Essential evasive action leaves cyclist seriously injured

Although there appeared to be no contact with the car, our client had to take evasive action to avoid a collision which caused him to fall to the ground. Our expert personal injury lawyers helped secure a settlement for this clients injuries, ensuring access to rehabilitation services with medical experts. This case study shares:  

• The initial incident  
• The injuries our client sustained  
• Our client’s road to recover  
• How the legal claim is progressing 

The incident 

Our client was riding his bicycle when a car approaching from the opposite direction turned across his path. Although there appeared to be no contact with the car, our client had to take evasive action to avoid a collision which caused him to fall to the ground and sustain serious injuries including:  

• Fractured collar bone 
• Fractured shoulder blade 
• Glenoid fracture (the ball joint that holds the upper arm and shoulder blade in place) 
• Five broken ribs 

Recovery after the injury 

 Unfortunately, around a week after being discharged from hospital following his accident, our client developed complications and required surgery to remove a blood clot from his chest and to have a part of his rib removed which was the cause of the issue. He later underwent surgery to secure the fracture to his collar bone. 

Our client’s difficult road to recovery continued approximately 6 weeks post-accident, when he was admitted to hospital again with a blood clot in his right arm which was treated with medication. 

How our road traffic accident experts are helping 

Although our client’s case is ongoing, we have taken several steps and achieved many things though the case so far. Initially, liability for the accident was resolved quickly despite the appearance of no direct contact between the other party’s car and our client. Our team also secured funding for the services of a rehabilitation case manager of our choosing and interim payments to reimburse our client for various expenses/damaged items and new therapy equipment. 

We have assisted our client to transition away from his own private medical insurance to utilising the private funding offered by the defendant Insurer and ensured that the defendant Insurer funded physiotherapy continued with the same therapist previously funded by our client’s private medical insurer therefore ensuring continuity of treatment. We have also arranged private psychology input and funding for treatment sessions. 

We acted both on behalf of our client’s cycle insurer and his private medical insurer to recover their respective outlays and hence protected his position in relation to future premiums. 

Looking forward 

Whilst we are awaiting a medical report upon our client’s injuries from an eminent shoulder specialist (a Past President of the British Elbow & Shoulder Society), we are confident that settlement of his claim will be achievable within the next six months which is an extremely good outcome bearing in mind the severity of his injuries. 

This case demonstrates how important it is to instruct a serious injury specialist like, Fletchers, to represent you should you be unfortunate to be involved in an accident and sustain injuries. We are a tier one Legal 500 rated law firm who have been representing the interests of injured cyclists for over 30 years. 

Here when you need us 

While this case is different to a collision claim, it still highlights that a lack of contact does not mean a lack of injury. We understand that even when taking every measure to avoid injury, sometimes it is unavoidable and we’re here to help you recover, rebuild and thrive. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury while in an accident, or while trying to avoid one, speak to our specialist team today.