Cyclist receives £4,500 settlement for collision injuries, stresses importance of camera footage

A cyclist from Derby has told of the importance of camera footage which helped him get a successful £4,500 settlement from a driver's insurance company following a collision in the city centre more than three years ago.

Writing for DerbyshireLive about his experience, and providing a video of the incident available on their story, the cyclist explained how he was knocked off his bike shortly after moving away from a red light, riding towards Traffic Street.

Hoping to use the bus and cycle lane to travel to the station he moved over to the right but "the front wing of the car brushed past my right leg".

> Here's what to do if you capture a near miss, close pass or collision on camera while cycling

"There was no time to brace myself," he explained. "It all happened in a split second. There was impact with the car's wing mirror, I lost control and crashed down on my right-hand side, hitting my head, right hip and elbow hard on the road."

The incident was investigated by the police but the Crown Prosecution Service opted against bringing a prosecution, fearing the rider's move to the right would diminish the chances of a successful prosecution.

"I decided to bring a civil action given I knew the police had footage of the incident, sent to them by a cyclist riding in front of me who, luckily, had a camera on the back of his helmet that captured the collision," the cyclist continued, noting the importance of the other rider's footage.

"After my solicitor approached her insurance company, she said that she had nothing to do with my being knocked off my bike and injured, she happened to be there and stopped to see what had happened. Then my solicitor got hold of the footage from Derbyshire Police, sent it to her insurance company and they accepted liability.

"Without the footage, she may have simply continued to deny having hit me. I've now received a settlement of £4,500, soft-tissue damage and some nasty bruising.

"By this time, it had already been three years since the crash and I wanted it to be over as it was a painful, time-consuming and stressful experience. I'd prefer not to have been hit by a car than to have an extra £4,500, by the way.

"The law firm acting for me also received several thousand pounds in costs from the insurance company and a chunk of my settlement too as part of the no-win, no-fee deal."