These are some of the most common questions we get asked about making a claim after a cycling accident. If you do not find what you are looking for here feel free to call our Freephone helpline on
0808 100 9995, or why not use our live chat button and speak to us directly!
Substantial Damage To Bike But No Injury?
I was a cyclist hit by car door when someone suddenly opened their car door and it pushed me off my bike. I haven’t hurt myself but my bike is badly damaged. The driver says I was to blame because I was overtaking up the inside to gain access to the red box ASL. It’s going to cost nearly £1,500 for a new front wheel, carbon forks and front mech. What can I do?
- This is a classic dilemma. It applies where cyclists have damaged expensive kit due either to other’s carelessness or defects in the highway and is an argument in favour of ensuring that you have wholly adequate cover for your bike on your home and contents policy (often a better option than a stand alone cycle policy). While appreciating that you may not want to claim on your own policy, there may not be any option, because this is what the judicial (court) system refers to as a ‘small claim’; see below:
How small is small?
- A personal injury claim where the value of the injury does not exceed £1000 is a small claim. The insurance industry would very much like to increase this to £2500 or £5000.
A non-injury claim (damaged bike) where the amount in dispute is less than £10,000 is also a small claim.
How does that affect the claimant?
- The court will almost never award a claimant in a ‘small claim’ the costs of hiring a lawyer. At the £150+ per hour rate the lawyer has to charge to cover the firm’s overheads, the exercise can easily lose viability, because the costs incurred will erode the damages. Insurers know this very well and play on it.
What will the court award, as well as damages?
- The court fee that is paid when the process is begun, (this figure is scaled between £70 – £455 depending on the value of the claim), a small fixed amount to cover preparation of the papers by a lawyer (£50 – £110) and the cost of a medical report. It may also award some witness expenses.
Won’t the defence be in the same position?
- If you are claiming against someone who is insured, the insurance company already has a claims department set up so it may as well use it effectively for free. The insurer will have legal knowledge and the experience of court proceedings. So you will not know for certain if the information the insurer gives you is correct or biased.
Why can’t we say the claim is worth more than £1,000/£10,000?
- If the Judge thinks the claim has been overstated simply to justify retaining a lawyer not only will costs be disallowed but a penalty could be imposed.
If the insurer fields a legal representative, how will I cope at the hearing?
- Probably quite well; the District Judges really try to help litigants in person, but you’ll still have to take time off work (10.00 to 4.00) on probably two separate occasions. The first will be administrative, the second the hearing. And the court rules say a claim for a fixed amount (not injuries) has to be transferred to the court nearest the town where the defence representative has its office.
I was injured in a collision about a week ago. I took the driver’s details, went to my GP & am currently awaiting results. In the meantime, the driver’s insurance company has contacted me and offered £500 towards my damaged bike and £1,000 for my KNEE injury.
What should i do?
Once you accept a payment in full and final settlement, you have no further comeback. The reason the insurer has made the offer at this stage is because it fears the claim could be larger if your injury is likely to remain troublesome for a time. The knee is a complicated joint and any symptoms can be very disabling. Wait for the results of the x-rays and the doctor’s prognosis; in the meantime speak to the Helpline for information upon the range of damages into which a knee injury may fall. You have nothing to lose by delaying; the insurer has everything to gain by closing the case early.
