I was about to go and garden, when I received a call to say that The Carpenter had been knocked off his bike....off to the nearest side of Cardiff, where , as he'd ridden his bike from one road across to the second exit of a roundabout...a car going from the outside lane of the first exit, caught him broadside.
The driver was quite solicitous and hung around until he was loaded into an ambulance (along with his bike!) As the policeman turned to find him he'd walked away and was driving off without leaving his details.
Would you assume that that was fine to do, when you've knocked a cyclist over, damaged his bike and he is being taken off to hospital bleeding very nicely? Especially with the police in attendance as well.
Five hours later we left the hospital, with bumps and grazes in all sorts of places and a well stitched ear upon which he had slid along the road after bouncing off the bonnet of the car . The bike was still in the police secure store at the hospital where a paramedic had put it, as the hospital security couldn't get in there!
First we had to pay £2.20 to leave the car park- we were within minutes of being charged double that!!
Then to say "hello and goodbye" to The Wizzard who'd been playing polo with his team from Manchester, before they headed back North.
Home for lunch at teatime. What a day. We're so glad that we'd renewed our British Cycling memberships and gone for the highest "gold" level.....full insurance and free legal work if needed...didn't expect to need it so soon!
Hope your boy is on the mend and that his bike will be too soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock for you both! Hope The Carpenter heals quickly and you both get a good nights sleep. Thinking of you. xx
ReplyDeleteGlad to read that only bumps, bruises, & road rash! Very peculiar thing to do, to drive off without leaving your details.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about The Carpenter - I can really relate to that, my man was knocked off his bike by a car who was driven by a young lad that just did not see him. Hope your Carpenter feels back to normal soon x
ReplyDeleteI am sad to hear that there are folk out there who seem to have little regard for others; but I am glad to hear the injury was not so bad to keep Carpenter in hospital (although it does sound very traumatic).
ReplyDeleteIt seems people are so worried about their insurance costs going through the roof, they would rather shirk responsibility and protect their premiums(this happened with an elderly man in a car park a while back where he just drive off after crashing).
Maybe that person will spend many a guilty sleepless night and wish they had done the right thing after all
What's all this about parking charges? Talk about adding insult to injury.
Wow, that's a scare! Hope everything is mending well.
ReplyDeleteIn this state, that driver would be facing serious criminal charges - leaving the scene of an accident. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteHope your dear one heals up well and quickly.
I'm sorry to hear that your friend was knocked off his bike. Those aches and pains will take days to assert themselves. I saw a cyclist down this week on my way to work. The bike lane crosses the freeway onramp. I am so careful there. I've seen some nasty accidents and near-misses. A couple of years ago a sheriff's deputy missed a bend and killed two cyclists a bit further up the canyon. There's a memorial there now and the deputy was charged. He'd been out the night before (Saturday) and fell asleep at the wheel.
ReplyDeleteI hope the police track down the driver.
Oh dear. Bike riding in UK towns is so dangerous. I've had people opening car doors in front of me, people hitting me from behind, and countless other thoughtless actions. Hope he's OK, and back in the saddle!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to see this, and hope he (and the bike?) heal well.
ReplyDeleteHope he mends well. BC do have fine insures and legal services - had to use them myself once and my BC had lapsed at the time - but they still did it!
ReplyDeleteGlad it wasn't overly serious,hope he's back in the saddle quickly.
ReplyDeleteYouch. Hope he heals up soon and there's no lasting damage.
ReplyDeleteGoodness what a horrible day for you all. Hope that Carpenter is better soon. I gave up riding my bike a few years back, I just didn't like sharing the road with huge trucks and speeding cars! Mmmmm, parking near our hospital costs more than in some other parts of town.... I think our local council enjoy having an easy source of income!
ReplyDeletepoor lad, extra hug from Aunty Kath x
ReplyDeletelet's hope there was a CCTV camera which captured what happened.
Peter, the worst thinhg about the hospital parking is that a private company has the contract- so hospital and council gain nothing. However as contracts run out, I believe that the parking will be free (as it has done at other hospitals already)
ReplyDeleteBike collected...more damage than initially thought...the front wheel is fine, but back wheel, frame and chainset have had it, and we need to check everything else over carefully too.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing is that he can't use his left hand properly... so no driving or riding yet and possibly time off work.
Not good with a mortgage to pay
I hope the police will do the job they're paid for and track down the driver.
ReplyDeleteCynically, I imagine they'll just shrug and say it's not worth the effort.
He should be prosecuted for his unsafe driving, for leaving the scene of a collision, causing injury by unsafe driving, oh, a whole heap of stuff. And he, or his insurers should pay up, for pain, injury, lost work, trauma, new bike and set-up, alternative transport until the carpenter's fully fit, your time, car-park fees... I'd squeeze him until he lost his pips.
Damn, those people make me angry. He KNEW he should stay around and give his details.
How awful, and shocking for you all, I hope the guy who hit your son will face consequences for walking off like that.
ReplyDeleteGreat though you have good insurance, and you have a tough boy there! hope he feels better soon.
Exactly what we feel soub, and most policemen feel the same.Many are also cyclists too.
ReplyDeleteHowever time is money and we know they are squeezed. No-one died. We know the policeman dealing with this will do his utmost, but we also know he'll have pressure from above if he takes too long on it.
Only just caught up with this post, hope The Carpenter has recovered. How's the bike?
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