Crash in mandatory cycle lane - Giro Helmet Q

makospeed

Watch out for cars parked in the mandatory cycle lane at Foxrock (N11) heading south after you go through the junction. A car pulled across the hard shoulder, mounted the small kerb at the corner and parked directly on the cycle lane last week, unfortunately I did not see the car in time and crashed helmet first (well the wheel hit first) followed by my chest impacting on handlebars, the force ripped the front forks off at the stem, bloody but ok, spent the night in hospital after losing conscious in A&E(my wife states that I fainted)...made a mess of the car. Waiting to get confidence back before I get on the bike again, next week hopefully I will use my road bike. The questions is the helmet that saved my bacon was a Giro Animas 07, very comfortable, highly recommended and retailing at EUR76 the only problem was sweat buildup, not great for long cycles at the weekend, I wasnt bothered replacing it before but given that the helmet is useless now I was thinking of the new GIRO Ionos? Any thoughts

Caroline_ie

That's some crash ... i hope you get better soon. All the best.

FrankGrimes

Jesus, that sounds like a very nasty crash there Makospeed, glad you're doing ok and fair play to you for planning to get back into the saddle.

Unfortunately, there's far too many jerks out there parking on cycling lanes which makes them even more dangerous...and they're probably the same drivers that'll freak at a cyclist for not cycling on the lottery that is the Dublin cyclepath.

Are you taking any action against the driver?

Vélo

I have a Giro Ionos which has great ventilation, they're pricey but I got mine on e-bay for about €100.
Here's one I found for sale at the moment.http://cgi.ebay.ie/GIRO-IONOS-RACE-HELMET-CRYSTAL-BLUE-WHITE-MD-2008_W0QQitemZ320267254584QQihZ011QQcategoryZ58077QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

NTC

good luck when you get back on the bike.

Stark

makospeed wrote: »

Watch out for cars parked in the mandatory cycle lane at Foxrock (N11) heading south after you go through the junction. A car pulled across the hard shoulder, mounted the small kerb at the corner and parked directly on the cycle lane last week, unfortunately I did not see the car in time and crashed helmet first (well the wheel hit first) followed by my chest impacting on handlebars, the force ripped the front forks off at the stem, bloody but ok, spent the night in hospital after losing conscious in A&E(my wife states that I fainted)...made a mess of the car. Waiting to get confidence back before I get on the bike again, next week hopefully I will use my road bike. The questions is the helmet that saved my bacon was a Giro Animas 07, very comfortable, highly recommended and retailing at EUR76 the only problem was sweat buildup, not great for long cycles at the weekend, I wasnt bothered replacing it before but given that the helmet is useless now I was thinking of the new GIRO Ionos? Any thoughts

Well that's the important thing

uberwolf

My Giro gives me brain freeze on cooler days. Ventilation works just dandy on it!

makospeed

Taking no action as the driver has offered to cover cost of bike repair, Im happy to leave it at that as I dont have any long term injuries.

that price on e-mail is very attractive as there GBP114 or EUR158 on chainreaction

makospeed

maybe I do have long term injuries "e-mail", ebay!!!

Stark

I'd ask for the cost of a new bike and helmet as well as any A&E charges to be honest. Especially if he/she's offering you the money upfront to avoid going through his/her insurance.

makospeed

Dont know about that Stark some people will say I should be aware of the unexpected...though Im still trying to figure that one out....though I will ask for helmet replacement cost thanks for that

uberwolf

did he pull in in front of you?

There are circumstances where I wouldn't stiff him, a mate went through the back door of a van once because he had his head down. Not the motorists fault in that instance, even though he was stopped on a dual carriageway.

bike & costs at a minimum. You might find his insurance won't cover cost of replacing for new, which is why my solicitor advised me to go for injuries when I was run off the road.

makospeed

No she did not pull in front of me,I was sat at red lights, checked cycle lane as usual and it was clear (as its a mandatory lane I didnt expect it), lights turned green and I raced away to get up to speed (with head slightly down) and as I passed thru the junction and entered the cycle lane I fully looked up & uttered the words ""O S*it" she said herself that she had just come to a stop and then heard the thud...all this happened in seconds...to be candid thats why Im taking some responsibility...

Stark

From that description, it does sound like she pulled straight in front of you to park

ilovelamp2000

Stark wrote: »

From that description, it does sound like she pulled straight in front of you to park

I agree.

Makospeed, did that happen just after White's cross or Foxrock Church ?
I've had to dodge a number of cars along that particular stretch on the way home.

Hopefully you recover (both physically and your confidence) quickly.

blorg

makospeed- I would make very sure you are OK before settling. Whatever you do when accepting the money for the bike/helmet/A&E bill, refuse to sign anything waiving rights to claim for injury in the future, or saying that you accept the money "in complete and final settlement." In fact I would be slow to sign anything at all full stop. If the driver tries to get you to sign I would just say you are going to take it to the PIAB.

Hopefully you are fine and well done for being so decent on the driver (and it sounds like they are being decent too) but I would leave that option open just in case something crops up in the coming weeks or months; that really sounded like a serious crash. I would get a thorough medical check up in a month or so just to be sure you are all OK (charged to the driver of course.) Losing consciousness is serious.

Driving, parking or pulling onto a mandatory cycle lane is illegal in all circumstances. You are not allowed pull in onto one even for a second (to take a phone call, let someone out, whatever.) Doesn't matter if there is a cyclist there or not. Driver really wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

I'd also be concerned about the bike- was this your EPX Mako? That's a carbon fibre frame, if it was that I would be very wary of riding it again, I'd want a new bike. I wrote off a carbon frame in a very similar accident to yours, straight into the back of a car and through the rear windscreen (albeit in my case it was 100% my fault ;-)

That Mako isn't a cheap bike either, bit of a collector's item. Bear in mind with all this that the driver may not fully realise what the bike cost and they may change their mind on paying for it all if it ends up looking very expensive.

makospeed

just after foxrock church, I never cycle down all the way on the cycle lane as its too dangerous with cars turning left...

...I would never sign anything blorg but your advice is welcomed, I have a return visit to the doctor checkup next week so I should know then...

Yes it was my EPX Mako (I love the design, I have this one for 2 yrs), I have had it checked out and the frame wasnt even scratched I think because the speed was low (about 15mph) and the impact area was the wheel and fork...I checked the stem too and looks ok no visible cracks...but with carbon how can you be sure?

Howitzer

good to hear you are ok and no lasting damage. Good to post here and tell others something else unexpected to watch out for. It all helps.

Traumadoc

I did the same in Australia , went through the back window of a car, bad facial lacerations . I actually feel the helmet contributed to the accident as I was cycling with my head down , the helmet had a sun visor, so decreased field of vision by the time i looked up it was too late.

DirkVoodoo

Agree completely with Blorg, wouldnt trust a carbon frame after an accident like that due to the way carbon fails. Even a small crack and next thing you know you are looking at a critical failure. Ditch it.

Also, be careful about what you write here, I wouldn't say anything about who was liable one way or the other on an internet forum.

Lastly, hope your ok and make a full recovery, the entire cycle track around foxrock church is a total death trap. I would not really have any qualms about having all your expenses and a new bike paid for, cycle lanes are not a lay-by for cars. I had to maneuvre dangerously (for me, at slow speed, over a wet rassy verge) one day when someone had pulled over and their passenger door was wide open blocking any chance of me squeezing past. In retrospect I should have stopped and asked "Would you mind closing you f**king door".

Apologies for the last rant, reading about your accident got me quite bothered.

blorg

It's a difficult one with the carbon frame, you can't really be sure, and that is the sort of impact that has the potential to cause damage.

In my case the force of the impact bent the aluminum fork steerer back and, transmitted through to the frame, caused a slight apparent crack in the downtube. It was pretty slight, but I ditched the frame. Problem is there can be damage to the structure that could subsequently fail catastrophically even if you can't see it.

TBH the only option to be safe would be to have it professionally appraised, probably by EPX, or some composite material expert. But that isn't going to be easy or cheap either.

Danbo!

Traumadoc wrote: »

I did the same in Australia , went through the back window of a car, bad facial lacerations . I actually feel the helmet contributed to the accident as I was cycling with my head down , the helmet had a sun visor, so decreased field of vision by the time i looked up it was too late.

If you hit the back window with your head hared enough to shatter it, id say the helmet helped, and id blame the sun before the sun visor!

Anyway OP, glad to hear your alright, sounds nasty. I bought an Ionos about 3 months ago after a crash, and i find it very comfortable, except for one thing. It has a little cutout at the front inside, which is like a little funnel for draining the sweat down the middle of your forehead. Its not a problem on short spins, but can get annoying.. having said that, sweat usually isnt a problem because it is so well ventilated.

blorg

noblestee wrote: »

If you hit the back window with your head hared enough to shatter it, id say the helmet helped, and id blame the sun before the sun visor!

They shatter surprisingly easily; they are designed to break into relatively non-sharp lumps. I went through a back window helmet-less and had nothing but cuts and bruises. Wrote off the bike though.

cantalach

makospeed wrote: »

Taking no action as the driver has offered to cover cost of bike repair, Im happy to leave it at that as I dont have any long term injuries.

Watch out...they're always very quick to offer to pay for the repairs because most non-cyclists haven't a clue just how much frames, wheels and components can cost. Once they hear that your repairs are running to €2,000 they can change their tune very rapidly, and paying for some legal advice doesn't seem so expensive any more.

Mucco

makospeed wrote: »

the force ripped the front forks off at the stem, bloody but ok,

Good to hear you're OK.

Any impact that has enough force to rip off the forks would probably damage the frame, or at least make me think the frame was damaged, so I wouldn't have any confidence in it after that. Best to claim for a new bike.

M

Traumadoc

noblestee wrote: »

If you hit the back window with your head hared enough to shatter it, id say the helmet helped, and id blame the sun before the sun visor!

Anyway OP, glad to hear your alright, sounds nasty. I bought an Ionos about 3 months ago after a crash, and i find it very comfortable, except for one thing. It has a little cutout at the front inside, which is like a little funnel for draining the sweat down the middle of your forehead. Its not a problem on short spins, but can get annoying.. having said that, sweat usually isnt a problem because it is so well ventilated.

Never hit a stationary vehicle before, I think you are more likely to crash if you wear a helmet.

p15574

Just make sure you DON'T have any long term injuries. A car hit me nearly 3 years ago and I thought the same, but injuries developed several weeks later (neck/back/shoulder). I'm in pain pretty much 24/7/365 now. I'd also try and get some evidence of his admission, e.g. keep an email, or record a phone conversation, if he agrees. If it suddenly gets legal, maybe he might deny even ever having been there.

Chris Peak

p15574 wrote: »

Just make sure you DON'T have any long term injuries. A car hit me nearly 3 years ago and I thought the same, but injuries developed several weeks later (neck/back/shoulder). I'm in pain pretty much 24/7/365 now. I'd also try and get some evidence of his admission, e.g. keep an email, or record a phone conversation, if he agrees. If it suddenly gets legal, maybe he might deny even ever having been there.

You don't need anybody’s permission to record your own telephone conversation. You can’t rely on the other party’s politeness in legal proceedings.

Sorry to hear about your crash, it sounds awful.