Kevin Hegarty recently acted on behalf of a keen Cyclist who unfortunately collided with a motor vehicle on our roads. It was a classic case of the driver turning left and not indicating or properly checking his mirrors for the presence of any vulnerable road user such as a Cyclist. As our client was correctly proceeding on the road, the driver turned left into his path and a collision occurred.
Interestingly, the driver of the motor vehicle initially did not accept fault for the collision. What made this case interesting is that our client fortunately had a dashcam fitted to his helmet which recorded the incident live. When reviewing the footage, it was entirely clear that driver had not indicated to turn left, and that he had turned across our client’s path. Once the dashcam footage was disclosed to the driver’s insurance company, they were quick to accept fault and the case settled at an early stage. Compensation was recovered in respect of personal injury as well as the damage to our client’s bike.
This was an excellent outcome for our client and goes to show the potential benefit for vulnerable road users in having the means to video-record their journeys. While ultimately it would have been a difficult case for the driver given the accident circumstances, the dashcam footage allowed us to establish at an early stage that the driver was entirely at fault. The roads can be dangerous for vulnerable road users. New technologies should continue to make the roads safer for Cyclists.