There has been a surge in the popularity of cycling in recent years, but cyclists remain amongst the most vulnerable of our road users. How vulnerable? Well government statistics show that cyclists accounted for 6 per cent of all road accident fatalities and 15 per cent of all serious injuries. Those figures suggest the answer is seriously vulnerable. Why are these figures so high? Well, it’s partly down to the nature of cycling. Cyclists have no protection other than a cycle helmet in most instances and are therefore, particularly susceptible to collision injuries. Obviously some of the cycling accidents are the direct result of weather and road conditions or are down to a failure of equipment. Sadly though the most serious injuries and fatalities usually involve, or are caused by other road users.
Harold Stock & Co specialises in personal injury cases. Over a number of years we’ve worked on many conditional fee cases involving cyclists and have successfully won for our clients the personal injury compensation awards they deserved. Several of our solicitors are keen cyclists, so we understand the challenges that cyclists face and relate to our clients’ accident circumstances.
Whatever happened to cause your injury, the sooner you or a member of your family gets in touch with us, the better. We have a track record of success in difficult and disputed liability cases, and in cases where cyclists weren’t wearing a helmet at the time of their accident.
What compensation can you claim for?
Our solicitors want to ensure that you are not left out of pocket following a cycle accident so they will fight on your behalf to recover the maximum amount possible in the shortest timescale so that you can put it all behind you as quickly as possible.
The Judicial Studies Board (JSB) have issued guidelines which set out how much compensation cyclists are entitled to depending on the injuries they’ve suffered. This can vary massively, for example a wrist injury can be valued at between £2,300 and £39,300 – so obviously the skill of our solicitors in negotiating the best settlement for you is crucial here.
Harold Stocks solicitors can also recover any out of pocket expenses such as travel to medical appointments and healthcare or assistance costs while you are rehabilitating. Our legal team will also negotiate a settlement for any loss of earnings if the injuries you suffered led to time off work or missed bonuses. The compensation for ‘special damages’ includes:
- Loss of earnings or bonus
- Medical bills
- Travel costs
- Physiotherapy and rehabilitation
- Psychological injuries as a result of an accident (where physical injury is also present)
- Costs for help with household chores
Care and assistance
For further information about claiming compensation following a cycling accident, contact Harold Stock & Co solicitors on 01457 835597 or email info@haroldstock.com.
