£10,000 awarded to cyclist
A cyclist has received a £10,000 compensation claim for personal injury he sustained in a bike accident.
The claimant won his case against Bellway County Council, after he suffered severe wounds when cycling over a pothole.
He took his local council to court after they rejected his claim and failed to take any action to repair the damage caused to the roads, following the heavy winter snow experienced early in 2010.
On the evening of 1st March, the victim was cycling home from work, on the busy B1234, when the front wheel of his bicycle got caught in a 10 inch deep pothole.
This then caused him to fly into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the motor braked hard and swerved quickly, narrowly avoiding hitting the cyclist.
As a result, the claimants red Raleigh bicycle was badly damaged and he sustained injuries to his head and neck and a broken arm.
The man commented on his successful accident claim win: “I am absolutely delighted at the outcome of this case. The past few months have been extremely painful and stressful.
“Following the accident I was unable to work for 4 weeks and when I returned to work I had to rely on family members and work colleagues to take me to work as I was unable to ride my bicycle.”
A spokesman for Bellway County Council commented: “We regret the injuries sustained, but we have worked extremely hard to repair all the defects to the roads caused by the snow.
“Our Contractors have been working overtime to ensure that all the roads were made safe, in as short a time as possible.”
Cycle route danger
In similar news, a pothole on a Midlothian cycle route it causing misery and pain to all bikers who are blighted by the hole.
Crashes have got so bad on the path that an Esperton resident has taken to shouting at cyclists passing her home, warning them of the dangers that lie ahead.
Her property is next to the National Cycle Network and she fears that a serious pothole accident is waiting for one of the many cyclists.
At a recent full council meeting, councillors agreed to cover the £3.74 million bill for damage to Midlothian roads caused the harsh winter weather.
Councillor Wilma Chalmers, Midlothian Council cabinet member for commercial services, said: “A three-year programme of repair work is underway which prioritises areas which pose the highest potential risk to public safety.
“The road routes which usually carry the heaviest traffic, A class and B class routes, and town centres with the most damage are among the priority sections.”
Chalmers added: “Large sections of the cycle network have already been resurfaced and a plan is in place to replace the remaining sections. An inspection of the route is underway to ensure any defects which might be dangerous are made safe.”Updated on 6/3/2010