A Marketing Manager from Leeds sought legal intervention to help get his life back on track after a car drove into him, causing serious injury.
Edward Forth, 34, has been riding a bike since he was three years old. On 25th October 2019 he was riding home from work in a cycle lane when a car pulled out and hit him, causing him to go through the driver’s side window.
Left with a broken collar bone and other injuries, Edward was off work and then subsequently unable to carry out large elements of his role when he returned due to his injuries.
Bott and Co were able to recover £7,200 in compensation for the cycling accident, as well as reimbursement of physio session costs and bike damage repairs.
Second Nature Cycling
Coming from a cycling orientated family, getting on a bike is second nature to Edward.
“I started cycling when I was three years old and by the time I was four going on five years old I would ride my bike to primary school. Cycling is mine and my family’s primary mode of transport. I commute, go out on the bike at the weekends and I’m part of an informal cycling club, doing occasional events.
It’s rare for me to even fall off my bike. I’ve taken a few knocks in the past but this was my first serious accident and my first ever broken bone.”
Visibly Cycling Through A Busy City
On the day of the accident, it was raining, overcast, and getting dark a little earlier. For these reasons, Edward had put extra lights on his bike and was wearing an extra set of high vis gear including fluorescent yellow waterproof trousers.
Edward recalled: “I was cycling home from work, a route I’ve been doing for the past five years. I was keeping within the designated lane for cyclists and busses. It was rush hour in the city centre and the cars were all sat in a traffic jam.
As I was coming along the cycle lane a car pulled out of a side street directly into my lane in front of me. I went into the side of the car and my shoulder went through the driver’s side window.”
A visit to the hospital determined that Edward had broken his collarbone and damaged both his knee and ankle. He also suffered multiple bruises and scrapes.
Different Interpretations Of The Road Rules
As cycling is his primary mode of transport, Edward keeps up to date with the Highway Code and ensures he is visible to other road users.
“The driver had pulled out into a yellow box as if it was his right of way. There weren’t any other cars in the box as they were all sat in traffic.
He claimed not to have seen me, despite me being in extra hi-vis clothing and lights. He was under the impression that he was right to have been in the yellow box, blaming me.
It’s very often that people will confront you on your cycling practice. There’s a lot of moves that cyclists do which the Highway Code recommends for our own protection and I often get shouted at for doing something which the traffic laws advise.
In my cycling club we talk a lot about how important it is for cyclists to keep up to date with the Highway Code and ensure we are riding within the rules of the road.
It’s very often that people will confront you on your cycling practice. There’s a lot of moves that cyclists do which the Highway Code recommends for our own protection and I often get shouted at for doing something which the traffic laws advise.
Misunderstood rules which are there for the protection of cyclists can lead to serious injury and consequences…”
Work Life Affected By The Pain And Injury
Not only did the injuries he sustained affect Edward’s personal life, but they also had negative repercussions on his work life too.
“I was off work for two weeks and then worked part-time for a further fortnight. Due to my job involving a fair amount of physical work moving equipment, I couldn’t fulfil my role to its maximum capacity for several months.
The main thing for me was that I was wearing a helmet, had reflective clothing and lights on and was riding cautiously because of the weather conditions yet I still got hit.
Before Covid-19 set in, I would do a lot of travel for work and because of the accident, I had to cancel a trip to Nairobi for a recording project because I wasn’t able to fly with my shoulder injuries.”
It was over two months before Edward could commute to work on his bike.
“I built myself up with leisure cycling first, outside of commuting times on quieter country roads. When I eventually got back out into rush hour traffic it was daunting and I did a lot of second-guessing what drivers were going to do.
It took a while to get back to my normal confidence levels. I’m now wary when going past the accident spot and when there’s a two-lane road layout. I spend more time being worried about people not respecting the right of way of the cycle lanes. It has definitely changed my confidence and affected my flow of cycling.”
Road To Recovery With Legal Help
A friend in Edward’s cycle club had been through an accident a year earlier and recommended Bott and Co for help in claiming compensation for his bicycle accident.
“The main thing for me was that I was wearing a helmet, had reflective clothing and lights on and was riding cautiously because of the weather conditions yet I still got hit.
The accident really affected all elements of my life for a time. Even now when riding in the cold weather my injuries are more prominent.
Bott and Co offered to arrange medical and physiotherapy appointments which was great. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I decided to arrange the physio myself however as part of the claim I got all the appointment costs reimbursed.
I was happy with the amount of compensation that I received which goes towards my recovery. It took a while but I’m now back to normal, but still doing weekly exercises which are recommended to help with the healing process.
It’s a shame I had to bear the brunt of someone else’s ignorance.”
Tony Tierney, Legal Manager at Bott and Co said: “There’s a lot of emphasis on the cyclist to protect themselves and make themselves seen. In this case, Edward had done everything in his power to avoid anything happening and it still did.
It was purely down to the driver not knowing the rules of the road. Motorists need to ensure that they are up to date with the road laws, respecting and making space for cyclists.”