Legal Expert Says More Needs To Be Done To Prevent Accidents On London’s Roads

A father-of-two who was knocked from his bicycle and thrown over the bonnet of a car has spoken out to highlight the importance of cyclists and motorists sharing the road safely.

Michael Milner, from Tower Hamlets in London, suffered severe cuts and bruising to his calf and wrist after he was struck by a motorist who was turning into a side street as he cycled along Bethnal Green Road. The injuries affected his work in security as he could not carry out his duties correctly and left him unable to cycle for four weeks following the incident in August 2011.

The 57-year-old instructed road traffic injury experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell who have now secured him a four figure settlement from the car driver’s insurance company to cover his pain, suffering and the cost of his bicycle.

Sophie Davies, from Irwin Mitchell, who specialises in helping people injured on the roads, said: “Michael suffered painful injuries as a result of the motorist not seeing him and it is fortunate the driver was not travelling any faster as it could have been much more serious.

“Cycling is at the forefront of people’s minds in London at the moment with Britain’s success at the Olympics, and Boris Bikes being available across the city.

“But more needs to be done to protect cyclists so people don’t feel discouraged or afraid to get on their bikes.

“Cyclists are very vulnerable on the roads and sadly we deal with many cases on behalf of people serious injured, or the family of those killed, on Britain’s roads. In our experience, several factors contribute to accidents, including the poor state of the roads and a lack of awareness of other road users.

“Drivers need to be more vigilant and understanding while more needs to be done to ensure all road users have access to better safety training so that accidents like this can be prevented.”

Michael said: “I regularly cycle to and from work because it’s quicker than getting stuck in traffic and I like keeping fit.

“This day was no different to any other until suddenly I saw a car turning straight into my direction and there was absolutely nothing I could do to avoid it.

“The impact sent me flying over the car’s bonnet and onto the road and I immediately felt sharp pain in my right leg and left wrist.

“I took myself to A&E at Whitechapel Hospital so they could clean me up and check I hadn’t been seriously injured. Thankfully I wasn’t, but if the car had been travelling faster who knows what could have happened

“People in London are encouraged to cycle for a greener city but when unnecessary accidents like mine happen, it understandably puts people of. I got back on the saddle as soon as possible but would feel more confident starting my journey each day if I knew more was being done to help motorists and cyclists share the road safely.”