Hit and run by a cyclist! What can we do?

nandbytes

nandbytes

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I wasn't really sure where to ask for opinions, so this place seemed as good a place as any
...

So my brother was in an accident this morning and I wanted to access where we stand legally or otherwise.

Being an irresponsible 15 year school kid he jumped on the road when the signals were green to quickly catch his school bus on the other side of the road. He quickly scanned for cars but didn't care to look for cyclists. So as soon as he jumped on the road a cyclist who was traveling at some speed ran into him. They both fell.

Only my brother broke both the bones in his leg (on the side of impact) and the bones were dislodged too. this kinda tells me the cyclist must have been traveling rather fast. The cyclist on the other hand simply got back on his bike and rode off.

While I fully appreciate that my brother was initially at fault here, in my opinion it is really bad form to run away when the child you knocked down is literally crying his heart out in pain irrespective of who was at fault.

I have previously been involved in two hit and run cases myself (by cars in my case). I even knew where one of them lived but I never reported them since I was not seriously injured. But it's happened to someone I deeply care about and I am rather disgruntled by the way the guy irresponsibly ran off.

The police and ambulance did arrive but the cyclist was long gone.

Should I bother going to the police or is it not worth it since it was a cyclist.
 
nandbytes said:
Should I bother going to the police or is it not worth it since it was a cyclist.
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I'm not sure if its law or about to be law, but there was a discussion on the radio recently and among other things, that hit and run by a cyclist.
is deemed as serious as hit and run by a vehicle, as there has been a few deaths by cyclists over recent times.

But of course it may be a tricky one as he stepped into the road and didn't hear the cyclist coming ...
Which of course is a whole new subject ;)
 
Moralyany collision should be treated the same regardless of what vehicles and/or pedestriants were involved. The cyclist should have stopped to ensure everyone was okay etc. Unfortunately the Road Traffic Act code says that cyclists (and pedestrians) aren't required to stop.

Bear in mind that at 15 the 'kid' you refer to may well have been as big as, if not bigger, than the cyclist. The cyclist may well have left because they were concerned for their own safety in case the 'big teenage thug' went looking for revenge. Given the injury and the crying this may not be plausable, but the decision may have already been made.

Personally I would report it to the police. They may bother to look into it, or maybe even put an officer there over the next few days to ask any cyclists going past if they've seen anything.
 
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I have just talked to my other brother (they are twins) and he had basically almost crossed the road and got hit just before the footpath.
He was lying on the road for a good 20-30minutes with road closed off etc with plenty of witnesses.
Basically the cyclist who was a middle aged man should have stopped in my opinion. He did look back for a moment before he rode off. It would have been obvious that he was in no condition get back up for revenge. My brother was in such a condition that he could not physically move or be moved off the road until the ambulance did so safely.
 
I agree that the cyclist should have stopped, if for no other reason than simple humnan decency, but at the same time I'd suggest your brother was largely responsible for his accident. I hope the lad recovers quickly and fully.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I agree that the cyclist should have stopped, if for no other reason than simple humnan decency, but at the same time I'd suggest your brother was largely responsible for his accident. I hope the lad recovers quickly and fully.
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Yeah I agree he should have been more careful. I am not pretending otherwise. But just a little annoyed that someone would just leave a school kid in such a state.
Just wondering if I should go to the police with this matter or not. I don't want anything from the guy, I just want him to be made aware of his behaviour even if it's just a slap on the wrist.
 
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I imagine the police will have a record of the incident since they were at the scene and took my brother's and parents details
 
nandbytes said:
I have just talked to my other brother (they are twins) and he had basically almost crossed the road and got hit just before the footpath.
He was lying on the road for a good 20-30minutes with road closed off etc with plenty of witnesses.
Basically the cyclist who was a middle aged man should have stopped in my opinion. He did look back for a moment before he rode off. It would have been obvious that he was in no condition get back up for revenge. My brother was in such a condition that he could not physically move or be moved off the road until the ambulance did so safely.
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This might change things - the cyclist was on the far side? your brother didn't just suddenly step off of the curb on the same side giving the cyclist no time to react? This suggests the cyclist wasn't fully aware of his surroundings, might be something you can use if there is a case. I cycle daily myself, and I know I would have seen someone running form the far side well in time, and I cycle pretty fast too. The only accident I've ever had on the bike was just my own clumsiness, went for a trip over the handlebars a couple of times because a jacket or bag got wedged in the front spokes. Just looked like a tit rather than getting badly hurt, few scrapes nothing more. But I know at full tilt, if I hit someone, it could be a right mess. The cyclist should have stopped, bar he was on his way to some emergency. I would have, I'd have come back to make sure the chap was ok, and probably waited for the ambulance to arrive. Even if I felt I was in the wrong, no point running, there was witnesses, he could be identified easily if local
 
Where did it happen? Any footage anywhere of it ?
 
nandbytes said:
I did read that article but the difference is the cyclist the article was driving a motorized e-bike which is treated like any other vehicle like motor bikes as suppose to a bicycle in our case
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I assume you mean an electrically assisted pedal cycle ?

In which case they are classed as a bicycle under uk law and the same as in the report

Rules in England, Scotland and Wales
You can ride an electric bike in England, Scotland and Wales if you’re 14 or over, as long as it meets certain requirements.

These electric bikes are known as ‘electrically assisted pedal cycles’ (EAPCs). You do not need a licence to ride one and it does not need to be registered, taxed or insured.
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Report it, look for cameras in the vicinity. Maybe even sit at the roadside for a few days around the time of the bump in case he was a commuter. Someone will know something. Hope your brother is ok. If this chap was a decent fellow but was scared, he could easily have reported it himself within 24 hours. Poor form really.
 
If I was the cyclist I would have stopped to make sure someone had called an ambulance. If I, or my bike, was damaged, I might consider taking details for further action.

That's it.

I agree, he was a dick for not stopping
 
Cagey75 said:
This might change things - the cyclist was on the far side? your brother didn't just suddenly step off of the curb on the same side giving the cyclist no time to react? This suggests the cyclist wasn't fully aware of his surroundings, might be something you can use if there is a case. I cycle daily myself, and I know I would have seen someone running form the far side well in time, and I cycle pretty fast too. The only accident I've ever had on the bike was just my own clumsiness, went for a trip over the handlebars a couple of times because a jacket or bag got wedged in the front spokes. Just looked like a tit rather than getting badly hurt, few scrapes nothing more. But I know at full tilt, if I hit someone, it could be a right mess. The cyclist should have stopped, bar he was on his way to some emergency. I would have, I'd have come back to make sure the chap was ok, and probably waited for the ambulance to arrive. Even if I felt I was in the wrong, no point running, there was witnesses, he could be identified easily if local
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Yes on the far side. May he had enough time to react or may be he didn't (that's simply subjective I think).
My other brother who did cross safely at the same time says they did their due diligence but the cyclist appeared out of no where (which makes no sense in my opinion). That just tells me they didn't check properly.

I am not trying to build a case against the guy for crashing into my brother. I am happy to accept that my brother may have well been at fault. But running away leaving lying a kid on the road in full on pain is just plain wrong! that's what i have problem with.

Mark twiglet said:
Where did it happen? Any footage anywhere of it ?
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gremlin16 said:
Report it, look for cameras in the vicinity. Maybe even sit at the roadside for a few days around the time of the bump in case he was a commuter. Someone will know something. Hope your brother is ok. If this chap was a decent fellow but was scared, he could easily have reported it himself within 24 hours. Poor form really.
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Happened right in front of a London tube station which also has a massive bus stop. There are at least 4-5 busses pulling in an out at any give time. Its a very crowded central place. So makes me wonder what that guy was doing riding at that speed in the first place in such an area!
I am sure the area is well covered with CCTV given it was so central.

simon ess said:
If I was the cyclist I would have stopped to make sure someone had called an ambulance. If I, or my bike, was damaged, I might consider taking details for further action.

That's it.

I agree, he was a dick for not stopping
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exactly my point. Running away is very bad :-/
 
Probably a cycle courier
 
neil_g said:
Speculating a little. A few good cranks on the right cog would get a fit cyclist up to a good pace.
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No speculating, there are laws on the wattage before it has to be registered,taxed,insured etc.
You mentioned wattage, not speed
 
neil_g said:
Speculating a little. A few good cranks on the right cog would get a fit cyclist up to a good pace.
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I'm not the fittest and even on my cheapo MTB I can rack up speed pretty quick

Gremlin is referring to another case though I think, not the OP's
 
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By all means go to the police. I am sure that you will find them sympathetic and as helpful as circumstances permit. They will certainly indicate what happens next.
It may turnout that the cyclist is a daily user of the road at that time which will help trace him.
Only surefire way of failing is not to try, so give it your best shot.
I have always found that a calm and reasoned approach to the police pays the best dividend.

To knock a child down then hoof it is the hallmark of a class 1 rotter.
 
You could report it but then what? Apart from middle aged is there anything else like type of bike etc... Even so, its very hard to pin this on someone as there seems to be no evidence. Police wont look for the man I would have thought.

He could easily do the same route on a regular basis (sounds like he could be on way to work) so as someone said, could be worth looking but how will you know if its the right person, could be lots of middle aged cyclist.

I don't see that he should have reacted any differently, people cross the road in front of bikes and cars (I know I do) but stop before the vehicle passes (i.e. I look right, no cars, look left car coming, walk to middle of road, stop, car passes, I carry on).

Regardless of whether a school kid, old person or a 30yo, he should have stopped.
 
neil_g said:
Speculating the cyclist involved in the op was motor assisted. Unless we're at crossed wires (no pun) .
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Yeah I think I have oops
 
nandbytes said:
Being an irresponsible 15 year school kid he jumped on the road when the signals were green to quickly catch his school bus on the other side of the road. He quickly scanned for cars but didn't care to look for cyclists. So as soon as he jumped on the road a cyclist who was traveling at some speed ran into him. They both fell.
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I have ignored everything else which has been said because you have significantly changed your story in later posts.
Your brother clearly caused the accident, it was no fault of the cyclist.
The cyclist should have stayed at the scene, but who knows what was going through his mind, given the anti cycling feelings of a large number of folks in the UK.
Oh yes, it doesn't matter what speed the cyclist was travelling at, because he was certainly travelling at less than 30MPH unless he was Mark Cavendish or Bradley Wiggins.
 
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I f*****g hate cyclists , what a arrogant bunch of cretins most of them are , they seem to think that no laws or even as in this case basic human dignity apply to them .
 
I think your brother Is lucky to get away with a few broken bones and you should be more interested in educating him with road sense than looking to hound the cyclist.
 
the black fox said:
I f*****g hate cyclists , what a arrogant bunch of cretins most of them are , they seem to think that no laws or even as in this case basic human dignity apply to them .
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I feel ( as a cyclist) the same with people who own caravans.
 
Before I reply to people's comments I want to make the story clear since it has changed slightly over the conversation here (not significantly IMO), mainly because I updated it as I found out bits myself. I finally got a chance to talk face to face with my other brother who gave the full account, so here's what happened:

They (my brothers who are twins) were waiting at the crossing and they saw their bus on the other side of the road. They continued to wait since the road wasn't clear.
As soon as the road seemed clear another person quickly jumped on to the road to cross. One of my brothers decided to follow his lead only he wasn't as lucky as the other person and got hit few steps into the road by a speeding cyclist.
The people there and my other brother couldn't move him as far as the footpath so laid him down on the road and people managed to form a barricade to protect him from the traffic.
We are very thankful to the kind people who helped so much. Even the school kids who were around saw that my brother was getting cold on the ground and gave up their blazers to keep him warm which indeed very very kind of them. For all the stick Londoners get for attitude I'd say people were really very kind and helpful to them.
Anyway the cyclist himself also fell. He got back up, simply checked his bike, quickly looked back, jumped back on his bike and rode away.

Someone on the scene called the police and the ambulance. Police arrived shortly since the station is like 2 minutes walk from the incident and ambulance arrived not too long after (bearing in my London commute time traffic).
The police did record what had happened, took details of my family and left a reference number with my other brother (not sure what the number is for but we have it anyway!).

My brother was taken to the hospital, had surgery on his leg to insert rods and will hopeful recover in a couple months or so. I saw him last night and he was still under the effect of the anaesthetic and morphine so couldn't talk much (not that I'd discuss this with him at this point anyway).
 
cambsno said:
You could report it but then what? Apart from middle aged is there anything else like type of bike etc... Even so, its very hard to pin this on someone as there seems to be no evidence. Police wont look for the man I would have thought.

He could easily do the same route on a regular basis (sounds like he could be on way to work) so as someone said, could be worth looking but how will you know if its the right person, could be lots of middle aged cyclist.

I don't see that he should have reacted any differently, people cross the road in front of bikes and cars (I know I do) but stop before the vehicle passes (i.e. I look right, no cars, look left car coming, walk to middle of road, stop, car passes, I carry on).

Regardless of whether a school kid, old person or a 30yo, he should have stopped.
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considering the location it happened, there is plenty of CCTV coverage and witnesses inc. my other brother was also there at the time and confident he can recognise the person.
I agree one should stop regardless of the age but in think one should be more considerate especially towards people who can't help themselves as much.
 
andy700 said:
I have ignored everything else which has been said because you have significantly changed your story in later posts.
Your brother clearly caused the accident, it was no fault of the cyclist.
The cyclist should have stayed at the scene, but who knows what was going through his mind, given the anti cycling feelings of a large number of folks in the UK.
Oh yes, it doesn't matter what speed the cyclist was travelling at, because he was certainly travelling at less than 30MPH unless he was Mark Cavendish or Bradley Wiggins.
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Its not my intention to mislead or change stories if that's what you are alluding to. I have given a full final account above. That won't change anymore.

I am personally not anti-cyclist since I am one myself :P

I have in past stayed at the incident even when I was not at fault. for example someone rode straight into my stationary car at a signal. I pulled up my car put hazard lights on and got the guy off the road to safety. I didn't just drive away!

whomever caused the accident (I have already clearly said its my brother and I never disputed that part), hit and run is plain wrong. its not unreasonable to expect the person to not run.
 
nandbytes said:
and got hit few steps into the road by a speeding cyclist.
.
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So, the story changes yet again and another person crossed the road and the brothers followed without bothering to look.
How do you know the cyclist was speeding?
 
andy700 said:
I have ignored everything else which has been said because you have significantly changed your story in later posts.
Your brother clearly caused the accident, it was no fault of the cyclist.
The cyclist should have stayed at the scene, but who knows what was going through his mind, given the anti cycling feelings of a large number of folks in the UK.
Oh yes, it doesn't matter what speed the cyclist was travelling at, because he was certainly travelling at less than 30MPH unless he was Mark Cavendish or Bradley Wiggins.
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The Charlie Alliston case makes your post look rather silly. Especially the last paragraph.
 
andy700 said:
So, the story changes yet again and another person crossed the road and the brothers followed without bothering to look.
How do you know the cyclist was speeding?
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I clearly said I updated as i found out bits myself. Hence I gave the final account above which is not going to change.
brothers did not follow. one of my brothers did the other one stayed.

The brother told me he was speeding and according to him the only reason cyclist couldn't avoid the crash.

Once again I am not debating or disputing who caused the accident. I don't know why you are focussing on that. I am more concerned with the cyclists behaviour after the accident (which had it happened in a car/motor vehicle would have been a straight up criminal offence)
 
Speeding Cyclist?
What dictates that, are cyclysts not limited to the road speed same as a car.
So assuming the road was a minimum 30mph even myself as a fairly fit cyclist would struggle to get up to 30mph.
you're making that bit up a bit.
Wow
 
Mr Bump said:
I think your brother Is lucky to get away with a few broken bones and you should be more interested in educating him with road sense than looking to hound the cyclist.
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Thanks for your suggestion. I am sure he has learnt his lesson without anyone saying anything to him. Once he is out of the hospital and recovered I am sure my parent and also I will educate him further.

I am not looking to hound the cyclist. I would also like to educate him that hit and run is wrong. if he is happy doing it on a cycle he probably would do it in a car.
 
Mr Bump said:
Speeding Cyclist?
What dictates that, are cyclysts not limited to the road speed same as a car.
So assuming the road was a minimum 30mph even myself as a fairly fit cyclist would struggle to get up to 30mph.
you're making that bit up a bit.
Wow
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where did I say he was over the speed limit. just meant he was speeding up instead of slowing down which is not his fault (the lights were green for him) either.

Once again I have already said (many times above) accident was mainly my brother's fault. I am more concerned of the cyclists behaviour after the accident. I am not trying to hound him for the accident, but for post accident hit and run behaviour which is poor form really!
 
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Speeding. - as in traveling at a speed where the cyclist is not in 100% control of their bicycle.

Yep, that's a thing!
 
nandbytes said:
where did I say he was over the speed limit. just meant he was speeding up instead of slowing down.
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poppycock the definition of speeding in the dictionary is and I quote,

The act or instance of operating a motor vehicle or motorboat faster than allowed by law.
 
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