Cycling UK Forum

Glad you're back on the road, Mick - that looked nasty. It seems I can't leave you lot alone for five minutes...

Any further update on you and the Mercian Mick? The weekend is upon us - will you be getting some miles in now?

He's going on his hols this weekend - taking his wife on a cruise.

Something about there are worse things happen at sea.

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=15693

JohnW wrote:Any further update on you and the Mercian Mick?

I've been out a couple of times, and everything fine and dandy except for the LH pedal. It's shot. I don't want to trust it for long, so it will be the first thing to replace. It still works, but apart from the top plate being a little bent and the side gouged out, there's a bit missing at the rear, so the adjuster is a bit dodgy.

I've not done many miles on the bike because the weather is absolutely rotten and with no mudguards it's no fun in the wet. Yesterday was ok, but we had shopping to do and then it was the first day since my accident that I could cut the grass! Rotten weather again, but packing needs doing now! We leave tomorrow morning first thing for Manchester, then Liverpool on Monday.

Bike is fine, and so am I. I'm scarred in various places and still have a dressing on my elbow that needs changing every day, but I'll survive.

I'll be buying new stuff after we get back from sea, and will be keeping all the receipts ready in case my claim is successful. The solicitors gave me a telephone interview the other day, and I've emailed them some photographs of the scene and my injuries. They feel I do have a good chance of winning the case, but if Cornwall Highways have been checking the road frequently enough, I might not win. Solicitors will be writing to them and they have a legal requirement to disclose everything about the road - inspections and results, any reports and what they've done about it etc. It may be that they cave in straight away and agree to compensate, or it may be that they want to argue the case - we'll see, but it'll take up to four months for a result either way.

Basically I'll be claiming for personal injury plus expenses - bike repairs, travel, medication. NHS can claim too.

I have a "shopping list" for stuff:
Rims and spokes
Mudguards
Pedals
Water bottle
Bar tape
Shorts
SS top

Total bill maybe £275. That doesn't count labour for wheelbuilding or fitting mudguards and pedals. I'll be doing it all myself of course, so I'll ask advice from the solicitors if I win the case.

I'm thankful that I wasn't seriously injured, I could have done a header, or slid across the road under a bus. But I didn't. I was ok.

Regards to all,
Mick.

You could save money by going on a cruise around the pothole - it certainly seems big enough for couple of days sailing. Enjoy your hols

@ Thirdcrank

Mick, the solicitors will advise, but you should be able to claim for labour costs at a rate a bit cheaper than a bike shop, so it's worth getting your friendly LBS to give you a written estimate of labour costs.

On the dressing front, talk to the nurse at your GP practice, but I found that my similar (but much less extensive) road-rash healed much more quickly when I left the dressing off. I had it changed daily for about a week, then left it off.

Ben

Mick, this is just a thought and may come to nothing but one of your early posts mentioned that the road suffered from water cascading across (from a nearby hill or ditch ?). So I'm thinking that even if the road was inspected frequently the drainage system is obviously inadequate. Whether this causes the pothole erosion or just makes the holes more difficult to see, it seems to me that it's a substantial contributory factor.

Just my 2p.

Enjoy your hols.

Cheers guys,

Dressings came off asap, especially my leg. The elbow is healing up nicely, and we've left that one off this morning to see how I get on. It hasn't scabbed over yet, but is well on its way. It was a very deep hole, nearly into the bone. They couldn't stitch it up as there was gravel and tarmac stuck in there - the special dressings they used on me "sucked" out the muck.

My claim is in the hands of the solicitors, and I'm leaving it up to them, but I did say that the drainage was the underlying problem.

Actually, I'm a fair sort of chap not out for making a fast buck. All I would like is for my expenses plus labour to be met, and then the road and drainage fixed properly.

Then an apology from Cornwall County Council.

We'll see how things develop. I'll keep you all posted - basically it's a thing we all might have to go through, so if the worst should happen to you, you'll have some info to go on. God forbid.

New wheels built.
Other stuff on order.

I rode out this morning (came back soaked to the skin) and went down the road again. The pothole is gone! Nice new tarmac patch, all smooth and repaired.

Regards to all.
Mick.

Mick F wrote:I rode out this morning... and went down the road again...

What speed?

try and get hold of the reports from the A&E department if you went in, and if you went in in an ambulance you should have been given a patient report form which will give extent of injuries and use that in the claim

patricktaylor wrote:

Mick F wrote:I rode out this morning... and went down the road again...

What speed?

36mph.
Just checked on my Garmin and the computer software.

EMD_Nic wrote:try and get hold of the reports from the A&E department if you went in, and if you went in in an ambulance you should have been given a patient report form which will give extent of injuries and use that in the claim

All in hand with the solicitors.

Hi Mick

Glad to see your back in the saddle ok

Malc

Earlier, after his accident at 30 mph, Mick F wrote:I have learned to be more cautious. I shouldn't have been going that fast.

Excellent! 36 mph... back to your old self

patricktaylor wrote:

Earlier, after his accident at 30 mph, Mick F wrote:I have learned to be more cautious. I shouldn't have been going that fast.

Excellent! 36 mph... back to your old self

But the road was dry this morning!!

(Actually, the wind was quite strong against me, I may have been going faster otherwise.)