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Cyclist riding wrong way on bike lane sues motorist after crashing – and loses

Ordered to pay costs

A Cork cyclist who was knocked off his bike while riding the wrong way along a bike lane has attempted to sue the motorist involved in the collision. A judge at Cork Circuit Court dismissed his case and ordered him to pay costs to the defendant.

The Irish Examiner reports that Brian O’Callaghan was riding home to the Mardyke on July 12, 2014, and took the Sheare’s Street bike lane rather than the one on Western Road, despite it being marked ‘no entry’ from that direction.

O’Callaghan said that he saw Clare Whelan emerging from Coach Street and said he saw her looking to her right for the possibility of vehicular traffic but not to her left for pedestrians. He cycled on and was hit by her car as it pulled out. He was thrown to the ground and his bike was damaged.

Whelan said: “I looked left to see there were no pedestrians, I looked right to see there was no traffic, and the next thing he bumped into the front of my vehicle. He fell off the bicycle softly onto the ground.”

Judge David Riordan said O’Callaghan could not prove negligence on the part of Whelan and said an award of costs in favour of the defendant had to follow the judgment.

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14 comments

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hawkinspeter | 8 years ago
1 like

I wish someone would post some Viz top tips here smiley

Avatar
samuri | 8 years ago
0 likes

Viz top tips: save time when crossing one way streets by only looking in one direction.
B. Smith, Newcastle.

Always look both ways when crossing a one way Street in case a removal van is reversing the wrong way up the road.
B. Smith, Newcastle infirmary

Avatar
samuri | 8 years ago
0 likes

Viz top tips: save time when crossing one way streets by only looking in one direction.
B. Smith, Newcastle.

Always look both ways when crossing a one way Street in case a removal van is reversing the wrong way up the road.
B. Smith, Newcastle infirmary

Avatar
samuri | 8 years ago
1 like

Viz top tips: save time when crossing one way streets by only looking in one direction.
B. Smith, Newcastle.

Always look both ways when crossing a one way Street in case a removal van is reversing the wrong way up the road.
B. Smith, Newcastle infirmary

Avatar
samuri | 8 years ago
1 like

Viz top tips: save time when crossing one way streets by only looking in one direction.
B. Smith, Newcastle.

Always look both ways when crossing a one way Street in case a removal van is reversing the wrong way up the road.
B. Smith, Newcastle infirmary

Avatar
fenix | 8 years ago
0 likes

Idiot person on a bike. 

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brooksby | 8 years ago
0 likes

I think he probably should have just chalked it up to experience, not tried to sue over it.  That said, this does get rather close to the whole "I ran him over because I wasn't expecting him to be there" defence...

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Paul M replied to brooksby | 8 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

I think he probably should have just chalked it up to experience, not tried to sue over it.  That said, this does get rather close to the whole "I ran him over because I wasn't expecting him to be there" defence...

Not really - there is a world of difference between "I wasn't expecting him to be there because he wasn't supposed to be there and "I wasn't expecting him to be there because I couldn't be arsed".

Avatar
brooksby replied to Paul M | 8 years ago
0 likes

Paul M wrote:

brooksby wrote:

I think he probably should have just chalked it up to experience, not tried to sue over it.  That said, this does get rather close to the whole "I ran him over because I wasn't expecting him to be there" defence...

Not really - there is a world of difference between "I wasn't expecting him to be there because he wasn't supposed to be there and "I wasn't expecting him to be there because I couldn't be arsed".

Even if they're not supposed to be there, That doesn't mean that you're allowed to run them over  3

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HalfWheeler | 8 years ago
0 likes

Fud.

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Tripod16 | 8 years ago
0 likes

"He fell off the bicycle softly onto the ground.”

Lucky fella!

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DrJDog | 8 years ago
0 likes

When I was learning to drive I remember my dad telling me to keep to the left, even on a one way street, only for a police landrover to immediately prove his point by racing the other way on the one way street we were on. 

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Accessibility f... | 8 years ago
2 likes

https://goo.gl/maps/sKdBZf3EtJx

I wouldn't look left for cyclists either.   What an idiot.

Avatar
PaulBox | 8 years ago
9 likes

Good.

Backing up doing something stupid by doing something else that's stupid is never a good idea.

Just hold your hands up and admit that you were wrong...

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