sue for damage to your bike, emotional shock and distress. Not one to advocate the no-win, no-fee system but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

I do admire you bravery though, cycling along Piccadilly on a Saturday. Ben-Hur would be proud [oo]

I must admit I find it difficult to know how it could be twisted round in her favour, although from bitter experience I know how sometimes people can suddenly invent stuff in the mind's eye.

She was bloody lucky it wasn't a car or a motorcycle.

I just had a very minor impact on my shoulder, not even a bruise, which is where the impact with her chin happened. I was probably barely doing 5mph at that time, when she fell to the ground: I'd come to a halt within a yard or so of the impact. Bearing in mind the speed and location of impact, and my very minor jolt, I was surprised about all the commotion she was making about her arm, leg and hip.

Hopefully it was just shock. Should the poor lady does decide to do the indecent thing, you can be sure I won't take it lying down, no pun intended.

My biggest mistake? Not asking for witnesses, although decent fellow I am, I am more concerned for the immediate welfare of the injured under such circumstances.

Howard

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
On the face of it, she was to blame, plain and simple.

Ran into road without stopping, looking the wrong way.

If she does try to sue, counter-sue for damage to your bike, emotional shock and distress. Not one to advocate the no-win, no-fee system but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

I do admire you bravery though, cycling along Piccadilly on a Saturday. Ben-Hur would be proud [oo]

I must admit I find it difficult to know how it could be twisted round in her favour, although from bitter experience I know how sometimes people can suddenly invent stuff in the mind's eye.

She was bloody lucky it wasn't a car or a motorcycle.

I just had a very minor impact on my shoulder, not even a bruise, which is where the impact with her chin happened. I was probably barely doing 5mph at that time, when she fell to the ground: I'd come to a halt within a yard or so of the impact. Bearing in mind the speed and location of impact, and my very minor jolt, I was surprised about all the commotion she was making about her arm, leg and hip.

Hopefully it was just shock. Should the poor lady does decide to do the indecent thing, you can be sure I won't take it lying down, no pun intended.

My biggest mistake? Not asking for witnesses, although decent fellow I am, I am more concerned for the immediate welfare of the injured under such circumstances.

Howard

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
I do admire you bravery though, cycling along Piccadilly on a Saturday. Ben-Hur would be proud [oo]

Since moving back to an office in the City last year, I commute on a pushbike as long as it's not raining, although I've cycled in London regularly since I moved here in January 1992. It really is the fastest way around town. You do need a sixth sense, anticipating what cars and pedestrians might do, so defensive cycling is the order of the day. This is the first time in all those years I've had a pedestrian incident: most 'meetings' are usually cars that pull out in front of you from left junctions, or turn right across the road in front of you.

Touch wood, I've only suffered what would be described as minor flesh wounds in the holy grail style. I've only had two such incidents, both of which were hit-and-runs, neither of which led to any prosecutions for various reasons that I won't bore you with, but suffice to say the drivers in both cases were not UK residents.

And by the way, I do stop at all red traffic lights and zebra crossings when pedestrians are crossing. It is all part and parcel of a defensive cycling mindset in my book.

Howard

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
I do admire you bravery though, cycling along Piccadilly on a Saturday. Ben-Hur would be proud [oo]

Since moving back to an office in the City last year, I commute on a pushbike as long as it's not raining, although I've cycled in London regularly since I moved here in January 1992. It really is the fastest way around town. You do need a sixth sense, anticipating what cars and pedestrians might do, so defensive cycling is the order of the day. This is the first time in all those years I've had a pedestrian incident: most 'meetings' are usually cars that pull out in front of you from left junctions, or turn right across the road in front of you.

Touch wood, I've only suffered what would be described as minor flesh wounds in the holy grail style. I've only had two such incidents, both of which were hit-and-runs, neither of which led to any prosecutions for various reasons that I won't bore you with, but suffice to say the drivers in both cases were not UK residents.

And by the way, I do stop at all red traffic lights and zebra crossings when pedestrians are crossing. It is all part and parcel of a defensive cycling mindset in my book.

Howard

[Darren Wheeler]

Hopefully the police will have got witnesses.

[Darren Wheeler]

Hopefully the police will have got witnesses.