Experienced cyclist Michael Gill found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when a driver failed to spot him on a busy roundabout and knocked him off his bike.
Mr Gill, 50, a porter at the University of Hull, suffered a fracture to his wrist and soft tissue damage in his fall – an injury which caused him significant pain and suffering, needing more than two months off work.
Through Hudgell Solicitors, Mr Gill was able to benefit from a course of physiotherapy care which helped him regain strength in his wrist and make a return to work as quickly as possible.
And now, following the conclusion of his case, he has been awarded £14,545 damages, with insurers for the driver having admitted full liability for the accident.
I didn’t see the accident coming and the driver said afterwards that he simply hadn’t seen me until it was too late,” said Mr Gill, 50.
It all happened so quickly. I had been going around the roundabout as I was planning to cycle to Hornsea and was signalling to take an exit to the left.
The next thing I knew I had been hit. The car had come from one of the junctions and just come straight into me.
I hit the floor and bounced straight up and picked up my bike, as I was most worried about that and what damage may have been caused. Initially I was not in much pain and people were asking if I was ok, including the driver who was very apologetic for what had happened.
It was only when the ambulance arrived and they removed my watch that I started to feel the pain and I realised I would have to go to hospital.
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Compensation covers pain and suffering and loss of income
Fortunately for Mr Gill, who is married with two children, his employers covered his 10-week absence by paying his full-time wage, something which is not so in all cases, with loss of earnings particularly troublesome for people who self-employed.
In cases of injuries suffered on the roads, compensation can be claimed for loss of earnings and any other costs associated with an injury caused by others, alongside payments for pain and suffering, which in this case made the bulk of Mr Gill’s damages.
Mr Gill said of his settlement:
I am really glad I decided to call in at Hudgells and take some advice. Once it started the driver’s insurers were quick to admit fault and then it has all been straight forward since, from the arrangement of my physiotherapy to the compensation amount being set.
We’d had a bit of a tough year as a family, which was not helped by my accident, and the money has been a real lift for us, so we are grateful to Hudgell Solicitors for their support.
Physiotherapy helped ensure recovery was as quick as possible
Head of Personal Injury, Jane Woodcock, who handled Mr Gill’s case, said she was happy to have arranged physiotherapy treatment as part of the claim which helped ensure a speedy recovery.
Mr Gill suffered quite a complicated fracture to his wrist so physiotherapy in this case was important, especially given the nature of his work which involved a lot of heavy lifting.
It enabled him to be able to return to work after 10 weeks, initially with some lighter duties, but by the time he did so his wrist had made a good recovery and was responsive and moving well.
The majority of the damages in this case were for the significant amount of time in which he suffered from pain as a result of the accident.
This case was a good example of how people who suffer what are considered to be the more minor injuries from a road accident can benefit from making a compensation claim, both physically and financially.
