Cycle accident caused by pot-hole. Distressing picture. (4 Viewers)

[scotjimland]

Copied from a post on Facebook if anybody objects I will remove it..

"So the day started with a nice ride into the Buckinghamshire countryside..

It was only a matter of time before somebody was going to be nearly killed by our roads that are becoming increasingly dangerous for all users.

Well today after hitting a pothole filled with water and snapping the bike frame in half which was bad enough, a fellow human being (not me fortunately) is rushed to hospital and going to have a op tomorrow for fractured jaw, cheek, nose. Two punture wounds on his face and split lip that needs sitching plus a slight fracture on his spine!

We are not talking the odd required repair that’s missed, we all understand that things slip through the net.. This is years of under investment making our roads increasingly dangerous to all users and it’s just not acceptable!

Our roads are officially a disgrace...! "

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Oh Please! that is terrible.

 

[DBK]

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[scousebird]

That's awful, poor bloke

 

[Chris]

That’s awful

 

[Two on Tour]

Where is our bloody road fund tax they screw out of us ever year going !!!

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[Neckender]

It’s a really good job he was wearing a helmet as it could have been fatal, poor chap.

John.

 

[irnbru]

And I thought the Scottish roads were worse. I hope the guy gets a good claim in.

 

[Old Rascal]

Our roads are a disgrace

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[ABZSteve]

and we get taxed more and more each year

 

[joka250]

It really is only a matter of time before such as this, and worse, become every day occurrences on a major scale. To be perfectly mercenary how much has this cost the NHS police and others, against the cost of filling pot holes.
How much difference it makes I really don't know but try reporting pot holeson www.fixmystreet.com my understanding once reported local authority or highways authority become liable. Might just concentrate their minds.
Dreadful thought but how many deaths to make this headline news.

 

[Clarky]

Disgraceful!
That hole can’t have opened up overnight and full of water you have no chance of seeing it.
That could have happened to any one of us who occasionally get on a bike.

Richard.

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[Pausim]

I am not the least bit surprised to find out that this happened in Buckinghamshire. There are problem potholes all over the Country but Bucks totally neglects it’s minor roads and is far worse than many other areas I have visited.

 

[SUGGY]

Lincolnshire is deadly to any 2 wheel transport ... was out on the motorbike yesterday , Spent more time looking down than up ....
car drivers don't give you any time or space to avoid the damaged roads driving far too close as always ..

 

[scotjimland]

just awful isn't it.. as a keen road cyclist it makes me shudder just thinking about it .. it is also valuable lesson .. which is the real reason for posting..

puddles can conceal all sorts of hazards.. deep pot holes, drain covers missing, etc.. never ride through them at speed and try to avoid if it is safe do so.. stop if it's dangerous to go around... and wait until it is safe before proceeding..

Have to say the roads in Suffolk where we generally cycle are pretty good.. and you get to know where the pot holes and hazards are.. and avoid them or slow down..

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[Shrimp]

That is awful.
That’s also why you should never ride thru puddles!
Poor guy......claim, claim, claim!

 

[haganap]

That is awful.
That’s also why you should never ride thru puddles!
Poor guy......claim, claim, claim!

Unfortunately a change in the law will mean he can't claim anything at all, Unless he can prove the council knew the Pothole was there and secondly there was a significant delay in carrying out the repair..

Our cycling group and I have made it our mission (yes sad isn't it) to report every pothole we come across here in Cheshire using the council web site. At least if I have a similar thing happen I'm hopeful they will have had it reported. I reported a road near to us the other day that had several of these holes and stated that they should either fix the road immediately or if unable to do so they should close the road altogether due to the danger to cyclists and motorcyclists. Within two days they had gone out and repaired the whole road so it goes to show that if they know and are forced in to action they will take it.

Unfortunately we have had a severe winter with lots of rain which has not helped our roads, couple that with the ever increasing number of cars our roads are simply not capable of handling the traffic.

Pressure on local councils though when you find these holes is imperrative to getting them fixed, we can't expect them to know every single one. At least when you get a white circle around it we know they know it helps.

 

[PP Bear]

Poor guy, while not a lover of the cyclist in this present climate, I really feel for this guy and hope he recovers quickly, with no lasting injuries, but it’ll take time for sure.

I think a personal lawsuit with accompanying pictures to whoever is responsible for the maintenance of the roads, will make great headlines, get wider public awareness of the cyclist and what they’re up against and possibly go some way to compensating the poor chap for his injuries. Injury Lawyers For You spring to mind.

Reckon if they made it a topic and the top of the list for any future government campaign, then they’d get voted in like a flash.

Some £43billion pounds raised yearly by road tax, with hardly any going back into the roads.

Our Jeremy was promising to pay for the free bus passes to the under 25’s, with the £1.5billion put aside for road repairs. Well that ain’t enough for one county, let alone the country. Rant over.

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[Richard Birkett]

This is unfortunately not that uncommon.
When I had a similar accident (luckily no physical damage but a collapsed Campagnolo Bora) the local council showed that they had carried out the required inspections and therefore were not liable. I now use the “Fill That Hole” app to lodge photos, gps position etc with the relevant council automatically.

Richard

 

[Christoph]

Not good at all! The speed some sports cyclists get up to these days leaves no room for error.

 

[scotjimland]

a collapsed Campagnolo Bora

.. an expensive pot-hole..

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[tacr2man]

I see that there would be further problem in the way the bike has failed , in going after the council , and apportionment of blame !!

 

[Badknee]

I think the state of our roads is a vote winner. If any of the parties made roads a priority in their election campaigns they would get a lot of people voting for them..........

Then the lying bar stewards wouldn't do anything though.

 

[scotjimland]

I see that there would be further problem in the way the bike has failed , in going after the council , and apportionment of blame !!

and if the bike frame hand't failed ?

He would still have flown over the bars and hit the road and probably even harder as the bike acted like a crumple zone on a car.. absorbing some of the impact.. but irrespective, the blame lies fairly and squarely with the council, not on the frame which is an aluminium frame for a reputable maker.

I once ran into a an overgrown drainage ditch on a mountain bile.. I flew over the bars like I had taken off.. fortunately didn't get hurt. This guy didn't stand a chance

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[tacr2man]

and if the bike frame hand't failed ?

He would still have flown over the bars and hit the road and probably even harder as the bike acted like a crumple zone on a car.. absorbing some of the impact.. but irrespective, the blame lies fairly and squarely with the council, not on the frame which is an aluminium frame for a reputable maker.

I once ran into a an overgrown drainage ditch on a mountain bile.. I flew over the bars like I had taken off.. fortunately didn't get hurt. This guy didn't stand a chance

Non black or white situations are loved by lawyers , this one is complicated by the "fragility" of the bike, reputable make or otherwise. It brings uncertainties into the question , and therefore
creates expense etc , devils advocate , what if it hadn't failed , would the injuries have been less ? Do you know ? Not guess, but with provable certainty .

 

[ambulancekidd]

This has become a national disgrace & all this from the UK who gave McAdam roads to the world. In fact McAdam roads were invented in the village I live in & the roads around here are terrible.

 

[scotjimland]

Non black or white situations are loved by lawyers , this one is complicated by the "fragility" of the bike, reputable make or otherwise. It brings uncertainties into the question , and therefore
creates expense etc , devils advocate , what if it hadn't failed , would the injuries have been less ? Do you know ? Not guess, but with provable certainty .

absolutely no idea.. will leave that up to the 'expurts' just feel sorry for the victim

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[Yorick]

I feel sorry for this guy, but isn't a bit stupid to ride through a puddle in the first place?

Sometimes you have to be responsible for your own actions and their outcome.

Can't blame the council for everything.

 

[TheBig1]

really feel for the cyclist, as about 40 years ago I had a similar bike accident. the council had re-surfaced the road with tar and loose chippings, one of which stuck to the front tyre and jammed the front brake on. this launched me over the handlebars face first into the gravel chippings. A broken nose and serious cuts to my face did nothing for my looks. i still have the scars now

 

[scotjimland]

isn't a bit stupid to ride through a puddle in the first place?

yes .. but if you examine the photo, he was well out from the kerb, on the fringe of said puddle.. maybe he couldn't avoid it, who knows.. saying he was stupid doesn't show much empathy

as I said earlier

which is the real reason for posting..

puddles can conceal all sorts of hazards.. deep pot holes, drain covers missing, etc.. never ride through them at speed and try to avoid if it is safe do so.. stop if it's dangerous to go around... and wait until it is safe before proceeding..

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