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Alan's Story - Cyclist Hit by Car

“They painstakingly went into my costs, my loss of earnings and the extent to which I would probably not make a full recovery. I got a very good settlement and I’m grateful to Thompsons for getting that for me.” Alan

“I had a nightmare hit-and-run accident while cycling home from work. I was hit head on by a vehicle that had ignored a temporary red light at some road works.

I didn’t see the vehicle until just before it hit me and I was thrown into a hole that was part of the road works and lost consciousness.

The last sound I heard was of my own crash helmet crushing under my head – I had a broken collar bone, a virtually dislocated hip and concussion.

When I came round my mobile was in my bag only about three feet away. But it seemed to take me forever and hurt like Hell to get to it and call for help.

When help came a second nightmare began – I could see the paramedics looking for me but they couldn’t see me, down in the ditch, and I was in shock and couldn’t call out for help.

It was horrendous. But eventually they did find me and got me off to A& E.

I was there for about 6 hours, then I got taken home. But I was very shaky and later passed out and fell cutting my face on a radiator. I was bleeding badly and had to be taken back to the hospital by ambulance.

After I returned home again I started to think about what had happened to me. I became quite angry and hoped the police would catch the hit-and-run driver. But even if they didn’t I determined to see if I might be able to get compensation so I got in touch with Thompsons Solicitors. I already knew of them from a time when I had been a shop steward in the GMB union.

I was still too ill to go out - I couldn’t walk for three weeks - and Thompsons came to see me at my home. We discussed all the aspects of my case, including that if the police didn’t catch the driver we would have to appeal to the MIB, the Motor Insurers Bureau. It’s funded by the insurers to help compensate victims of uninsured drivers and hit and run drivers.

Thompsons were very thorough in preparing my case. For example, I saw one medical expert about the damage to my shoulder and hip three times. And they painstakingly went into my costs, my loss of earnings and the extent to which I would probably not make a full recovery.

I got a very good settlement and I’m grateful to Thompsons for getting that for me.

On their advice I rejected the first offer and accepted the second. We discussed that I might get even more but that it would take more time, too. But I wanted to get my life back together and get on with it. The second offer was enough to knock a chunk off my mortgage and that’s what I chose to do.

I didn’t have to go to court. Mind you, if they’d caught the driver I would have wanted to go to court, but they didn’t catch him.

Although I don’t show it I’m still angry today about how this person affected my life. For about three weeks my wife, Janet, had to dress me and had to take me to the toilet - I simply couldn’t have managed without her. I had over 30 hospital visits for treatment, and she drove me to and from those, too.

I’ve had to have a titanium plate put into my shoulder, along with some bone grafted from one hip. For which I owe a big vote of thanks to the surgeon and nurses involved. As I do to all the doctors and nurses who have helped me throughout.

But despite all the help I will never have full movement back in my shoulder. I have trouble lifting things and have had to change to a lighter job.

I remain a keen cyclist but I can no longer use dropped handlebars and I’m much more wary of other vehicles on the road now.

I still shudder if I go past the scene of the accident. Yet I still use that road because, ironically, it’s normally the safest route to and from work! And I do sometimes wonder if a passing driver could be the one who hit me.

But otherwise I have succeeded in my objective. As I said, when I got my settlement I thought “That’s great! And now I can get my life back and get on with it. And I am.”

Alan

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"They painstakingly went into my costs, my loss of earnings and the extent to which I would probably not make a full recovery. I got a very good settlement and I'm grateful to Thompsons for getting that for me."- Alan

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