Andy, a keen cyclist, and his wife were enjoying a leisurely bike ride when their lives were turned upside down.
The couple were relishing a 20-mile circular ride from their home and were heading down a gentle slope when their ride was suddenly ended as he was flung over his road bike’s handlebars.
Andy, who is an experienced cyclist, came crashing down on his head and suffered multiple injuries – including a broken neck and concussion – after hitting a pothole in a patch of road which was full of cracks.
Thankfully, a retired GP who lived nearby, rushed to the scene to go to the dazed cyclist’s aide and after administering first aid and summoning the emergency services, shared stunning news.
The retired GP revealed that another cyclist had also been injured when he crashed at the exact same spot six weeks earlier prompting both of them to complain to the local authority about the state of the residential B road.
As reported by The Times, the council had inspected the road after the previous accident and while repairs were due, it had not been classed as dangerous and so the repairs were not declared as urgent.
Andy was taken by ambulance to hospital where it emerged he had sustained a T1 transverse process fracture to his neck, a fractured collarbone, nine rib fractures, a collapsed lung and fractures to his pelvis.
One of the A&E doctors said that his cycle helmet, which was smashed in the incident, had saved his life.
The injuries meant Andy, who is now a self-employed outdoor instructor and international mountain leader following retirement from the police force, was unable to work for eight months.
As well as being forced to cancel lots of work he had booked during those months, he also had to abandon plans to lead a group of friends to head up Mount Kilimanjaro and a trip to climb Aconcagua in South America, both of which he had been training for.
After being instructed, Enable Law launched legal proceedings against the local authority over the loss of earnings and injuries he has suffered.
Andy is being represented by Laura Williamson, who said: “We sent a letter of claim to the council who stated that they had inspected the road after the previous accident and while repairs were due, the road was not classed as dangerous so the repairs were not regarded as urgent.
“Soon after Andy’s accident warning signs were put up and the road was repaired but this was too late to spare Andy a horrific ordeal which had a huge impact on his health and professional activities. We are currently preparing court proceedings and quantifying Andy’s losses.
“The claimant was most disturbed by the indiscriminate nature of the incident and believes there was nothing he could have done to avoid what happened. This made him wary about returning to cycling but he has now managed to do so after working extremely hard on his recovery.
“Our client is quite rightly seeking damages but is also hoping his claim will focus the minds of local authorities nationwide to make our roads safer for cyclists. His fight for justice serves as a reminder of the need for proactive measures to protect cyclists on our roads.”
How we can help you
If you have had an accident when cycling due to a damaged road surface, unexpected obstacle or road design, it is always worth speaking to our personal injury experts.
To have a free, confidential chat with cycling injury specialist Laura Williamson or a member of our road traffic accident team, call us today on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form below so we can give you a call back at a time convenient to you.
