Ermmm....I knocked a guy off his bike, where do i stand?

Was collecting a friend today, pulled up to the junction alongside the pub, hard to explain, but pretty sketchy as a roundabout leads straight onto it, you need max concentration, and this girl flashed to let me out, put my hand up, pulled out and CRUUuunnnnNCH! Old boy on his bike had decided to ride on the pavement, in front of my car while I was pulling out. His metal pedals gouged my front bumper to the extent it needs to be replaced....he brushes himself off, began shouting obscenities, until i got out the car when he decided he would calm down (i don't blame him for being mad btw)....I felt sorry for him as a fellow rider, fixed his bike up best I could and offered to do the repairs for free at my house. Also pointed out he was on the wrong side of the road and on the pavement, thought that'd be the end.....but no, he's pushing for an insurance claim - for a bent chainring of all things .

Where do I stand? Motorists tend to get the blame in all incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists.

 

pavement + wrongside= feck off

 

any witnesses?

sounds like a regular....he was in the wrong, no.....HE was in the wrong scenerio!

 

Where do you stand? I'd stand over him, laughing.

 

Its illegal to ride your bike on the pavement is it not?

 

Yep......

 

Oh **** mate! Bad news. If you have any witnesses then you are sorted, if not then its your word against his and i think you are going to have to go with the flow a bit

 

i cant believe he is going to do a insureance claim on a 8quid chain ring! hahahah bad luck baz

 

I was....for a brief moment But only because of his "you f#cking moron" comment...quickly relaced with "i don't want any trouble"....poor bloke

The way I see it is, he was breaking the law, I wasn't - sure, perhaps i should have spotted him, but when your flashed out you know how it is - you just assume it's clear.....bad, because a lot of motorcyclists get twatted off like that (but they of course tend to be on the right side of the road). I can get a witness no problem at all.

I'm not losing my NCD for someting i've even offered to repair for the guy. What a ****!

 

He was probably in a state of shock at the time - I expect anyone would if they'd been knocked off it by a car.

And being flashed out by another car driver doesn't give you carte blanche to just go ahead without looking.

I wouldn't worry too much about his chain thing - surely you can buy another without too much cost?

What you need to be careful about is any injury he might have sustained - you know what everyone thinks says about sudden onset of whiplash.......

Personally, I think all cyclists - even children - should be made to have some sort of third party insurance.

 

As a fellow rider who commutes many miles, I appreciate his "shock" - bare in mind this was at about 2 mph, and it was in fact his pedal tearing up MY bumper that caused him to come off. He suffered no injury whatsoever as he landed on his feet and then stumbled. I now have a witness to confirm all events, and when he calls me, I'll be telling him to sling his hook - riding on the pavement, wrong side of the road, and in front of a car park outlet....can't really see how the tables can be turned there tbh. Sure, I was flashed out, but the last thing i expect to see is an illegally ridden biike tearing down the road in front of my car....I've lost all sympathy now, having given it some thought - my car has about 200 of damage compared to his poxy chanring!

 

exact same thing happened to me few years ago. cyclist on pavement going wrong way down one way street. *crunch* and he bounced over my bonnet...

he go up and started shouting and swearing. til i told him to feck off and he was on pavement going wrong way. he shut up and hobbled off with his bent bike

 

no doubt some interfearing busy body will have witnessed you driving like a mad man...although i think he should be told go to hell , i think id just suck it up and buy the chain ring to shut him up

if he then continues to carry on say its knock knock...heres your new chain ring, i expect you to repair my car

 

Tell him to sling it, I ride to work when I can and it's deadly enough without riding on the pavement against the flow of traffic.

 

Dont mention being flashed by another driver. Who knows why she flashed? could be to let you out? Maybe she was flashing you to tell you there was a cyclist on the pavement

 

yeah lol ** flash flash** mind that cnut on a bike

 

neo is right, if it does go to insurance then whatever you do don't mention the woman flashing to let you out. just say you looked both ways, started to pull out and then wham, there he was in front of you, on the pavement, on the wrong side, etc.

 

^^^^ and that he stunk of booze^^^^^^^

 

well, whats the bets he'll add on an injury claim?!

i think you've been pretty reasonable to him tbh, if he keeps on then bring up the fact he was in the wrong

 

Was it dark? Did he have lights on his bike?