Money Moral Dilemma: Should I claim compensation from the woman whose dog knocked me off my bicycle?

MarkHintNorth

mlz1413 said:

Whilst I feel sorry for the person who came off his bike, i would like to know if they would he also sue a lady for letting a child run into the road and causing the same injuries?

We don't know the full details,  was the lady negligent or did the lead fail?
Was she pulled over too?
Was there a cat or squirrel involved?
Was there a loud noise, firework or horn blaring,  that shocked everyone?
Did another pedestrian make the dog step off the path? Etc etc


I am assuming the lady must have stopped and made sure the cyclist was helped and voluntarily gave her details, so maybe have a conversation with her about insurance cover.

I wonder if she will wish she hadn't stopped?!

In fairness, being in control (or not) of a dog is very different to being responsible for the wellbeing and care of a child.  But at the end of the day, a dog hasn't got enough intelligence to not run into the road, so the onus is 100% on the owner/walker to control it properly, with an appropriate lead and closeness to themself.

Gemmie57

It appears the lady was negligent.  Many people have home contents insurance which has a personal liability section which would cover the policyholder and household for negligence claims against them.  Pet insurance usually covers this as well - it's worth pursuing this.

HOv3

Sue the dog owner; she was negligent in not controlling the dog. It's plain and simple. People are liable for their negligent behaviour.

You've suffered serious injury, loss of work and damage to your property. That should all be covered by her. If she has public liability insurance through (for example home or pet insurance) her insurance company will probably fork out, not her.

Note that if you're a member of Cycling UK or a similar cycling organisation they may provide you with legal cover to pursue an action against the dog's owner. 

bikaga

Yes, you should. Owners need to realise that dogs have the potential to cause traffic accidents if not kept under control. 

Jason9091

I hope you make a full recovery and return completely to normal.

I had a friend who was knocked off his bike, and while it didn't seem serious at the time, he was never fully the same since. He experienced all kinds of health problems in the long term. For that reason, I would claim compensation if it happened to me.

[Deleted User]

Mr_Sworld said:

ripongrammargirl said:

However, this is also a major reason why cyclists should be made to buy road tax and insurance. They use the roads (and have special lanes just for them) but still abuse the laws/ rules of the road (running red lights, ploughing into pedestrians on crossings  etc which have clips all over the internet). If this cyclist had had insurance then it would have paid out for the bike and possibly personal injury and possessions. 

All road users should be taxed and insured with registration plates so they can be fined etc for breaking the law. 

And there is always one. Let's break this down.

1. Cyclists should be made to buy road tax and insurance.

At the moment Electric Cars don't pay this so why should a bike? They will next year though but a biclyle really dosn't damage the tarmac.
 
And how do you check for insurance? Have a plate on the front and back of the bike? Do parents now have to pay bike insurance for little Jimmy or Jenny for their first ever bike with training wheels?

2. They use the roads (and have special lanes just for them).

We do use the roads as generally we have little other choice. So when we have 'lanes' to keep us away from 1 or 2 tonne metal boxes you still want to moan that we aren't using the road? Bit of a oxymoron.

3. But still abuse the laws/ rules of the road (running red lights, ploughing into pedestrians on crossings  etc which have clips all over the internet).

About 400 pedestrians are killed each year by collisions on average, 2.5 are killed by cyclists.Put it another way: more than 99% of pedestrian collision deaths in this country involve a motorised vehicle. Sorry to put a downer on those FaceBook, TikTok or Twater ('X') clips the algorithm shows you or what the Daily Heil or Torygraph says.

Sorry Luv, but your statement doesn't hold water.

As someone who was been knocked down by a cyclist who jumped a red light at a crossing there should be a id plate on bicycles so that they can be held to account in the same way drivers are - in my case the cyclist was a off duty police officer.  But this is a moral question for another day.

CMcC

ripongrammargirl said:

Yes, there is a claim to be made here as the dog was out of control on a long lead by a road. Short leads for roads, long lead for parks or big spaces.
However, this is also a major reason why cyclists should be made to buy road tax and insurance. They use the roads (and have special lanes just for them) but still abuse the laws/ rules of the road (running red lights, ploughing into pedestrians on crossings  etc which have clips all over the internet). If this cyclist had had insurance then it would have paid out for the bike and possibly personal injury and possessions. 

All road users should be taxed and insured with registration plates so they can be fined etc for breaking the law. 

But back to original question, yes this is definitely a legitimate claim as the dog was out of control in a public area. Even the best of owners can have a mishap if something out of the ordinary occurs and this is when pet insurance with public liability is essential.

Hope you are feeling better. 

Please, not the "road tax and number plates on bikes" call again! Firstly, road tax ended in 1935: I pay lots of other general taxes, income tax, VAT, council tax... like most people; and that pays for roads as part of national and local government spending. "Car tax" is VED which is a pollution charge based on engine and size. As for number plates... on ALL bikes? For children too? So a huge bureaucracy of registration is set up. Many cyclists have insurance (often mainly due to all the thefts) or belong to a cycling association that gives insurance (and legal cover... which the cyclist in this case could then use, if they were a member of, eg, Cycling UK). That also covers them IF they are at fault (unlike this case, which is clear.)

but_seriously

Yes. Claim. The lady is clearly liable. 

Something similar happened to me. A small boy ran into the path of my bike without looking. We collided and fell into the road. The boy was OK, got up and ran off. If  I'd been driving my car he might have been severely injured or worse, so I hope someone else gave him the warning I couldn't.

Fortunately neither of us was as badly hurt as you evidently were.

Membership of CYCLE UK (about £50p/a) provides dedicated help and legal advice in cases such as this. 

This is NOT "a major reason why cyclists should be made to buy road tax and insurance."

There is no such thing as "road tax". There is VED. It is levied according to engine size and emissions. The vast majority of cyclists are also motorists, and so already pay it on their cars. Cycles have no emissions, so cyclists would pay zero VED in any case. 

Road upkeep is largely paid for out of council taxes, which most cyclists already pay. 

Insurance that includes public liability is also already paid by the great majority of cyclists as part of their home insurance.

There are good and bad road users on any number of wheels. Yes there are social media clips of cyclists running red lights, just as there are whole TV shows about irresponsible drivers.

This issue here is of responsibility. It's absolutely clearcut. The lady allowed her dog to cause you injury. You were not responsible for what happened. You have a right to reasonable recompense. 

Androids

Make a claim. The incident was caused by a dog which was not under sufficient control. Dog owners are responsible for their animals.

EmsLee

You should definitely receive compensation for the pain , suffering and trauma that you clearly have experienced. I expect you’ve had to rely on family or friends to help you whilst being incapacitated and convalescing.The dog owner  or walker should take full responsibility for ensuring her dog is under control for its wellbeing and the safety of others. All pet owners should have insurance in case of illness or accidents to their animals or caused by them. You need medical reports as to the long term prognosis of your injury and whether you will have full use / mobility, if you do choose to seek compensation. Hope you’ll soon be better.