[bibekpd]

Hi,

Basically just got a call from my dad and apparently he got into a little accident this morning. On his way to work he parked his car on the road and BEFORE opening the door he checked the mirror and from the looks of it *as he claims* the cyclists were at a distance. Then he proceeded to open the door and the cyclist knocked on to the door and fell off which means either he was at a high speed or my dad needs to get his eyes checked.

Apparently police and ambulance were both called at the scene but at the scene it seemed like the cyclist only had a minor bruise on his forearm and the police took details of both parties and both parties exchanged their details too.

Now, the big question is ..Who is to blame ? I am pretty sure my dads car insurance wont cover it as he wasn't driving and In the case the cyclist makes a claim against us..do we need to hire a solicitor of our own or can we say we cant afford the costs as solicitors charge RIDICULOUS amount of fees.

Thanks in advance!

[hoopyfrood199]

surely if the cyclist managed to knock the door off then MUST have been going really fast? that probably takes quite some force.

[bibekpd]

(Original post by hoopyfrood199)
surely if the cyclist managed to knock the door off then MUST have been going really fast? that probably takes quite some force.

LOL he dint knock off the door he knocked onto it and fell off and there was no damage at all to the bicycle or my cars door... just the cyclist had a bruise which is not a major damage. But still they called ambulance and police so i have a bad feeling hes gonna claim for cracked ribs or something.

[gbduo]

Doesn't sound like you need to worry. Sounds like a simple accident and the cyclist/your dad not reading a situation correctly. Sounds like both parties got away with it without too much hassle.

[sarcos]

I would say its not really the cyclist fault, its very hard to see if there is anyone in a car if your cycling past it. So there is little a cyclist can do to avoid the situation. Personaly i would say its your fathers fault, but from what you said it dosent sound too serious so should not be a problem. My friend has been knocked over a few times but that it because he has headphones in loud ect. and he has still got people to pay for damages to his bike so you might have to deal with that.

but as gbduo said i doubt there will be any serious issues.

[Indian_Prince]

what car was it........ i think your car insurance company still deals with it since its car related LOL well the accident was caused due to a part of the car so yeh, but maybe your dad will have to dish out of his own cash to pay your insurance company but you never know these days....

[lubus]

Unless he was an actual cyclist (like - one with a bike worth over 300$) I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[bibekpd]

Well it was 7 am in the morning and the location was in front of Richmond park in surrey ( quite posh area ) so i suppose he was a pro biker but my dad said there was no damage to the bike or the car's door however his friends called the ambulance and police which i think was to make it a big scene which would later on help him to make a claim imo. Also I don't know if my dads insurance is going to cover it as the vehicle was NOT in motion and as there's no damage to the car i doubt car insurance is going to do anything about it. but then again hiring a personal solicitor will be even more expensive o_0

[hypocriticaljap]

so car insurance only covers moving vehicles does it?
LOL
What do you think fully comprehensive means?

[sarcos]

car insurance normaly covers theft ect, your not driving the car when it gets stolen. so it does not matter if its in motion or not.

[RK92]

(Original post by bibekpd)
LOL he dint knock off the door he knocked onto it and fell off and there was no damage at all to the bicycle or my cars door... just the cyclist had a bruise which is not a major damage. But still they called ambulance and police so i have a bad feeling hes gonna claim for cracked ribs or something.

um, the thread title is "Cyclist knocked off my cars door! Do i need to hire a solicitor ???!"

[thisismycatch22]

Pretty obvious your dad is to blame in this situation, and he's lucky he didn't kill the cyclist. People opening car doors is a major cause of cyclist deaths and he really should have been more careful. Hope you don't end up paying through the nose for it but it really should not happen.

[bibekpd]

(Original post by RK92)
um, the thread title is "Cyclist knocked off my cars door! Do i need to hire a solicitor ???!"

just realised ...sorry there should have been a GOT somewhere in there lol but i dont think its possible to knock off a cars door on your bike :/

[bibekpd]

(Original post by sarcos)
car insurance normaly covers theft ect, your not driving the car when it gets stolen. so it does not matter if its in motion or not.

I guess it would be better if car insurance does cover it ..getting no claim bonus reduced is better than having to pay out thousands out of your own pocket!

I hope the person wont make a claim although the ONLY witness were his friends who were on the their bike and i don't think they can be counted as witness as I wasn't allowed to be a witness when my mate got into an accident and i was in it.

[sarcos]

If your father opened the door and it hit a cyclist people will see it as his fault, its similar to someone pulling out of a driveway into the middle of the road infront of someone. he should have checked that the road was completely clear or people are a sufficent distance away. You said that he did this but as he was incorrect in judging the distance it is his fault. I would just hope that they dont try to make a claim

[bibekpd]

But then you could also argue saying the cyclist had seen my dad park the car and shouldn't have come too close to it as people come out of their car after parking it but i guess as the car is a bigger vehicle it is to blame

[sarcos]

When cycling you stick right to the side of the road, or line of parked cars, especially if it is a busy/fast street. This is due to a lot of drivers rushing to get past you and not giving you significant room. There are a lot of bad drivers out there so trying to get out of there way is what you have to do, for example i had someone overtake me just to turn left and cut me up only just narrowly avoiding hitting me.

[moose]

(Original post by bibekpd)
But then you could also argue saying the cyclist had seen my dad park the car and shouldn't have come too close to it as people come out of their car after parking it but i guess as the car is a bigger vehicle it is to blame

Don't motorists want cyclists in the cycle lane, ie right next to cars and in the door zone?

[bibekpd]

just spoke to my dad again and the collision wasn't even major. He claims that he opened the door slowly as he knew they were behind him (at a distance when he checked) and then before he knew the cyclist just hit his bike handle on the edge of the door that was not even fully open and he fell off the bike. I guess were just going to have to call the person and ask what he wants to do about it as it doesn't even seem like a big issue to be but just hoping the person isn't one of the bastar** who looks for the opportunity to sue people cos as far as i know only damage done to him was a minor bruise on his arm and nothing else as he had helmet and proper bike kit on.

fingers crossed and just hoping for the best!

[Boristhethird]

how could this been seen as the cyclists fault?

honest question.


also, bare in mind the hidden damege (you want to get checked) to both the door and the bike.
not sure about the door, bit the bikes wheel could have been slightly buckled, and if its not fixed now, will just get worse with use.


oh, and i know of people who have nearly dided from what your dad did. (an open door can throw the cyclist upwards, the top of the door is great at removing skin).