Bicycle collision with car at pedestrian crossing - who is at fault?

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Reply 60

Betelgeuse-

I hope she has a dash cam and sues you hard

Reply 61

Betelgeuse-

Original post by lukey67791

You know you are quite literally the reason motorists hate cyclists so much. You've shown flagrant disregard for the rules of the road, by your own admission causing an accident by crossing when you shouldn't have been. And then, rather than do the honourable thing and pay to repair the driver's car, you're trying to find a way to weasel out of it.

Reply 62

lukey67791

Original post by ClaryK

I accept that I was at fault, we both were and i'm happy to take responsibility for what happened if it comes to it however the main reason for putting this thread up was to find out where I stand when some stranger messages me saying that she may be billing me for £500. I don't understand how insurance works and ultimately I don't care about pointing fingers towards who's to blame, all I really wanted to find out was what I do now and from what I can understand it's that her telling me to pay her and then me just handing over the money is not the way to go unsurprisingly.

I don't know, maybe I'm the weird one here. But if I were in your shoes, I would have asked her to send me a quote for the repairs (or if you're worried about her overcharging you, get a quote yourself or wait for a receipt) and then paid them the money. The fact is, the only reason you set up this thread is to see if there was a way to get out of doing the right thing. Frankly, it's pathetic.

Reply 63

RogerOxon

Original post by ClaryK

I don't understand how insurance works and ultimately I don't care about pointing fingers towards who's to blame, all I really wanted to find out was what I do now and from what I can understand it's that her telling me to pay her and then me just handing over the money is not the way to go unsurprisingly.

Actually, it is. You were at fault, so you need to put it right by paying for the consequences of your actions.

Reply 64

RoyalSheepy

Original post by Good bloke

That would be you causing the damage.

There is insufficient evidence to prove OP caused the damage.

Original post by IWMTom

Get the woman to have three quotes provided by different garages, and offer to split the bill 50/50 - then, be sure to contact her insurance company to inform them of the accident, because no doubt she will neglect to.

Exactly this! And OP do make sure that her insurance is aware before you even think about paying her, do not let her get away without telling her insurance.

Reply 65

RoyalSheepy

Original post by Betelgeuse-

I hope she has a dash cam and sues you hard

Tbh this sounds very much like a 50/50 incident. She should've been concentrating on the road, not having a go at a pedestrian. Although OP was in the wrong, this incident IMO could've all been avoided if:

A.) The OP was to actually check the lights,

B.) She was to actually be looking where she was going to spot a developing hazard.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 66

Good bloke

Original post by RoyalSheepy

There is insufficient evidence to prove OP caused the damage.

Perhaps you misunderstand the nature of evidence.

The OP has provided us with an eyewitness account of the incident in which the cause of the damage is perfectly clear.

Reply 67

stevimack

Rights or wrongs of who should have stopped or who had right of way, the driver should be claiming through her insurance.
Who called for an ambulance? Who required the ambulance? You or the driver? Were the police notified? There are implications way beyond whether you have to pay for the damage to the car. Insist that the claim is made through her insurers and check your household policy for your own level of cover/liability.
And talk to citizens' advice.

Sketch out the accident (honestly) - by returning to the scene - and prepare a written statement - be prepared for the insurance claim even think what your evidence would be if the driver took you to court.

As a cyclist, I witnessed a bus side-swiping a car a couple of years ago. The case went to court where it was accepted that the car driver probably went through lights on red but the bus driver was found to be at greater fault because he couldn't describe the road junction or the sequence of the traffic lights (even though it was his regular route). The council put screens over the lights just after the court case as there was a pedestrian crossing light that was clearly showing green much brighter than the red traffic light - but we wouldn't have known that if I hadn't gone back and made a sketch and noted the sequence of the lights from all directions. It was just luck that there hadn't been a fatal accident at the junction