2016-12-08 - Rider Down, Stamford Street SE1 9NH 20:14, Velocio

David - hope things are improving
Brought back memories of my smash where I ended up in Lewisham A&E and I remember the enthusiasm the ambulance crew had right through to the pre-op anaesthetist for "a nice cocktail of drugs".
And that fear that my phone would die before I could contact someone outside to get me out asap.
(had to convince them that there was someone at home to care/observe for at least 24 hours afterwards) - there wasn't
I had a lot of help and support from from here - (https://www.lfgss.com) ...:)

HealTFU and stay strong

A friend of mine is a bus driver who uses the depot by The Cut; has anyone asked for CCTV from them? Unlikely the car driver would have gone past, but it's possible.

If you want bus CCTV act fast; it's not stored for long. You need to know which bus was nearby at the time I imagine.

My brother was targeted by a hit and run back in January. He is certain it was because a) he is a cyclist, and b) of the floro colours he was wearing and the number of lights on his bike. Stupid really, you do this sort of thing for safety, then people do it to "give us a lesson".

I've had this thought too. But it doesn't feel right, and isn't charitable of me to think it.

Worse than the actual impact is what happened next. The whole fleeing the scene thing is cowardly and so extremely reckless.

It's the Go-Ahead depot on Cornwall rd Road. I know some of the staff there through a driver training programme. They're very pro cycling. The may help if I had a specific detailed request

I've only just seen this--can't say anything that hasn't already been said, terrible incident, heal up soon! What I haven't seen is whether the police attended the scene, it sounds as if they didn't as you were expecting them to turn up in hospital?

For getting it investigated--and I can well imagine that you've already thought about all of this--, I suspect your injuries would be classed as 'slight' in the system, but as the police are essentially only able to pursue KSI/Killed or Seriously Injured cases (and even for that they have too little staff), the key angle here is that the driver appears to have done this deliberately, and you were of course fortunate not to have been much more seriously injured. If it can be shown that this was assault with a motor vehicle (and I have no idea if this is realistically achievable from CCTV footage), it's much more likely to be followed up.

Also, it's lovely that people here want to gather CCTV footage, but it's really the police's job to pursue CCTV. A lot of places won't release CCTV recordings unless the police are requesting them, and I think there may even be issues with such footage that hasn't been collected by police (not sure about that, though).

As has been said on numerous other 'Rider Down' threads, if you want to pursue it, lawyer up. @ojeffcott and his colleagues will be able to assist much more ably than any others of us.

Best of luck with it all.

I still think a threat of shaming the powers that be into action via this forum, would have desirable results.....I personally am fully aware of the power of social media, when used in conjunction with local authorities......I can't say it any less cryptically, as I get paranoid myself, where the Internet is concerned!

Sorry to read this.

I've just bought the low profile helmet mount for the session. Would save you the hassle of different mounts for different bikes if you can get over the aesthetics?

Anyway, heal quick.

Get a snippet of CCTV and road.cc would be all over it like the cycling daily mail that they are... That would be pretty effective too

Only just seen this. So sorry to hear this, hope you make a speedy recovery. I also hope the fucker that did it gets their deserts.

:D

Get well soon David.

Keep doing what you're doing re: healing. Onto a winner. Could have been much worse.

Hope the serotta is ok.

I think you could consider getting insurers involved as they may have necessary powers to search for CCTV evidence (request from Police)

Sorry to hear this, get well soon!

Only just seen this but get well soon boss x

Sorry about the injuries David - just PM'ed you.

In case it's not widely known, a portion of all motor insurance policies pay into a fund to cover people injured by hit and run / uninsured drivers, so you can still get some redress.

If it can be shown that this was assault with a motor vehicle (and I have no idea if this is realistically achievable from CCTV footage), it's much more likely to be followed up.

There are no cameras directed at the spot where the accident occurred to the best of our knowledge. None could be seen, multiple people have looked.

On the intentional nature... it felt that way, was so unbelievable that it could be anything else, but as of today I am wondering if it could be something else. i.e. drink driving. Drink driving would certainly be indistinguishable from intent from my perspective, it would still be a car, on a straight road, colliding with me when we're going in a straight line and have space.

Regardless of cause, and I even considered SMIDSY though I don't believe that either... the driver must have heard the impact, and fled the scene.

Whatever the argument is for how it happened, the driver still fled.

Regardless of cause, and I even considered SMIDSY though I don't believe that either... the driver must have heard the impact, and fled the scene.

As you suggest this may still have been SMIDSY due to drink/phone or other distractions. S/h may not have seen you before they hit you

I am sure that youre right about the fact that he hear and or saw you down after.

Some good news.

I'm healing. Pretty damn fast.

1. Nearly all bruises have visibly gone except the ones under the road rash on my lower right leg.
   
2. Most of the light road rash and grazes (on the hips, thigh and arm) have already scabbed up and are healing.
   
3. The larger road rash is doing it's best to try and scab, but some bits are weeping occasionally. It's getting there.
   
4. The horrible knee remains bloody and full of puss, but I can walk without too much pain, and no longer want to vomit when I change the dressing. It looks less angry than it did and now it's a lot cleaner it looks smaller than it did (the worst area can just about be covered by a 6cm x 10cm dressing).
   
5. Most aches are gone.
   
   

Yesterday I was exhausted and slept most of the day. Today I'm feeling back to normal and at work.

A forum member has identified a possible car that matches my description, and I've gone and had a look at it.

Things I definitely know about the car:

• Small hatchback, 5-7 years old, has the older aerodynamics and smaller size of that time (more horizontal bonnet, more of an angle between bonnet and window)
  
• Dark coloured, either black or dark blue
  
• The wing mirror is more squarish than rounded, I recall the wing mirror vividly because of the way the car moved in fractions of a second before I got hit by the car
  
• I was hit by the rear passenger side of the car, and the levers were bent in, I believe there should be scratches or damage at that point from the bike.
  
  

Thing someone else said:

• A black hatchback was spotted at the same time outside the White Hart on Cornwall Road (which is where the hatchback that hit me turned).
  
  

Thing someone else said:

• A resident of the area who heard about this incident thought my earlier description of the car matched one in the area... and lo and behold, walking to the shops Saturday morning he spots the car, and it has a fresh dent exactly where I described the impact point should be.
  
  

This morning I went to the car:

• I measured the height of the dent on the rear passenger side panel... and yes, it's the exact height for the handlebar impact point on the Serotta.
  
• The wing mirror is definitely the same make and model of the one that I recall
  
• The car itself is a 3-door Vauxhall Astra with a 2009 registration, in black. Which hits the description I have of it and even the age estimation.
  
  

I have a TODO list:

1. Visit Southwark Police Station tomorrow to ensure an entry is made in the CRB (Collision Record Book) and to re-file the report giving the information on the car.
   
2. Get the Serotta into Cyclefit for a full inspection and service (depending on the inspection).
   
   

I've also been connected with Sgt Simon Castle of the Met who is involved in the Cycle Safety Team and may be able to help advise how to navigate the system, what needs to be done, etc.

Additionally, insurance. I've yet to determine whether it's worth doing anything because I don't yet know what the eventual cost will be or what can be imagined.

I have now visually inspected the bike and the carbon handlebars I'm going to replace out of caution at the very least, the levers are scratched up but should be fine (taking them apart will reveal if there's damage or if they are fine, they visually look fine).

The frame and fork has a few scratches to the paint and I cannot tell if there is structural damage just by looking at the paint. The wheels both appear OK but they're also carbon and require a check. First glance, could be OK... only way to know is to get Cyclefit to strip it down and take a proper look at it.

The best case for the bike: Carbon handlebars and bar tape = £500
The worst case for the bike: Frame and forks, front wheel, bars, levers = new bike, the Serotta was just shy of £10k.

I won't know that stuff until Cyclefit can get their mits on it though, and pre-Christmas they are inevitably busy.

Fantastic update.
Would be pretty handy if there were any forensic crime scene analysts on the forum about now able to offer support for your findings. Eagerly awaiting further updates.

Good old-fashioned detective work, nicely done. Plenty of options now.

Awesome news. Hopefully you got some photos of the dents, just in case

That's bloody amazing tracking down the vehicle. I'm assuming you planted a Breaking Bad -esque tracker on it.

It should be borne in mind that without CCTV to corroborate, it can't be proven that is the car in question. But I shall let the police know anyway as this gives them a basis to pull CCTV.

Yup, two sets of photos, the guy who made the discovery and then my own photos this morning.

Witnesses would be a tremendous help at this stage.