Well, the police were just going to slap his wrist.<br /><br />I wrote to them, telling them that I had sustained a broken kneecap and that his driving was blatantly careless. They wrote back saying that they had changed their minds because of my injury, and charged him with Careless Driving.<br /><br />That's pretty shitty I think. Regardless of whether I had broken any bones, his driving was still careless.<br /><br />Anyway, the fecker has the audacity to waste taxpayer's money and court time pleading not guitly!!!! He came out of a side road on the OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD TO ME, crossed the entire road and hit me square on the side.<br /><br />The centre of his front bumper hit my right shin. How was that careful driving?<br /><br />I have legal cover with the British Cycling Federation, and the lawyers chased the insurance company and I got 60% of the cost of a new bike, and travel and physio expenses.<br /><br />I am waiting for a final medical verdict before we decide on an injury compensation claim.<br /><br />I know that without the BCF's lawyers I would have got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Insurance companies will just brush off a cyclist who attempts to claim from them. If you don't have legal help, you won't get anything out of them. They have NO ethics.<br /><br />The Careless Driving case goes to court on the 30th. I am a witness, and there are 3 other witnesses who were driving down the road behind me. It must have looked spectacular because I really flew and spun!<br /><br />I was lucky. My patella was not separated, and it didn't need wiring. I am riding well again, but I have pain when I step up and down on my right leg. I think I'll have to live with it for the rest of my life.<br /><br />This chap: http://www.hullthursdayrc.co.uk/newsandresults/latestnews/damianupdate2.htm wasn't so lucky. Check those X rays... brrrr! Horrible!<br /><br />His attackers just drove off. He has had no compensation at all. We have the Uninsured Motorists Bureau (I think that's what it's called) here which is run by the insurance companies to pay out when the perpetrator does not have insurance. They don't want to know. I think he will be in pain for life.