£300,000 Payout For A Broken Pelvis Due To A Cycling Accident – Case Study Guide

Some injuries sustained in cycling accidents can be very serious indeed and could be classed as life changing. One such example is a broken pelvis. If you suffer this type of injury while cycling and the accident was caused by another road user’s negligence, then you could be entitled to compensation for your suffering. Therefore, in this guide we’re going to take a look at the pelvic fractures types that can occur, when somebody else could be liable and broken pelvis compensation amounts that could be paid.

At Legal Helpline, we believe everyone should be able to make personal injury claims without worrying about the cost of doing so. That’s why our team of advisors offer free advice and a no obligation assessment of your claim. Also, if they believe you could be compensated, they could introduce you to one of our panel of no win no fee solicitors to help you with your claim. If you are interested in discussing your claim today, why not call us on 0161 696 9865?

If you’d like more information about claiming for a broken pelvis after a cycling accident, please continue reading.

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Cycling Accidents And Injuries

Broken pelvis injury

Broken pelvis injury

In this section we’re going to try and answer some questions around a cyclist suffering a broken pelvis. These include:

  • Can you walk around with a broken pelvis?
  • How serious is a broken pelvis?
  • How do they fix a broken pelvis?
  • Can a broken pelvis heal on its own?

When a cyclist is involved in an accident, they don’t have the same level of protection as a car user has and there’s nothing to restrain them like a seatbelt. If they are thrown from the bike and collide with the ground, serious injuries can occur including a fractured pelvis. When the pelvis is suspected of being broken, you should visit A&E for a scan to determine what damage has been done. As the pelvis is close to major organs and blood vessels, a fractured pelvis can actually cause a lot of bleeding.

There are two different pelvic fracture types that could be identified following a scan. These include:

  • Stable fractures are when there is only one break in the pelvis and the broken parts are aligned correctly. Stable fractures can heal without surgery and you’ll be might be able to walk around, probably with walking aids, while recovering.
  • Unstable fractures are when there is more than one fracture of the pelvic ring and the bones are misplaced. Unstable fractures will usually require surgery where pins, bolts and screws to re-align the bones. These are often removed after the bones have realigned and healed.

Also, each type of fracture can be classed as open or closed fractures. Open fractures are riskier because it means the bone has pierced the skin which leads to a risk of infection.

Anatomy Of A Pelvic Fracture

The pelvis is made up of a ring of bones at the base or trunk of the body (between the body and the legs). The bones of the pelvis include:

  • Sacrum – this is the triangular bone found at the bottom of the spine.
  • Coccyx – or tailbone.
  • Hip bones.

The pelvis acts to anchor muscles and to protect organs in the lower abdomen.

Cycling Accident Statistics

According to a report from Cycling UK, the proportion of serious or fatal accidents involving bikes, compared with car drivers, is far higher. They say that 5.5% of all road fatalities in 2018 and 14.5% of serious injuries were to cyclists and 43.6% of fatalities and 36.6% of serious injuries were for cars. However, cyclists only make up 1% of road traffic whereas cars make up 77%.

These figures can probably be explained by the fact that cyclist have very little protection when involved in a road traffic accident whereas cars have an outer shell and safety features such as seat belts to protect passengers.

5 Ways Cyclists Could Be Involved In A Road Accident

There are a number of ways in which a cyclist could be injured in a road traffic accident. Here are a few examples:

  • Failure to look properly.
    A common reason for an RTA is where a cyclist is hit by a car because the driver was not paying attention or didn’t expect the cyclist to be there. Some examples of this type of accident have shown that even when high visibility clothing and lights are being used by the cyclist, the driver can still fail to see them.
  • Failure to judge the path or speed of a cyclist.
    In a similar way, even when the driver has spotted the cyclist, a collision could still occur if the driver mis-times a manoeuvre. This is quite common at T-junctions where the driver pulls out but fails to spot the speed of the oncoming cyclist and a collision occurs.
  • Careless driving.
    Another common reason for a cyclist to be injured by cars is when the driver is driving carelessly, recklessly or simply in a hurry. In these situations, the driver can be concentrating on larger road vehicles and trying to negotiate a path through traffic but fail to spot the cyclist until the collision has happened.
  • Car door accidents.
    When a cyclist is passing parked vehicles, there’s a real risk of being knocked off when a car door is opened into their path. It’s quite common for the driver or passenger of the car to be thinking about other things and to just exit their vehicle.
  • Road defects.
    Finally, the state of some roads, especially in winter, can become very difficult for a rider to negotiate. In cases where potholes are obscured by puddles or poor lighting, there’s only one thing that’s going to happen when the bike wheel hits the pothole.

Case Study: £300,000 Compensation Payout For A Broken Pelvis And Other Injuries

Now, to demonstrate how compensation can be awarded following a cycling accident, we’re going to take a look at a fictitious case study. The cyclist, Mrs H was riding along a fairly quite city road when the defendant’s vehicle pulled out of a T-junction and collided with her bike. Mrs H was knocked from her bike and land on the edge of the road and public footpath. She didn’t lose consciousness following the accident. However,  she was in severe pain and was given pain relief by paramedics before being transferred to hospital.

Upon assessment by doctors in A&E, it was determined that she’d suffered an unstable pelvis fracture, a fractured forearm, fractured wrist and severe bruising on the right-hand side of her body. Luckily, she was wearing a helmet so there was little injury to the head other than slight scratches to the face.

The driver was very shaken up at the scene of the accident and apologised profusely for not seeing Mrs H. She went on to admit full liability. After negotiations between Mrs H’ solicitors and the defendant’s insurers, a compensation settlement of £300,000 was awarded.

This was made up of a number of things. First of all, general damages were paid for the pain and suffering caused by the severe injuries. It also covered the fact that Mrs H will suffer from mild pain in her hips for the rest of her life. Finally, a payment was awarded for the lost earnings that Mrs H incurred while recovering. Also it included future lost earnings because her ongoing disability means she won’t be able to work full time in the same role in the future.

Broken Pelvis Injury Claims Calculator

To help you understand how much compensation can be awarded for pelvic injuries, we’ve listed some examples in the broken pelvis compensation calculator table below. The figures represent the general damages part of claim which compensates you for pain and suffering.

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On top of general damages, special damages are sometimes awarded. These are payments made for financial losses linked to your accident. For instance, you could claim for lost income, travelling expenses or care costs if they’re linked directly to your accident.

No Win No Fee Claims For A Broken Pelvis In A Cycling Accident

One thing that worries people who are considering personal injury claims is the cost of hiring a legal team. That’s why our panel of solicitors work on a no win no fee basis when they take one a claim.

No win no fee agreements are also known as conditional fee agreements or CFAs. They act as security for claimants because they clearly state that you don’t have to pay any solicitor’s fees unless they win your claim. When compensation is awarded, the CFA will explain what success fee is payable. This is a fixed percentage of your compensation that the solicitor retains to cover their fees before sending the rest of the compensation to you.

Importantly, no win no fee agreements making claiming a lot less stressful. As the financial risk is reduced by no win no fee, you shouldn’t spend the whole time worrying about how much the claim is going to cost you.

How You Could Claim Compensation For Your Broken Pelvis

As discussed throughout this guide, to be eligible to claim compensation, you’ll need to prove that somebody else (another road user) was negligent and caused the accident to happen. To do so, you’ll need some evidence. Here are some examples of evidence you could use to support your claim for a pelvic fracture:

  • Photographs of the accident scene with as much detail as possible.
  • Witness details and dashcam footage if any is available.
  • Medical records following a visit to A&E or your GP.
  • Photographs of any visible injuries.

When you have some evidence, you could call our advisors and let them assess the claim for you. They’ll offer advice on what else you might need to do, or they could refer you to one of our panel of personal injury lawyers if the case is ready to proceed. Our advice would be to begin your claim as soon as possible. That’s because there’s a 3-year personal injury claims time limit. This usually begins from the date of your accident.

If one of our panel of solicitors decides to take on your claim, you’ll be updated regularly. Also, they’ll work hard to try and resolve the case as quickly as possible. Finally, they’ll try and ensure you receive a fair amount of compensation for your injuries.

Talking To Legal Helpline

Thanks for visiting Legal Helpline and reading out guide about broken pelvis payouts. We hope you’ve found it useful and would now like to begin a claim with us. If so, you can contact us in a number of different ways:

  • The easiest way is to call our advisors on 0161 696 9685
  • You could also connect with us by using our live chat facility.
  • Or, finally, you could ask us to call you at a convenient time by completing this online form.

Our advisors are available 7-days a week, 24-hours a day. They can assess your claim for free and provide a no obligation assessment of your case. If they think you might receive compensation, they could connect you with one of our panel of no win no fee personal injury solicitors.

Related Claims Guides

This is the last section of this guide about claiming for a broken pelvis in a cycling accident. In case you require any further information, here are some more useful guides:

Road Traffic Accident Claims – Information regarding all sorts of RTAs. This information could be applied to claiming compensation for a broken pelvis in a cycling accident.

Public Park Accident Claims – If you have suffered a broken pelvis while cycling in a public park, this guide could help with your personal injury claim.

Cycling Accident Claims – A guide that looks generally at cycling accidents. It includes cycling accident statistics as well as examples such as where cyclist is hit by a car door.

Trusted External Resources

Here are some useful guides from external websites:

Safety Advice For Cyclists – This information is provided by BRAKE, the road safety charity.

Hip Fracture Recovery – An NHS guide which provides advice on recovering from a broken pelvis.

Cycling Information – Information from ROSPA, an accident prevention charity, regarding cycling safety.