Cyclist hit car - what to do next?

[ali4390]

I'm asking this on behalf of a friend.

When pulling out of work on 2 weeks ago (a sloping drive leading to the pavement with walls on either side so blind until the car has pulled so far out), a cyclist on the pavement crashed into the front of his car. The cyclist went flying into the road but was okay and my mate was understandably a bit pissed off. He jumps out the car and walks over to the cyclist asking what he's doing riding on the pavement for which the cyclist apologises and admits it was all his fault and he's willing to pay for any damage etc. (The damage includes a hole in the bumper where the pedal has hit it as well as some deep scratches...body shop verdict is a new bumper is needed.)

The cyclist gave my mate his parents address where he lives, his number and his name and all seems genuine as my mate looked him up on facebook and he's the right guy. So the next day my mate tries ringing him but no answer, so he messages him on facebook asking for the guy to get in touch. he gets a reply saying the matter has been reported to the police and any further attempt to contact him will be harassment. My mate still hasn't heard anything from the police so assuming the guy is lying, but what's the next step he takes so he doesn't end up £800 out of pocket? He's all for going to visit the guy and get his money that way but I suggested it wasn't probably the best idea, so should he report it to the police or what?

Any help is appreciated.

[ali4390]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&a...

Not sure if I've done it right but that should show where he was driving out of.

Thanks for the replies, I'm guessing if he does go round and demand his money then he can actually get in trouble?

[ali4390]

Magic919 said:

Interesting that the cyclist was on the pavement as he was heading against the traffic on a one way street. I presume your friend emerged from the one without a gate.

I still think he'd be lucky to get all his losses, as it could have been a person on a mobility scooter, rather than a cyclist.

Yeah it was the one without the gate. And the cyclist was heading the same direction as the traffic but on the pavement, he hit my friend's car on the front passenger side.

[ali4390]

TPS said:

In that case i think your friend should have seen him.

From what I understand the cyclist was close to the wall, travelling fast and has actually hit the bumper on the front rather than the side. The hole is actually next to the foglight, and there is paint on the numberplate from his bike. My friend had hardly pulled out at all so didn't stand a chance of seeing him.

[ali4390]

zollburgers said:

I have to reverse off my drive across a pavement to get onto the road and I cannot see a thing becaus it is surrounded by a similar high wall. I reverse enough so my bumper is just sticking out on to the pavement (so someone on the pavement can see it) and then usually stop for a second before creeping very slowly out so that I hopefully avoid a situation like this.

Could your friend have avoided this incident? I know the cyclist was stupid but did your friend emerge from the blind exit with the thought that someone might be doing something stupid and so took as much care as necessary?

From what he's said he did and I'm inclined to believe him because his car is his pride and joy and he normally takes a lot of care with it. Is the general consensus he's not going to get his money back then? And is it worth popping round just once and asking in a friendly manner if the guy will pay?

[ali4390]

I've spoken to my mate again tonight and he says he was edging forward slowly and the cyclist literally came out of nowhere and straight into his car. The rider is mid 20's so definitely over 16 and from what I can gather he's a pretty honest guy, so this has got us wondering if the parents might have something to do with it, advising him not to say anything when he got home?!

[ali4390]

Jasandjules said:

Well, the first thing is "came out of no-where" equates to "I didn't look" - I assume that what your mate means is that he was continually checking when reversing......

Then, what does your mate want to do? Issue a small claim? You have the lad's name and address, which means there is nothing to stop you writing to him to advise that the repairs are X amount (ideally getting 2-3 quotes and picking the middle amount) and that you expect him to pay in full, a failure to do so will result in a claim being issue - this would not be deemed harassment.

(Who mentioned him reversing?!) He assures me he was looking but when he looked to his left all he could see was the wall, he literally couldn't see a yard down the pavement, hence why he had no chance of seeing the cyclist.

I think the idea of writing a letter like that is probably the best course to take. Thanks for all of the answers, I'll pass them onto him tomorrow and will try and keep you updated.