Bott and Co Solicitors have successfully negotiated compensation for injury, care and bicycle repairs for Miss L, a full time engineer who was injured when she was knocked off her bike by passengers getting off a bus that had not indicated, and was not parked at a bus stop.
A usual journey to work
In November 2014, Miss L was riding her bicycle along a busy London road – the road surface was dry and the traffic was stationary as Miss L continued her usual journey to work in the cycle lane. There was a bus to the right of Miss L in the stationary traffic, and the bus had yet to reach the bus stop, which was a few metres away.
The bus was yet to reach the bus stop
Suddenly, the door of the bus opened and passengers got off the bus. Miss L was not expecting this and braked hard to avoid them, falling off her bicycle as a result.
Miss L fell on her hands, causing bruising and lacerations. After the accident, she found it difficult to move her left hand, and her left wrist was painful too. She also had a generous amount of bruising on her knees and severe bruising on her thighs.
The driver did not identify himself to Miss L at the scene of the accident and had his name badge flipped over.
The bus driver did get off to apologise to Miss L soon after the accident, but it emerged later that he did not go on to report the incident to his bus company. The driver did not identify himself to Miss L at the scene of the accident and had his name badge flipped over, so his name could not be noted by Miss L or any witnesses present.
On the day of the accident, injured and in shock, Miss L had to take the day off work to visit the hospital for an x-ray on her wrist. She also had to attend a fracture clinic and GP as well as seeing a nurse. Fortunately Miss L had been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident; had she not been, the injuries she sustained could have been significantly worse.
Miss L could not lift a cup of tea initially and found it difficult to get dressed, but she also suffered in the long-term; unfortunately she can no longer cycle to work and now has to take the bus.
Life after the accident
Miss L suffered other effects to her lifestyle including; not being able to sit for long periods of time; help needed when shopping and carrying bags; disturbed sleep due to pain from her injuries, and struggling with heavy domestic chores and cleaning. As a result, Miss L required assistance from her partner for two months following the accident.
Miss L approached Bott and Co Solicitors through our website. After sending over brief details of the accident, she was quickly contacted by the Bott and Co Client First Response Team for further details to be taken.
The Cycle Accident Legal Team at Bott and Co began work on her case right way but Miss L decided to wait until she felt that she was fully recovered before settling the case. When Bott and Co did submit the stage 2 settlement pack, the third party insurers responded within 3 working days.
The end result
They accepted the initial offer for general damages along with repair costs and travel expenses. The only aspect they hadn’t agreed with was the care costs; however a reasonable reduced offer was put forward. This was discussed with Miss L and she confirmed agreement as she believed it to be a fair offer. The care had been done by her partner so there was no evidence to prove that the care had taken place and that these weren’t tasks he would usually take on and perform anyway.
The matter was therefore settled. Miss L received her damages cheque of £3,500.00 within a week of settlement. She also received money for bike repairs of £205.97, £110.00 for taxi fares and a reduced offer for care of £1,015.