NIP received for an incident with a cyclist

[ToMeToYou]

So, last month I tapped a cyclist at a junction(they were in front of me waiting to pull out) they pulled out, hesitated, stopped and rolled back (changed their mind) at the same time I had already took my foot off the brake and my car rolled forward centimetres and tapped their rear wheel making it buckled (thin road bike wheel) the cyclist didn't fall off, it was a soft touch so to speak.

Cyclist is claiming major injuries..IE..tissue damage.

My neighbour received the NIP with my name on it but the incorrect house number. I checked my v5 and of course, it's all in the correct name and address.

Couple questions...

1. What's the likely hood of getting points from this? I do believe the cyclist has a witness who claims to have saw it. It's Hertfordshire Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire police. But the collision department is Stevenage.

2. Now my neighbour has since given me the paperwork some days later, should I fill this in and return it or wait it out for them to actually send me the NIP in my address? And as they have 14 days to send it to the correct address, if it goes beyond that, can they legally give me this NIP?

[LosingGrip]

No time limit for a NIP to be sent following an RTC.

[Super Sonic]

If he had his foot on the ground in front of his pedal or was standing over the top tube in front of the saddle, he could well be injured.

[outnumbered]

You don't buckle a rear bicycle wheel by "tapping" it.

[ToMeToYou]

Super Sonic said:

If he had his foot on the ground in front of his pedal or was standing over the top tube in front of the saddle, he could well be injured.

It is likely that was the case, yes.

[Jamescrs]

I haven't cycled for a few years now but I used to commute on a road bike and it would certainly take more than a "tap" to buckle a wheel, yes the wheels are thin but they are surprisingly robust, I hit a few potholes and managed not to buckle wheels.

As someone else pointed out the 14 day rule for an NIP doesn't apply following an RTC.

[ToMeToYou]

outnumbered said:

You don't buckle a rear bicycle wheel by "tapping" it.

You'll be surprised. My jaw hit the floor when I got out and saw a buckled wheel. I thought ..there is absolutely no way that did that.

[ToMeToYou]

Jamescrs said:

I haven't cycled for a few years now but I used to commute on a road bike and it would certainly take more than a "tap" to buckle a wheel, yes the wheels are thin but they are surprisingly robust, I hit a few potholes and managed not to buckle wheels.

As someone else pointed out the 14 day rule for an NIP doesn't apply following an RTC.

Well, the cyclist wasn't on the floor or nudged more than 20cm forward. I guess as someone else pointed out, her feet must have been on the floor, the wheel took the impact but the seat must have pushed into her back and therefore we both helped buckle the wheel. Genuinely shocked about it myself. 22 years driving and this is a first for me.

[Super Sonic]

ToMeToYou said:

Well, the cyclist wasn't on the floor or nudged more than 20cm forward. I guess as someone else pointed out, her feet must have been on the floor, the wheel took the impact but the seat must have pushed into her back and therefore we both helped buckle the wheel. Genuinely shocked about it myself. 22 years driving and this is a first for me.

Partly her fault? No.

[MaxFromage]

Super Sonic said:

If he had his foot on the ground in front of his pedal or was standing over the top tube in front of the saddle, he could well be injured.

This I'm afraid. I got knocked a few years ago on my mountain bike by another bike behind me. There wasn't much force to it, but it's not a natural movement for your lower half to be pushed forward with the rest of you in an awkward position. No major damage luckily, but I could easily see how it could be when a vehicle is involved.

[ToMeToYou]

Super Sonic said:

Partly her fault? No.

Of course, that's why I said I was parked too close to them in the first place. Should they hesitate and roll back and change their mind? No, is it their fault I went into them, no.

[ToMeToYou]

MaxFromage said:

This I'm afraid. I got knocked a few years ago on my mountain bike by another bike behind me. There wasn't much force to it, but it's not a natural movement for your lower half to be pushed forward with the rest of you in an awkward position. No major damage luckily, but I could easily see how it could be when a vehicle is involved.

Perhaps it's possible to receive injuries from this, yes. Just goes to show that a flimsy alloy bike does not stand a chance with a 2T car even at a snail speed.

[aizvara]

I was pushed off my bike at a roundabout by someone who presumably just didn't notice me moving more slowly than they were. That didn't seem to damage the wheel but did mess up the derailleur.
It also injured my ankle/lower leg somehow, leaving me limping for a bit, so I can imagine a heavier impact that damages the wheel could cause unexpected injuries.

[bennno]

Did you stop and swap insurance / contact details at the scene of the accident?

[ToMeToYou]

bennno said:

Did you stop and swap insurance / contact details at the scene of the accident?

I did indeed.

[bmwmike]

This is why I hate riding on the roads. No offence to OP but people generally stop way too close behind bikes and then get surprised when the cyclist doesn t zoom off the same speed as the cars. I can well imagine there are soft tissue injuries. It won t have been just a tap to buckle the wheel either unless hit from the side as wheels are incredibly strong. More likely if hit head on the wheel caught under the weight of the car, under the bumper perhaps, and buckled that way?

Either way lesson learned I m sure.

Also I d love for just a tap to be part of the driving test, whereby the candidate has the examiner give them a little tap in the shins with the car doing 2-3mph. And then add a 40mph close pass at 1m distance.

Edited by bmwmike on Monday 6th October 20:17

[ToMeToYou]

said:

It really was just a tap at close range and lowest speed imaginable but, I think the issue here is, the cyclist dismounted..IE.. feet on the ground and therefore me pushing one side and then fully grounded on the floor, meant that the wheel took the impact. I've actually seen someone ride a bicycle and the wheel buckled, sure, they were on the heavy side..but still, I'd say they are softer than one might think. I think they are aluminium? The spokes?

[Mikebentley]

User name seems apt by the OPs initial description. You effectively rear ended her. I had a similar situation whilst sat on a large 125cc Yamaha Majesty scooter years ago waiting at an island. The car behind pulled forwards and shunted me into traffic buckling the back wheel. I didn’t drop the bike and was ok. The damage was repaired but the bike never felt quite right afterwards. Hopefully the cyclist makes a full recovery. You did the right thing exchanging details.

[Simpo Two]

I don't deny the impact, but bent wheel aside, which can be replaced, is there a medical report or is it just a compensation grab?

[Opapayer]

Have you received a NIP or a claim for damages / injury? The two are very different and a NIP doesn’t go into the details of injuries as far as I’m aware.