Accident on the day of my A2 Test

[Fahim]

Its been one month and one day since my accident and only now have i had the energy and time to write this up.

It all started a couple of days before my accident, I had just been paid from work and i thought I would book my A2 test asap so I got onto the phone to Eastside Riders in Leytonstone (LDN) and had it booked for Tuesday 6th March - Lesson day 1; Wednesday 7th March - Lesson day 2; and finally Thursday 8th March - Test.

Paid the full 260 quid to use my own bike and go to the test center on my own on the day of the test so it would be cheaper and set out to make my bike worthy for the examiners discretion. I had an L plate put on the back of my bike, Got a new speedo cable put in (35 quid!) and sorted out a slow puncture in my front tire (just my frickin luck happend the day before my lessons!) by getting it 'blocked' i think the term is from my local tire shop and i sorted out my broken side mirror by getting a new one put on.

So i had everything sorted, Had all my insurance details and what not all kept in my tank bag along with some chain wax and WD40 and was ready for my first lesson the next day and was so excited, i had waited ages to pass my theory test and thought i had it in the bag by now (passed third time round) I had read up loads of old posts on BCF on what to practice, when to do the life savers and all sorts and had a good nights sleep before waking up at 7 the next morning to be at the training school at 8:45.

Off i toddled, doing my lifesavers, watching my speed, looking out for hazards and generally getting some last minute practice in when i got lost!. . .

Luckily for me, i had already spent 280 pounds on a TomTom rider as I have no sense of direction whatsoever, so i plugged the bastard in and got onto Lea Bridge road at around 8:10 (Lea Bridge road is where the training school is) and started to make my way down to Lea Valley Ice rink car park which is where you do the training.

It wasn't to busy at first but the traffic started piling on slowly in the right hand lane so i thought 'fuck this! i don't want to be late' and switched over into the left hand lane which was a Cycle, Taxi and Bus lane. Clear as a bugger it was and i was traveling along at roughly 25mph when all of sudden i see a car coming towards me from my right heading straight at me. .

The next thing i remember is being hit, hearing a huge crack and flying through the air towards the curb thinking 'fuck, im going to be late!'

Adrenaline pumping my right leg felt numb but i wasn't in pain, i just felt claustrophobic in my helmet, so i loosened the straps and took it off only to start screaming and cursing at myself and the driver of the car which i could see was half way down the fucking road before it stopped. A lady got out of the car, so i assumed that it was the driver of the vehicle, she called the ambulance and they came in a matter of minutes (whips cross hospital being only minutes away!) and a nice chap came out of his vehicle to write his name and number down on a piece of paper to put in my pocket as he saw the whole shebang being he was in the lane next to me. He comforted me till the ambulance came and a nice school girl gave me her phone so i could phone my parents to let them know what had happened.

So the police came and the driver was charged with driving without due care and attention and i found out it was some old fucker who was around 60/65 years old and that he didn't get out of his car because he was shitting himself. The lady who called the ambulance was his daughter.

So the Ambulance came, cut me out of all my clothes (REV'IT clothing kicks ass) and put me on the stretcher telling me my leg was broken and the bone had come out of my leg by some bit. So i went down to the hospital, had an X-Ray and went straight into theater to have 4 nails and a Rod put in my leg, 3 days later in hospital i was discharged and started my claims! Muhahahaha.

What had happened was the guy driving the cage was driving in the opposite direction and wanted to go down a side road i so happened to be driving towards, so a guy in the lane on my right (the one full of traffic) had flashed him to go through and so instead of stopping. Crawling and looking before going for the side road he had just put his foot down and hoped for the best and hit me side on before dragging my bike 20 yards down the road or so.

https://img107.imageshack.us/img107/3861/drawinglr7.th.jpg

The bone came out of my leg and i broke it in 3 places but apart from my leg i didn't have a fucking scratch on me, my clothes were a life saver. Since the accident though, I've been in constant pain with pins and needles keeping my awake during the night and in pain during the morning, lack of sleep and just boredom. Got a medical assessment on the 21st and Ive had the bike examined, Cat C write off again but I'll be getting 1500 pounds for it which is good.

Heres some pictures to have a look at! Enjoy

https://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6129/09052008600gd4.th.jpg

https://img92.imageshack.us/img92/2338/13052008607oe0.th.jpg

https://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1943/13052008610tj1.th.jpg
____________________
Current Bike: CBR125 ---> Written off Theory Test Passed: ---> 8/04/08 ---> A2 Test Booked:8/05/08 - Failed to turn up (had an accident and broke my leg in 3 places!)

[spikenipple]

I'm gonna give you karma just for the epic accident diagram

Best of luck with the recovery and the claim!
____________________
C50 > GN250 > XJ600 > SV650S K7 > 2001 RSV Mille R > MT-09, XR400R > 2005 Fireblade (trackbike) + 2022 MT-09 + ZXR400 race bike

[Paivi]

Ouch, tough luck!

Your accident is a perfect example why people shouldn't flash to give direction and others should not accept these flashes as an indication that the road really is clear.

Looks like you'll have a long and painful recovery. Hope it goes well and without any complications.

Good luck with the claims process. Have you got legal cover with your insurance?
____________________
My other bike's a Monster...

[m0l0t0v]

Ouch

Ah well, at least chicks dig scars eh?

Also, will be interesting to see how the claim goes, considering you weren't supposed to be in the lane...

Ah well, hopefully everything goes your way and best of luck with healing. Do you know how long you'll be without your leg for?
____________________
'99 Hornet 600 , VFR 400 NC30 '92 , Kasawamasaki GT 550 , '98 Hornet 600
**\Tarmacsurfer/** said: It's that immaculately manly coiffure of yours isn't it. One glimpse of your virile locks and the punters can't wait to buy whatever it is you suggest, as it might let them be just a little bit like the Adonis that is our very own Molly Doovydoo said: Its not my fault I can't get it up properly, I just wasn't blessed

[The Tot]

Get well soon mate, bit of a bastard eh - oh, what hours was the bus/cycle lane operational from? Not that this would be entirely relevent, but maybe necessary incase teh other party try to deny liability because you were in a bus lane? may sound trivial. Good luck with your claim though.
____________________
The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[fortknoq]

An excellent account enhanced diagrammatically...labels made me laugh

What happened with the test fee?

[olionel]

Man.. thats bad-assly unlucky... I hope you get well though and do the test etc. All the best
____________________
1989 CG125 - Childhood Sweetheart (she got kidnapped by baddies)
1998 ZXR400 - Teenage Love (lasted three years, then she turned lesbian and left me)
2001 XRV750 - Wife Material (still getting to know her but head over heels in love)

[bazza]

[Timmeh]

[L-Jam]

Unlucky mate, GWS Its shocking how many people are getting OWNED on BCF these days though
____________________
Journalist, student, egotist.
Click here if you're a young biker, wondering what to do after a moped/125!
Skp 50 --> GS 500 --> CBR600F with custom HRC paint jobby --> GSX-R 750 K7, beautiful!

[Fnatic]

Hmmm, Thats a bummer. I bet you could of taken that juntion 100 times on another day without a problem but day of your acccident and it all goes downhill. Sorry to hear it mate... Hate Threads Like these. Makes me think my Mum might be right

[Shaane]

[neatbik]

Get well soon mate. If its any consolation you should be in line for a nice fat compensation claim

[neil.]

I was wondering why you didn't get back to my PM...

Majority of drivers round here are complete idiots. Riding round East London is like playing Russian roulette. Every time I ride around here there is some act of stupidity that nearly catches me, know what I mean? You're really lucky the other guy had insurance! 99% of drivers here don't speak English and don't have insurance/tax/MOT/a license.

Wishing you a speedy recovery so one day we will have that ride together!

+1 for REV'IT textiles. You didn't get them from Harper's on Romford Road by any chance did you?

Oh did the DSA refund your test fee or anything? I'd have thought that this was an exceptional circumstance!

GWS
____________________
CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Andy levitt]

Thats unlucky mate Hope you make a speedy recovary and pass your test as soon as possible. Beaut diagram haha
____________________
Speedfight 50 -> Honda NSR 125 -> Y reg YAMAHA YZF R6 -> 08 YAMAHA YZF R6 -> Honda CBR1000RR
Theory test Done 4/6/07
Practical test Done 21/12/07

[Kris]

Agh feck, GWS and all that.



This is the prime example of why we should all take care when overtaking or passing a line of traffic with side junctions nearby. If it's not people cutting across your path without looking it's people suddenly deciding they want the lane you currently reside in...

It can all end very expensive and / or painful.
____________________
NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[Fahim]

@Neil.Martin - I got them from Harpers yeah, awesome stuff. Didn't get a scratch or bruise on myself apart from the broken leg which it couldn't of prevented.

Funnily enough i don't think the police officers took any notice of it being a bus/cycle/taxi lane. Maybe it was because the accident happened near the entrance of the lane and so they didn't really notice or just that it doesn't matter. Fair enough i shouldn't of been in the lane if it was the time that it operates in but surely that should just lead to the normal fines and what not if i was found guilty of doing so (there wasn't any cameras) and what if there was a cyclist in the lane instead of me? a cyclist wearing no helmet and no protective gear? It could of been 10 times worse i reckon.

Thanks for all the comments and the diagram was very hard to do on this friggin laptop but atleast you guys like it

I do have free legal expenses with my insurance so when i began my claim they put me in touch with Minster Law solicitors, now I've heard a few bad stories of them in the past whilst searching Google but i have to admit, the guy thats been dealing with my case has been great so far and is letting me know everything hes doing, been keeping me in touch and just a great help.

I didn't get a refund with the training school as they don't do refunds, but it doesn't really matter seeing as I'll be claiming it back with the insurance and the test fee is a 30 quid loss, i can't be asked to go through the hassle of getting it back.

Im claiming for the bike, clothing + helmet, loss of earnings, A2 test, lost TomTom Rider, Gym membership (2 months worth so far), and personal injury which should give me around the 6k mark at least.


The worst thing about it all is that if i had passed my A2 test my parents wouldn't of said a thing against me getting a bigger bike but 'be careful' and i could of been on my to getting myself a RVF or VFR or coming big and powerful, but because of the accident, the slight mention of a Motorbike and my parents go on one. I don't think I'd be able to get another motorbike, not until im older anyway which breaks my heart because it wasn't my fucking fault but yeah..thats about it.
____________________
Current Bike: CBR125 ---> Written off Theory Test Passed: ---> 8/04/08 ---> A2 Test Booked:8/05/08 - Failed to turn up (had an accident and broke my leg in 3 places!)

[Shay HTFC]

Just wait till you move out then buy a bike without telling your parents. That's what I did
What they don't know won't hurt them
____________________
Full Motorbike License - GS500E '95

[YUN]

I feel like a loser whinging and whinging about my minor injuries and bruises.
Good luck and GWS.

____________________
Meet the team that will win, Blade, Razor, Blazer and my personal assistant, Michelle and from Romanovia - Fran Stalinovskovichdavidovitchsky
~ * CBT - 13/01/08 --> Theory 24/05/08 --> Squished by lorries, brand new CBR125(2000miles) write-off 04/06/06 --> DAS booked 02-04/08/08 * --> DAS passed 05/08/08 * --> VFR400 (aka 'Mike') ~

[johanek]

Bad news about the accident. I hope you come up OK and get back on the horse and get your license soon.

I guess you've not been riding for too long since you were going for your training, but it might be good to ask what could you have done better?

How fast was the traffic that you were passing going? You say you were doing 25 and it seems they were crawling. Perhaps going a bit more slowly would have been a good start, in case anything comes out from between cars. Because as you know, things do!

Since you were approaching a junction it's good to be aware if anyone wants to emerge from there or enter - either turning left from the lane alongside you or turning right from the opposite lane. Be aware of that and plan for the eventuality.

The situation you were in is similar to filtering/overtaking a line of slow moving/stationary cars and someone allowing a vehicle to emerge turning right from a junction on the left. This is a very common situation in heavy town traffic. Your image shows a gap in front of the car letting the driver turn right. If you see that, think why would he be doing that?

Also, from the driver's perspective if there was a line of cars how easy would it have been to see you behind them? Also if it's a bus lane he's probably only expecting to see buses. However, what he should have done is cross the first lane to get a better view into the second lane before moving into the side road.

I'm not laying blame here on what you've done, the car driver was in the wrong as the police have said. But frankly you're the one who gets hurt and you need to be proactive in being aware of these dangers, so I've tried to put down my thinking process in these kind of situations.

[Leggy_Girl]

GWS Fahim, glad your still in one piece. Let us know how you get on at the specialists!
____________________
"One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and one life can change the world." Siddhartha Gautama

[Fahim]

@johanek: Well to be honest, the traffic next to me was stationary/crawling but the reason i didn't see the car was because the person who flashed the guy to go through was in a van or pick up truck, i don't remember too well as it happened so fast but i only caught the driver out when i was pretty much beside the van when i hit the anchors and the police officer said to me 'i saw the skid marks on the floor'

I mean the guy just didnt look at all on his right to see if there was traffic, he just assumed there wasnt. say it was a bus instead, the guy and his daughter could of been injured plus people on the bus, i was wearing a hi-viz belt kind of thing that i borrowed off my cousin the day before so i could make a good impression it goes on your shoulders and across your chest etc plus i had a white helmet on, my lights on dim, broad daylight. if he glanced over for a second before moving he would of seen me and been able to stop. i don't know what i could of done in that situation to prevent it before hand. i mean if i saw the car then fair enough, but when traffic is crawling theres tons of gaps between each car, plus theres loads of side roads on Lea bridge road, i wouldn't of slowed down for each one otherwise i would of taken all day to get to the training centre. Perhaps i should of slowed down, but who would of thought there would be a car going through a gap of traffic without crawling?

As for the engineers report:

Economic Write off @ 1500 pounds.
Condition: Average
Brakes: Damaged
Steering: Damaged
Frame: Damaged
Impact area: Heavy to O/S and N/S
Veh Status: Unroadworthy
Glass guide retail: 1825 pounds
Glass guide trade: 1195 pounds
Salvage Value: 75 pounds
12.00 hours at 40pounds per hour ; labour 480. Parts: 2324pounds estimated repair cost including vat; 3294 pounds.

New parts list: Front fender, top fairing, top fairing frame, o/s mirror, o/s/f flasher, front brake lever, front brake master cylinder, n/s handlebar, n/s handlebar end, o/s handlebar end, o/s handlebar, clutch lever, o/s side fairing, o/s belly panel, fuel tank, radiator, o/s engine cover, rear brake pedal, main frame, o/s/f foot rest, o/s/f foot rest hanger, exhaust, exhaust protector, n/s side fairing, n/s/f flasher lamp, n/s/f foot rest, n/s/r foot rest, n/s/r flasher lamp, read grab raid, n/s/r seat fairing, passenger seat, n/s/r foot rest hanger, n/s/f flasher lamp.

I think I'll buy the bike back off the insurance company and make it a hobby to strip it apart and try putting it back together, might learn something eh?

Oh and i have the drivers address. I might have to pay him a visit sometime
____________________
Current Bike: CBR125 ---> Written off Theory Test Passed: ---> 8/04/08 ---> A2 Test Booked:8/05/08 - Failed to turn up (had an accident and broke my leg in 3 places!)

[johanek]

[LeeR]

That's a nasty accident mate, follow the doctor's orders and get well soon.
____________________
My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[Jrod]

What I find impressive is judging from the diagram the car appears to be going sideways when he rams you, skillful.