You will not believe this!

[davidj]

Hi,


Driving home Friday night in my newly restored +2 , and experienced a misfire pulling. Pulled over as far as I could off the road, which is very straight, put on my hazard warning lights and had a quick look under the bonnet to check if the ignition wires were loose. Got back into the car, and was about to ring the RAC, when there was a large bang and a cyclist head appeared on the passengers seat!

He had cycled 100 yards without looking where he was going, hit my car and had gone straight through the roof, fibreglass, headlining and rear screen. You can see from the second photo the clear view the cyclist had as he approached me. Anyone recommend a company to repair the damage in West Yorks, UK not a normal metal basher. I don't know how I stand on insurance either so so any advice would be welcome. The police did attend and took statements.

I am, to put mildly, rather annoyed!

Cheers,

David

[Jason1]

Has he got insurance??

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Bloomin' Lycra clad vvankers.
I hate 'em, morons the lot of 'em, even though I spend many hours a Week on a Bike myself.
I'm even more careful on my Bike than I am in the Elan.
I hope they take his driving licence away from him for a while.
Did you manage to ask him about any form of insurance?

Best of luck with the repairs & compensation.
John

[Elanintheforest]

What a great shame, David. I guess that he just had his head down and following the white line. Could have been worse and just had his head on the passenger seat!

I wouldn't worry about getting the car repaired locally. If it has to go on a trailer, then travelling 5 miles or 150 miles doesn't make any difference. I would insist with your insurance that it has to be repaired by a fibreglass specialist, someone like Option 1 in Bromsgrove. If it's not repaired properly, you'll get all sorts of problems coming out of the paintwork over the following few months.

Do you have the car on an agreed value, and do you think that's sufficient to cover the cost of the damage? It could be pretty expensive.

Mark

[theelanman]

he doesnt look capable of powering a bicycle.....
he certainly cant steer one.....
Id be heading for the 'claim/blame'....unless hes got insurance...which I doubt as I dont recall cyclists ever having needed to have it (not compulsory I mean).......
Id be gutted and very angry and be looking to get every penny out of him.....
teach the prat a lesson.......get a cab and lycras not a good look

[alaric]

Bad luck David. His head must have hurt - wearing a helmet I take it. He was lucky it was an elan that broke his fall. I presume you will have to sue him but shouldn't that be up to your insurance company assuming you have fully comp? What's the damage like - did his bike stop at the bumper and he fly up over the top of the car and down through the roof. If so most of the momentum was still moving forward and not absorbed by the bumper and fibreglass of the boot. So re-finishing the boot lid, rear of the boot and bumper fixings, fixing the roof, then an all over respray. Yup, not cheap.

Warning triangles are supposed to slow down traffic aren't they, not to warn cyclists, so you shouldn't take any flack for that.

All the best.

Sean.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Something has just occurred to me.
That looks like a twin lane dual carriageway i.e. a fast road, what's a Cyclist doing on a road like that; is it permitted in GB?

John

[rennbaron]

...

gratefully the cyclist was wearing a helmet, I lost a friend on a bike accident last week,
tomorrow we will bury him...

sorry, but the car looks repairable to me...

sure the cyclist is an a**hole driving on a two lane road and not on a bike lane

[richardcox_lotus]

If it's an A road then yes, he will be allowed on. Candidate for the Darwin awards though

[paddy]

That looks like a twin lane dual carriageway i.e. a fast road, what's a Cyclist doing on a road like that; is it permitted in GB?

Yes, all roads except Motorways.

I have a bit of sympathy with him - I did exactly the same thing myself once, only I ended up on the roof of the car, not inside it.

Paddy

[elanfan1]

It might be that the cyclist has third party cover provided by his household insurance. Failing that is he a member of a cycling club (he looks as though he is kitted up such that he might be?) through which he might also have third party cover.

If he has it's worth pursueing as if your insurers can recover all their costs this will go down as a no blame accident and should not affect future terms. You should not lose any NCB as normally classic insurance doesn't include it. I would doubt your insurer would be willing to make a personal claim against an uninsured individual so only expect a recovery if he is insured - I take it you have all his details.

Did Police/Ambulance attend - were statements taken?

Bad luck - hope it gets sorted soon.

[davidj]

Hi,

Yes, one for the Darwin awards! Sean summed up the damage; just when he came through the roof he took out the headlining as well and because the roof flexed, stress cracks can be seen around the air vents. As many of you have pointed out, it is all the hidden gel coat cracks which concern me, which is why it is so important it is repaired correctly. The rear bumper must have taken the load but it looks OK. Unfortunately I don't know what is underneath; he hit the car so hard, he broke his bike frame.

Yes, it was on an A road and statements were taken. I spoke to the guy tonight and he said his household insurance will cover the repair and he is expecting a bill of 3K+ Has anyone else used Option 1 or recommend anyone else? I understand the issue of transporting the car, but somewhere in Yorkshire would be a bit more handy.

Cheers,

David

[Galwaylotus]

Fibreglass Services for the repairs. Miles wrote the book on fibreglass (literally)!

[trw99]

Option 1 or SMS will be best for you, it is even more of a hike down to Miles' in Arundel. I do hope that you can get it sorted out and soon, it is a terrible accident to happen so soon after your restoration.

I ride a road bike a lot to maintain a level of fitness. I do it in Lycra because proper cycling clothing is designed to keep the rider comfortable and is nothing to do with poncing about trying to look cool. I run three taxed modern cars, pay my insurance and council tax. I tend to ride on my own, on country lanes early in the morning. I also obey the Highway Code and make sure I am visible, especially during the winter in rain and fog. A key element to my safety is being aware - rather like driving really!

I quite understand drivers frustration at the idiot riders who never indicate, ride three abreast and are generally rude and unlawful. I would hope they are in a minority!

Of course, there are plenty of dozy drivers around and some of them have been known to crash into the back of stationary cars, so I guess what I'm saying is, yes, I can believe this!

Tim

[alexblack13]

For me it would be Option 1. I have never ever seen work like it. Just fantastic

But to each their own.

Bad luck David. Just awful. Hope you get it fixed soon and the costs go to the correct source.

Alex...