Had first bike 3 months - first serious crash

[britboy4321]

Riding home on the 125, Micra pulls out directly in front of me for no reason, I didn't even have time to swerve. My front wheel hit the car so hard it went through the numberplate and grill and into the engine compartment somewhere.

I flew over the handlebars, over his bonnet so fast I didn't hit it at all apart from smashing my leg into his windscreen on the way past, flipped over, and landed on my head rolling onto my back and slid for about 3 metres. I have one small bruise on my leg and that's it. Nothing else whatsoever. The crash helmet has 2 big marks on it where it had slapped the ground. The bike maybe a write-off -- gear level thing was snapped off, the windmirror thing was snapped off, the stand was bent, but mainly the front wheel no longer faces forward it faces about 8 degrees to the left from the handlebars(!), and there are scratches and the like.

As soon as I did it I stood up, took off my gloves and for some reason chucked them at the bloke getting out of his Micra. I ended up with no medical problems at all, he ended up suffering shock and going to hospital.

Best thing was a policeman was on the beat and saw it all, and we're all fully insured and the driver said to the copper, on the record, it was 100% his fault.

This is my first spill on a bike, and the wierdest thing is it honestly wasn't too bad. I mean I play footy a lot, and all it was like is a hard sliding tackle into my leg. I was probably in the air for about 12 foot, but it just didn't kind of hurt at all.

So does this make me incredibly lucky? Or is 30mph being thrown over a car really not that big a deal if you're wearing all the protective gear and hit nothing solid apart from the road?

I reckon I could come off a bike at 60 and, if I just fly over whatever I hit and smack into the road and slide, walk away no big deal!!

Not put off bikes at all .. just learnt that the safety gear nowadays is pretty marvellous!

 

[britboy4321]

Proper £240 helmet with visor down (!I ride a lot with it up .. which would have been nasty maybe!). Biking trousers, bike padded biking jacket with winter stuff underneath (for warmth but also would have done something).

Biking gloves and bike boots. Basically the full thing. One thing -- I will never EVER go out without the full protective gear on now (not that I did, but this has reaffirmed it)

Believe it or not Felix I was doing NOTHING wrong. You don't have to ride like a muppet to get caught out. But the other car drivers lept out of their cars like I'd just been beheaded or something! I was seriously telling the other drivers just to calm down, chill out, and go away! I must have said 'I am not hurt' over 30 times!

 

[britboy4321]

Yep I'm only 3 months in. I did get lucky -- if it was a van I wouldn't have been thrown over it, I'd have been thrown into the side of it. Game over, thanks for playing!

 

[britboy4321]

Do you have one of those jackets with the back brace thing? can make a massive difference.

I'd say the safety gear made a fair difference between walking away from it and more serious injuries.

Yea I have a full 'back brace' thing in my jacket. I think this may have saved a lot of trouble as my back took the worst of the hit.

My wife put it well when she said 'Even if with no protective clothing you ran at a Micra and threw yourself over the bonnet and landed on your back and head the other side - at - what - 5mph -- you'd still expect to be quite badly hurt'

Which is a kind of good point! I got away Scott free.

My mum said 'This is the 'devils warning' .. it means next time you'll die. Sell the bike!' . She is a bit of a wierdo though ..

 

[britboy4321]

Here is the jacket I was wearing:

TBH I'm not sure if its leather OR kevlar! Through the fabric the shielding feels like kind of very hard but flexible plastic! Wierd!

Edit -- I was wearing this:

http://www.nevism.co.uk/products/richa/textile-garments/rix

WTF is 'full CE armour'???

I was wearing matching trousers. Doesn't feel like Kevlar OR leather is in there!! :\ Did the job though!

I'm a bit worried now that the CLOTHES might be '1-impact only'?? Anyone know anything?

 

[britboy4321]

Yea aching today. Just did the insurance claim. Insurance guy was AMAZED I said I was totally uninjured. He said in 13 years of taking claims he'd never heard of a 30mph bike collision with zero injuries!!

I am aching and have a few bruises. Tomorrow the insurance are delivering me a hire bike. They say that when I hand it back I get to keep the helmet they are bringing (woot!).

The bike got picked up off the road-side this morning by the garage. They didn't need a key or anything, and with the wheel locked and chain on, two big burly men from the garage picked it up and put it in their van. No-one battered an eyelid or thought to challenge them - the whole operation taking under 15 seconds! Goodness these things must be easy to nick!

 

[britboy4321]

FROM THE OP

read the OP first -- here is a horrible, horrible update ....

Here is 'Micra driver's current story.

He was waiting at a junction and a motorbike flashed him out and waved him out with my hands (he was turning right). He proceeded forward with caution. At that point the motorcyclist (me) seemed to lose control slightly of the bike, accelerate towards him like I couldn't ride the thing properly, and smash my bike into his Nissan Micra !!!!!! .

He is therefore claiming I am 100% liable, he did nothing wrong and wants his Micra fixed at my companys expense. In fact, funny enough, his 'mate' mechanic thinks it's a write-off and he needs a new one .. . He is claiming the fact he was saying to everyone including the policeman ON RECORD it was 100% his fault (about 500 times) was ‘under duress as I looked like I was about to give him a kicking’ – so all his admitting stuff has immediately been thrown out of the window. Policeman didn't see the accident it happened behind him his mate in passenger seat is backing up HIS lying version of events.

My insurance company now says this is probably going to go down to a 50/50 ‘deal’ between insurance companies. So my insurance will be paying for half the cost of getting my bike fixed, my new helmet, and getting HIS car fixed.

Which means next year my bike insurance premiums will be mental after a first year claim. Like £800 mental. And stay mental for the next 5 years.

I am absolutely gutted. I feel sick to my stomach. I have lost a great deal of faith in mankind. I could have claimed 'bad neck, need two weeks off work, loss of earnings please' or 'mobile phoned smashed in my pocket' or 100 other things. I didn't even claim for my clothes (just the helmet). Please please please when you have an accident and the other person seems like the nicest person on the planet during the event I promise you IT IS A LIE! THEY WILL LIE JUST 2 DAYS LATER ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. DO NOT TRUST THEM. 2 DAYS LATER AFTER CHATTING WITH THEIR MATES DOWN THE PUB THEY WILL CHOOSE TO START LYING 100%. Proceed with your post-crash actions accordingly.

The world is a horrible place. People are scum. I can not make a single contact with the original guy as my insurance company is saying that whatever I say, within 10 second he'll have a 'threatening behaviour' and 'under duress' complaint about me and everything will swing 100% against me amazing oh yea, no CCTV

Where on earth can I go from here? He is prepared to 100% lie about events. The bike estimate came in at, including helmet, £1700 (from a Honda dealer).

 

[britboy4321]

I know everyone flashes your headlights to let people out, but the actual highway code term is to let other know you are there, so you could try that one against them

110

Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070289

I think that's why he invented that I also let him out by a hand movement.

I'm frankly at this point surprised he hasn't said 'The biker was clearly drunk' yes, his lying seems that outrageous ..

 

[britboy4321]

I thought you said in the OP a copper saw it all?

Also

"Micra pulls out directly in front of me for no reason, I didn't even have time to swerve. My front wheel hit the car so hard it went through the numberplate and grill and into the engine compartment somewhere"

If a car pulls out directly in front of you how did you hit it in the front enough to have your leg hit his windscreen. How did you not hit the side of the car?

I'm not doubting you I'm just trying to imagine how the insurance company are viewing your position on the road.

The car was already slightly facing right at the give-way .. then he turned right straight away meaning he was already maybe 35 degrees right when I hit him .. he didn't come straight out .. he actually turned into me whilst doing a kind of wide-arc into the left hand lane!!! If you get me.

I did a superman over his bonnet and my left leg kicked his windscreen on the way past.

The policeman was actually a 'community support officer'. I got his shoulder number. The car driver said on the record to him 'it was 100% the car drivers fault I admit it was my fault'. He also saw and heard it (I didn't bother with other witnesses therefore -- open and shut case?) When I phoned the station when car driver started lying, so I could speak to the officer, they said that the community officer did not want to make any comment on the incident and would not unless forced to a courtroom - he would definately not say ANYTHING AT ALL WHATSOEVER with regards to any call from any insurance firm, would just answer 'no comment' to everything. He wouldn't speak to me personally, but stated through his colleague that he had made no record whatsoever about the entire incident and could remember nothing and saw it as a 'private incident' and can't remember anything that was said or happened!!

Trust me, it's a horror show ... it's going to go to a 'knock for knock' which means equal liability Everyone is saying it now My insurance is going to pay 50% of getting HIS car fixed up ..

I think the community officer is afraid of the expectations on him if he gets involved in this incident, is scared of dealing with something semi-serious rather then showing old biddies the way to the post office believe it or not I'm not sure exactly what he expected when he took the role on , but now he's legging it away from the whole thing as fast as he can. I don't know what's going on ... I'm getting screwed though. And to think, I did nothing wrong, and I could have died