‘Edward’ – Knocked off his bicycle by a lorry
In this case, our client was hit by a lorry and knocked off his bike, the rear wheels of the lorry ran over his lower limbs causing multiple fractures, a degloving injury along with facial fractures, dental damage and multiple cuts.
Key elements of our client’s case
Our client was cycling on the nearside of the road, wearing a helmet and bright clothing. Traffic was heavy and our client passed on the nearside of the lorry, moving to a position just ahead of the lorry’s cab. Our client and the lorry were travelling at a similar speed. As they approached a pedestrian crossing, the lights changed to amber and the lorry accelerated in an attempt to ‘beat the lights’. As the lorry proceeded through the crossing, the driver veered the lorry slightly to the nearside kerb and collided with our client.
Where we added value as serious injury specialists
The Defendant was subject to a long criminal trial where he was found not guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Subsequently his insurer refused to admit liability for our client’s claim. Extensive enquiries were made in relation to liability, which were scrutinised in forensic detail. Detailed analysis was also carried out in relation to CCTV and dashcam footage. Ultimately, we were satisfied that there were reasonable prospects of obtaining a finding of primary liability against the Defendant.
Reaching settlement
We believed in the case and applied pressure on the Defendant by commencing proceedings. This was fully justified as the defendant, who previously had refused to pay our client anything, then made a large five figure offer to settle the matter. This offer represented our 100% valuation of the claim and was accepted by our client.