Anyone ever run over a pedestrian!

greentyres

Well i managed to wipe out a 13 year old schoolkid yesterday!
Was on the normal ride to work and after leaving a busy set of lights in really heavy traffic i put the gas on (basically to keep in front of the cars) and looked up to see the daft sod right in front of me. His mates had ran across the road from the other side, seen me and obviously got out of the way, he was just following without looking and BANG!! Hit him really hard, i ended up over the bars and sliding beautifully down the road in front of all the rush hour traffic (how dignified). I escaped with a sprained wrist, heavy shoulder bruising a damaged hydraulic brake lever and rear mech (plus the usual cuts and bruises) was pretty glad i was on the mountain bike as the road machine would have come off second best i feel.
Did manage to send him on his way in an ambulance though.
Thing is i would call this a "cheap" incident and was glad i didnt hit an oncoming car or anything else for that matter, just wondered has anyone else clattered a member of the public and if so could you be up in court for it?
He admitted to the police he was completely at fault as he was in the road and not looking, i however, have to find other ways to get to work as my wrist hurts so much as does the rest of me!!
Bollocks.
Even felt bad about flattening the kid as he was quite polite and not a little scrote

a1086528

hi greentyres, the exact same thing happened to me, even down to colliding with the mountain bike and not the roadie. the kid couldnt have been more than 13y.o, he ran across the main road from a side st without looking and bang. i had a split second to hit the brakes but it was too late. after we both got up, and i realised i was fine besides a few bruises/cuts, i checked if he was ok, but all he wanted to do was to get out of there as quick as possible, he was bleeding from the elbow and the knee but i guess nothing too serious. as for the mountain bike: front wheel completely bent, and the saddle ripped down the side.

MountainPro

I have run over lots of God's little creatures (all accidentally of course) but never hit a school kid yet. I dont live in the city so that may explain that.

I have run over pheasants, frogs, chickens, rabbits and had a very near miss with a fallow deer and her two young.

Ahhh, but they all died for a good cause.

greentyres

Good effort fella,
A work colleague managed to cripple a badger some time ago. Said he felt awful afterwards (not as awful as the ---sorry i'll leave it there)

padbeat

I've had a few near misses - the look of terror on their faces as you scream at them when they step out in the road in front of you is a thing of beauty.

The best ever was a near victim of mine who collared a nearby policeman to report me for dangerous cycling or driving or somesuch. She was left under no illusions that she was one further swearword away from being done for jaywalking.

I know that its small & petty, but I took great pleasure from that

tomjw

I hit a heavyweight asian housewife who stepped out from behind a bus. My head made contact with hers and it was quite painfull but she made for quite a soft landing otherwise. She dropped her shopping and tins were rolling all over the road through the rush hour traffic. She seemed unhurt, gathered it all up an scurried off. I tried to ask if she was OK but I don't think she spoke English. It was an amusing spectacle for the bus passengers.

penguinonabike

yes many a time have i run into some dozy pillock or other talking on their mobile just strolling out into the road as they get to a crossing not caring about anything as they cant see any cars...

but then living in north london can i expect any less lol

golden rule... if they walk out without looking then they are legal prey for the two wheeled assassin ninja lol

Earthdog

Does anyone know the legal position?

As someone new to London riding (at least without an engine) I'm only too familiar with the dozy pedestrians out there. I know from an incident years ago, that if you have an engine, you’re in the wrong (even if they step back into you!). Just wondered if the same holds true if you’re pedalling.

penguinonabike

well i dont know the legal position on it.. but i do know this... in the highway code it has a section for pedestrians... and if they step out on the road at a crossing and get hit they are auto in the wrong there as the signals were not in their favour... as for the other incedents... all you need is a lawyer who rides a bike they will back you to the hilt....

if in doubt ask if they have a car lol

Earthdog

Cheers, just hope I don't need to put this advice to use, but given the standard of pedestrians in London, I think it's a case of when, not if.

Don Shipp

I have been knocKed off my bike several times by (adult) pedestrians running out into the road from behind stationary vehicals. These days I try to avoid such encounters by keeping well away from the pavement if pedestrians are using it, keeping well away from parked vehicals and slowing right down if there is no room to take evasive action.
Riding like this has it's own dissadvantages but none as bad as colliding with a pedestrian, regardless of whoes fault it is.

penguinonabike

hehehhe dont worry you get used to it in the end... in london it is multicultural... especially in my part... over 180 languages spoken in my area apparently...

so we have the problem of most of them dont even understand as in their native countries it is the norm to walk in the road they dont get the concept of they may get hit.. as has happened to me with a whole family deciding to walk in the road past the parked cars... then they just swung out into the road .. even tho i was following as i could not get past them i still managed to hit one .. a little girl and i was the one who got the blast for it they all started to have a go at me.. empty pavement tho...

i think a tazer should be standard mounted to the handlebars in london lmfao

ya got to see the funny side sometimes they are so stupid...

Mr.Pink

I hit an Old Lady getting off a bus. Was cycling in London on the Fulham road and the bus was in traffic, (not at a bus stop) and she decided to just get off and did not look. I was going rather fast probably like 15mph to 20mph..
Hit her very hard, and she went flying (as did I) and hit the ground like big wet sack of bricks. I think she broke her hip. Everyone on the bus and even the old lady said it was her fault as she did not look and just stepped straight into my path..
She phoned her husband to come get her and insisted I do not wait. She was very polite to me and I felt really bad about hitting her but absolutely nothing I could have done to avoid her. She stepped into a cycle lane. End of story.

Sympathetially yours!
Mr. Pink

brainstormm666

it was a close call the other day with a school kid .i was on a bike-track and there was 4 kids so i swerved around 3 of them but 1 started to run one way then stopped (for some silly reason) in my path....i just missed him then he said sorry ...so i said ill get you next time