If you get hit what to get

A few friends get given ambulance cover each year as a birthday present from their parents. It could be an option for the uni students etc that would rather live for 3 weeks than spent that $75 on ambulance cover each year. Also saves you forgetting to renew it each year also.

I was hit by a taxi… And long story short… It’s hard to be rational or keep a level head when the fight in fight or flight kicks in…
The beyond a joke (recently arrived) driver clearly hadn’t driven in Australia long.
He hit me, I went nuts, forced him to pull over gave him a spray and said I need all his details.

After writing everything visible down, number plate, taxi number, driver number/id, car model, I asked him for his license (he then said he’d like to see mine first). He didn’t have one this is when I called my lawyer friend who also looked up what a rear wheel was worth.

I had some leverage and said he must pay for a new rear wheel as I had witnesses.
He paid me there and then and I later reported him.
I was lucky this time… I’ve been hit twice both were runners

All good advice above.

I’m a lawyer (don’t hate me). if anyone experiences difficulties getting people to pay for damage caused I’m happy to help if needed.

Sometimes a letter of demand on a law firm’s letter head is enough to get the wind up them. i have precedents from doing this in the past which I can just plug your details into.

Also, if you take the magistrates court route, you have to serve the complaint on them personally. Post is not enough.

thats for a TAC claim.
(for VIC only… dont know about other states)
If you are hit and an ambulance is called they have to take you to hospital. you have to be triaged and seen by a doctor. TAC picks up the whole emergency bill, you are not expected to pay anything.
After being discharged if you need further medical treatment, then the $563 excess applies. but this includes the medicare rebate fee.
ie. if you have to see a specialist and have an MRI done, the whole fee goes towards the excess, and you can still claim the medicare rebate.

TAC isnt always the best option, as it limits your ability to use surgeons of your choice.

When i was hit, my shoulder which has been reconstructed was really sore, and TAC wouldnt let me see the surgeon who did operated on me. so I had to see him as a private patient. But i have private health insurance.

as for the cops. always ring back later. you get some cops who are shit, and some who are keen to help.

So, I got car doored today when I was working. A cop was a witness to the whole thing and it was entirely the ladies fault who doored me. The cop got all her details, and the lady and I exchanged details, I’m just wondering where to go from here.

My fork is bent backwards, and my frame is rippled on the downtube. Basically looking for a new frame and fork. What’s the best thing to do? Get a quote and take it to the lady and get cash or what?

She admitted she was completely in the wrong and she will cover all expenses she said.

File a police report immediately. You don’t have to sue her or anything, it just cements the fact that she’s an idiot and she is liable for the repairs. Also creates a concrete record of witness details, etc.

Then give her a ring and ask her to fund your new custom frame build :slight_smile:

If she disagrees, continue with police contact :slight_smile:

Hope you’re okay too, any bodily injuries?

A cop witness the whole thing, booked her for not having her license on her, and disrupting the flow of traffic. pretty sure he is also going to compile a police report. he’s got everyones details and knows she’s in the wrong.

nothing bad. front wheel hit the door and i went over the bars and gashed my chest open. a bit of grazing too. 4 hours in the alfred and a whole bunch of steri-strips later im cool.

I still recommend you go and report it in person, give the cops details as a witness. Saves the chance that he won’t put in a report himself due to laziness, distraction etc etc.

Chest gash sounds nasty. We talking like triple bypass kind of gash? because thats the imagery i’m getting.

+1

get an estimate (or estimates) for the frame etc and get started on finding a replacement.

i’ve already found a replacement. so you think i should file a report? surely the cop would had filed it with all the fines he gave the lady. i’ve got his details so i’ll call him tomorrow and suss it out.

Get a couple of quotes to either repair or replace the frame. You’ll need to get them from a bike shop so they carry some weight. If you try and score a $5k frame to replace an SE, you’ll come undone. If they refuse to pay, your best bet is to go get legal aid to help draft a letter. If it looks ‘real’ you’re more likely to get it paid out quicker.
I got a quote to repair my frame that came in around a grand, though I picked the thing up for about $200 2nd hand. Still, that’s what it would have cost, so she had to fork out. Drive like an arsehole and you pay the price. :evil:

Legal aid don’t do civil work. Community legal centre might help, but only if you don’t have money.

hey guys, i filed a police report, and the guy who car doored me said to get quotes and he’ll pay the damages.
my quotes range from 1300 to 2000. What’s the best thing to do? Average if off? Or get as much as possible?

Are you going through his insurance company or is he gonna pay you out of his pocket? If through the insurance company you’d just give them all the quotes and they’d probably average it out. If it’s out of his pocket decide how much of a cunt he is and go from there. :wink:

don’t try to get as much much as possible, just try to get the exact costs incurred to you. that’s the honest thing to do.

don’t try to get as much much as possible, just try to get the exact costs incurred to you. that’s the honest thing to do.

I do agree, however, the higher price would make it easier/more convenient as you could (hypothetically) purchase the parts from a more convenient/local LBS or one that has the parts in stock. Higher price generally can guarantee less waiting for orders, and could also cover the cost of getting the bike built for you, as opposed to having to do it yourself.

Considering you would have already been majorly inconvenienced by getting hit by a door/truck/car/cat in the first place, i don’t think its all that dishonest, especially when dealing with an insurance company (i doubt a $400 dollar difference will make much of a difference to large corporate bodies) where as such a monetary difference would make an incredible difference to me.

If dealing with the actual perpetrator of the accident, consider the above advice:

If it’s out of his pocket decide how much of a distinguished and wise gentleman he is and go from there. Wink

yeah i totally agree, don’t go shopping for a cheap bargain, get a quote from the most convenient shop you’d normally use, and all the parts you need to replace, include medical costs and general expenses but if the guy is paying out his own pocket it’s not fair to just go and throw another $500 out of spite. Remember it was an accident, and if you found yourself in a similar situation you wouldn’t someone doing that to you.

insurance is a different story, they’ll usually get their own quotes anyway so they’ll see if you’re lying and only pay you what they believe it to be worth, definitely take it up with them if you think they’re underpaying though.

Give him the two highest! Fuck him, it was his fault. Bikes don’t hit doors, doors hit bikes !!

Doors don’t kill bikes, people do!

Guns dont kill people, death kills people.