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My Triumph was Taken out Thursday night.

50K views 425 replies 80 participants last post by  Badonka Daddy 
#1 ·
Hi all,
My poor Triumph was laid to rest.
Unfortunately I was taken out on Thursday evening in Tottenham, London about 10PM.
My beautiful black Triumph Sprint ST 955i, obsessevely taken care of, secretly more on ocassion than the better half, has been fataly wounded.
It happened right outside Tottenham police station.
Spent last three days in hospital, i'll save the drama but I have walked away with no serious or lasting injuries.
Still waiting to get all this sorted out.

I don't know how or where he hit me on the bike and i still haven't seen the bike or what i'm told by a police officer is left of the bike.
He makes out the bike is about half it's original size.

I have no recollection what-so-ever of the collision and lost a lot of hours so only able to listen to what others have said in the last few days.

I'm so gutted, now I need to start again to build a custom bike to my little quirks of comfort.
 
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#178 ·
I said I'd post the report.
Please remember, I am well over the injuries, all almost healed and hardly a mark on my body.
I'm not sure if I should be posting stuff like this on a forum but i'm going to anyway.
I will never post any images of any gruesome bits of anything of this accident as I guess I would say this is a boundary I'd rather not cross as I would find it plain wrong.
At the end of the day this is a motorbike forum and this is all just about an accident I had on one recently.
If I have to remove it or it offends anyone, let me know and i'll delete the post.


Mr(me) 1st October 2012

1. Introduction

1.1 This Immediate Needs Assessment is prepared under the Rehabilitation Code of Best Practice, at the joint request of Minster Law solicitors and Mr.... of LV insurance in order to carry out an initial assessment and make recommendations for the next six months. This report is not an expert report at this stage for a court, rather a review of case management intervention.

2. Background information

2.1 The injury

2.1.1 Mr (me) was hit head-on with an estimated combined impact of 93MPH whilst riding his motorbike home from work on ...........He told me he does not have any memory of the event but has shown me reports gathered by himself from various professional bodies including hospitals, emergency services, the police and witnesses
He has gathered this information over time to aid with his claim of the third party being totally responsible for the entire accident.

2.1.2 Mr (me) was given CPR at the scene almost immediately by two attending police officers.

2.1.3 Paramedics and ambulance crews arrived within minutes and were able to take over. Mr (me) regained a pulse shortly after. A helicopter was scrambled immediately.

2.1.4 Mr (me) was taken to the Barts & London hospital, He was boarded and flown by helicopter because of the serious and life threatening injuries sustained in the accident. It has been noticed by me after reading Mr (me) helicopter report he has acquired, his heart had stopped on two occasions on route to hospital. Emergency crews use what is called a window of opportunity but because of the immediate danger of loss of life it was decided to try to stabilize Mr (me) on route as full medical facilities were needed to aid surgeons in stemming the flow of blood from a severed artery in Mr (me) left leg.
Mr (me) was unaware of any of this as he was knocked unconscious at point of impact.
He was actually in a coma as stated by the hospital report.

2.1.5 He sustained multiple injuries as follows:

• Acquired brain damage, traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Dislocation of left knee
• Dislocation of left hand
• Dislocation of left/right shoulder
• Injury to neck
• Dislocation of left ankle
• Damaged ligaments and nerves to left leg.
• Damaged ligaments to left arm/forearm.
• Damaged ligaments to left wrist/hand.
• Right shoulder had a previous injury diagnosed as a frozen shoulder three years before the index injury.
• Impaired sensation to part of the left leg.
• Soft tissue injury to the left leg.
• Complications caused by nerve damage.
• Nearly every part of his body from the neck down to his ankles was covered in severe bruises.
• Grazing and friction burns, covering nearly 60% of his body below the neck.
• Broken ribs/rib cage.
• Broken left thumb.
It is not fully known at this stage what actual injuries were sustained during the accident as it is believed that some injuries were also sustained while emergency services were attending to Mr (me)
This is not a concern for this report as it is deemed all injuries are a result of the actual accident happening.

2.2 family and social background – Personal to me
2.3 Accommodation – Personal to me


Now please remember, i'm fine this end and over most of the above.
Just read as a report and not of someone you all have got used to on here.

I'll post the funny bits that was noticed next under the section
2.7 Activities of Daily Living as it has still got me in stiches reading some of what the hell i've been seen doing in and around the home. The people who did this report must have me down as a complete fruitloop. If they knew me I'm sure they would know half the stuff they saw me doing is just normal for me most of the time anyway.:p
 
#179 ·
This is the last bit of the report I will post as the rest actually makes me look like a stupid moron to be honest and certainly gave me a wake-up call.:eek:
By all means everyone, it's fine to laugh and joke about this as I'm not quite as bad these days and every day it gets better and better for me.

2.7 Activities of daily living
2.7.3 Meal preparation
Mr (me) finds it challenging to prepare any meal due to only having the use of one hand. Ms (other half) stated that he switches on the oven or hob and leaves, but will not remember that he has done so until he is prompted by someone. She has also come home to find the oven on but Mr (me) will not recall turning it on. Currently Ms(other half) puts white tape over the oven and hob switches as a visual cue to Mr (me) to remind him not to touch them and she told me this has been working well in most cases. He has been known to take the tape off, wondering who put it there and why.

Mr (me) used to prepare all meals. As a chef for many years earlier in life before going into academia his cooking was renowned and enjoyed in many a restaurant through-out the country but he now struggles to remember how to cook or prepare many dishes. He once attempted to prepare a meal but Ms (other half) sons could not eat the food and it had to be thrown away.
On another occasion he was left to clear the dining table after a family meal one evening.
Ms(the other Half) had asked him to clear everything away and reset the table for breakfast. He came through to the lounge after about half an hour stating there were not enough dishes or cutlery to lay the table for breakfast.
Mr (me) had taken every dish, plate and everything else to do with the evening meal and stacked them nicely in the outside bin; the pots and pans were found in the tumble drier. He had actually done what was asked and cleared everything away, unfortunately not quite what was expected.
2.7.4 Hot drink preparation
Mr (me) has also been observed making tea or coffee using cold or lukewarm water, and drinking it on several occasions. Ms (other Half) told me he does not consistently recognise his error and sometimes needed a verbal prompt.
In the short time I was preparing this report I asked Mr(me) for just a glass of hot water, to make himself a hot cup of coffee and his friend a hot cup of tea.
He managed to make the coffee and tea, although he forgot to remove the tea-bag from the cup and unfortunately he ran the tap towards the end of this task and handed me a cold cup of water in a glass. He just laughed it off as a mistake that anyone could make.
In the absence of anyone around the house Mr (me) does not initiate making any drink or meal for himself. He half understands he sometimes gets it wrong which could be dangerous.
He also got himself into trouble with the local police station when he phoned 999 and asked the operator to send someone to come and make him a cup of coffee as Ms (other half) had banned him from doing so in her absence and he didn’t want to get into trouble for trying to do it himself. I believe no further action was taken when it was understood what had happened. He had assumed this was an emergency.
I also read a report by his physio team in the early stages of his accident where he once gave the girl a cup of tea, but had used what was thought to be lea and perins dark soy sauce and when shown the mistake he was unaware he had done it wrong and thought the girl was having a laugh with him.
2.7.5 Laundry
Mr (me) was observed loading the dishwasher with clothes ready for washing and actually on one occasion he turned the appliance on. When he had been prompted he did not readily recognise his mistake. He has been observed struggling to select a correct washing programme and takes a long time reading the symbols so instead he just turns the programme to any symbol and takes pot luck. Unfortunately he has destroyed a lot of clothes belonging to the family including his own. He is now banned from this chore.
The motion of bending to load and unload, either the washing machine, dishwasher or tumble drier has also been challenging due to pain and limited range of movement.
Mr (me) does not always recognise the kitchen appliances, for example he could not readily tell the difference between a dishwasher and a washing machine.
 
#180 ·
Just all remember, i'm in the process of getting help and have in place a lot of aids etc to help with daily activities.
I'm almost off the morphine and a few other drugs so in fact a bit more aware of my surroundings.
My thought processes and cognative processes are improving every day.
I suffer a lot of pain but this actually helps me in the sense i'm not drugged out of my mind which maybe accounts for some of the stupid things I've been doing since getting out of hospital.
Also remember, some things I do are spot on and no mistakes or confusion. It was only on ocassions (rare) I did some of the things this report says I did.:p
 
#181 ·
Stealth, I read the first couple of days, and then it dropped off my radar as things seemed to be going well. Today I wondered why it was up to 18 pages, and read it all. I've been in a bad crash myself, still dealing with physical problems some 27 years later, but I am boggled at what you are managing to get through as well as you are. Mere sympathy simply does not seem strong enough to express how most of us feel, I am sure.

I really don't know what else to say. But I will make a point of checking this thread from now on, to see how you are doing.
 
#182 ·
It's cool Owenbrau, things happen in life, I learnt through life, don't rely on human beings doing the right thing.
I knew I had to get back on the old horse enough to fight this as quite simply the third party driver was concious and stated he was hit by me from no-where. Shear rage I think is what has got me through.
I want revenge on the third party insurers.

27 years is a hell of a long time to suffer, you must have had one hell of an off?:(
What happened?
 
#183 · (Edited)
I thank you all for your kind words and support, but in all this the true hero is the other half who with out a doubt must have been to hell and back
She has stood by me from the beginning in all this and everything she does is without complaint.
I am beginning to understand the way I am must be tearing her up inside.
I wish I could make things better for her, but at times I feel so useless as I must be a handful to deal with.
 
#186 ·
Your other half is a very strong and supportive person. She has stuck through this with you and was there for you. You must be proud to have her in your life!
When I had my accident someone said this was going to bring my wife and I closer. That took me off guard, but after two months I'd say its true. I'm not saying there aren't some days she's had all she can stand. But she understands there are some things I can't do yet. She's got a very stressful job, yet she still comes home and tends to all my needs. I'm a very lucky man and so are you.


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#187 ·
The other half in the formula was a godsend for me after I had tendon repair and heel realignment on my right foot (this was not related to a bike accident). I was only able to get around on crutches and wheelchair for the first 12 weeks, my better half looked after me with no questions, taking me to all my appointments.

Your spouse is a keeper don't let her go.
 
#188 ·
Thanks all, when this finally comes together, the better half is on the radar for a big surprise.
I've put in for all the money she has used up on me which was asked for by my insurance as they know the situation has crippled me and is now beginning to criple the other half financially.
Also a care allowance is also getting included.
On top of this i'll make sure I never let her go, and to be honest, we have spent so many years together, I doubt we could ever let each other go.
 
#189 · (Edited)
Had my first one-to-one meeting with my insurance people.
I was ordered to back off and let them do there job.:eek:
They were quizzing me for over 3 hours on everything from the beginning yet again. They kindly let me have breaks in my own home because of my lack of concentration and body damage.
Must have been over it a hundred times with them.

Third party refuse an interim payment on the grounds I had a hire bike which when returned it had over 500 miles on it. They supplied the money for the bloody thing to be given to me.
They are saying I can't be that badly damaged, end of.:mad:
I was driven about on it by sitting on the rear with my hands actually velcrod to my mates jacket at the front.
My mate also used it for himself.
The agreement on the hire was it had to be used for a min of 100 miles per week, which I made sure it had done.
Just seems a load of utter rubbish to not pay me anything, which is being hurled against me now.

They also took the reports they got about the help I need and recommendations and told my insurance people to get stuffed, I'm getting no help what-so-ever.

I'm getting nowhere fast here, considering I have proved to my solicitors who was to blame, the damage I sustained, the money I've lost, my living standards now, the debt I'm now in. The list goes on.
Given up to be honest and need to look elsewhere for real help as 7 months on I've had nothing.
Now my insurance tell me if, and I say once again, IF they take it to court I can forget any help till next year and maybe beyond.
This is MY insurance company saying this.

I'm mad, i'm angry, and I'm at my wits end with this shower of weasels.
They are not helping me or on my side and this is MY insurance company.

Sorry to ask for help but can anyone give me leads towards help in the UK for someone who has suffered an accident as I need serious help now. I'm having to fix my own brain damage, or at least minimise the effects of what happened and it is wearing me out doing the amount of research I'm trying to get through.
Charities, organizations etc, just not the samaratins.

I'm going round in circles and getting nowhere or any help.
The morphine I got is now dried up so the pain is rather sore to be honest.

Also are there any solicitors in here who could give me advice on what I can and cannot do about all this?
 
#215 ·
Had my first one-to-one meeting with my insurance people.
I was ordered to back off and let them do there job.:eek:
They were quizzing me for over 3 hours on everything from the beginning yet again. They kindly let me have breaks in my own home because of my lack of concentration and body damage.
Must have been over it a hundred times with them.

Third party refuse an interim payment.
They also took the reports they got about the help I need and recommendations and told my insurance people to get stuffed, I'm getting no help what-so-ever.
looks like I may have been harse about the department of the solicitors who are dealing with my case as it seems after the two solicitors visited me it must have hit home just the amount of pain and body damage I have.
Also how it has completely messed up my entire life and certainly can not be called a normal life just now.
They suddenly call me out of the blue and tell me they got everything they asked for which was recommended to get me to a better position in life than what I'm enduring just now.
 
#192 ·
I wish I could offer you some sort of useful help but I'm afraid I don't know anybody in England. All I can do is offer my condolences and wish you the best. I understand the grief they're putting you through and the anger that comes from it. You've paid them years for a service and the first time you try to use it they tell you to get stuffed. Sadly, you're not the first to have this experience with an insurance company and won't be the last. I know that doesn't help your case any, but I'm afraid it's all I've got at this point.
 
#195 ·
Stealth, You tried playing nice and were patient about all this. Now it's time to sue the pants off of the party at fault. Your insurance company and the driver's insurance company may even be owned by the same corporation. They seem to be stalling.

Hit them hard - in the millions. I really hope this firm that's been recommended will go to bat for you. You won't be taken seriously without a high-money solicitor and a large lawsuit properly filed.
 
#196 ·
Truth^

I suspect things are different in the UK vs US, but here you would have no trouble finding attorneys who would take such a case on contingency. And from what you've described, for very big money. Permanent, disabling damage is not something to take without a fight.
 
#197 ·
Thanks all, I now have another problem at present.
If I approch a third party solicitor at present through legal channels i'm screwed and responsible for the entire case costs to date from my insurers.
They have already told me this and shown me the small print on there paperwork as I told them in anger on the phone i'm going else-where because they are two-faced cheating money grabbing con men who don't give a s*** about me, and as long as they string it out they get paid more, even if I got nothing.
Not word for word, as too vulgar to put up here.

I think they have me by the short and curlies.
I'll do some digging in the next few days and see where I stand.

I tried to contact Mulderrigs but then my details are registered onto the national database, as is law in the UK so was unable to even get them to speak to me.
 
#198 · (Edited)
Biker222 and triplestrength, thanks but i'm stuck in a dam legal binding about this darn accident now.
I can't give them my details for fear of being sued by my own darn insurance people, now this is just criminal.:mad:
By the way, this is what I am looking for but will have to tread lightly and get legal advice, and with no income or money this is going to be darn near impossible at present.

I also told my insurance people who saw me last week to not even bother with any crap of 50/50 blame or any portion towards me as they do this so both parties pay higher premiums which is in there interests.

As far as I was concerned the solicitor in my case is a young hothead who has not got a real clue and seems to think as long as his papaerwork is in order, he is doing his best.
 
#199 ·
Mate I'm sorry to hear that, and to be honest have no idea what I'd do in your situation.
Makes me wonder if we should do as our American cousins and engage a solicitor first, but that's a bit late for you.
The only thing I can think of is to phone the law society and register your displeasure with your current solicitor and see if they have any advice.
Insurance companies are regulated by an ombudsman a similar conversation with them might help.
I've had dealings with the financial ombudsman and they were fantastic. So it might be worth a couple of phone calls.

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#200 ·
People here refer to fine print all the time. That doesn't mean that the fine print is legally binding, even if you signed it. Companies love to put stuff like that on policies and contracts, and it doesn't make it legally binding.
 
#201 ·
Charlie you are absolutely right!
Also if you've been in a smash and are pretty banged up, how good is your decision making process at that point?
What I'm trying to say is did you sign under pressure? Did they use language/jargon that you weren't familiar with?
What about the right to a second opinion on what was offered by you're insurance company and their employees.
Surely you are allowed to get 3rd party advice. This is serious stuff.

Next (and please feel free to tell me to do one) have you spoken to Adult social services about support needs? They are there to help and EVERYONE has the right to an assessment, that assessment done well (you get a copy) would be ammunition in a court of law at a later date.
You deserve some help here, and should at least be offered something. You've paid tax for years well this is what it's for. Time for a little payback.
Good luck, Tyler.

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#203 ·
Charlie you are absolutely right!
Also if you've been in a smash and are pretty banged up, how good is your decision making process at that point?
What I'm trying to say is did you sign under pressure? Did they use language/jargon that you weren't familiar with?
What about the right to a second opinion on what was offered by you're insurance company and their employees.
Surely you are allowed to get 3rd party advice. This is serious stuff.

Next (and please feel free to tell me to do one) have you spoken to Adult social services about support needs? They are there to help and EVERYONE has the right to an assessment, that assessment done well (you get a copy) would be ammunition in a court of law at a later date.

I've had a lot of phone calls as this is how they communicate with me. Actually, it's how I communicate with them.
They have also sent me a lot of paperwork over the months asking every step and every min of the day since the accident, and i've told them to not be so pushy or stupid in the sense it's them that are causing me so much stress with there changing stories.
They keep moving the goalposts so I don't actually know where I stand with them at present.
They keep getting back to me, the third party wants to know this, the third party wants to know that.
Now you can understand why I am not getting anytime to recover, instead i'm having to fight for my basic rights in life which I'm not even getting at present.
My insurance people are not fighting for me, they are a darn gobetween for the third party.
I keep asking them if they are frightened of the third party insurers, and if not why the hell is nothing getting done after 7 months?
I'll contact the ombudsman after Xmas as I feel I'll never get anywhere with the morons i'm dealing with at present.
 
#202 ·
Thanks all for the help in the last few posts.
I guess I was feeling down, I suppose this can happen although I try not to let things get to me.

I doubt i'll hear anything this side of Xmas.

Have a good one all and after seeing the horrible shooting on the news of the school children and their teachers, I think the whole world has watched it unfold, my thoughts and prayers are with the poor little ones and their families at this time who have had there Xmas and lifes devastated beyond comprehension.
 
#206 ·
As I've said, I don't know how it works there in the U.K. but if you had been hit and injured like that over here in the States you'd have billionaire lawyers lining up at your door, fighting each other for a piece of the settlement you would be getting. So it's hard to understand why you can't get a solicitor to take your case on contingency. You pay only after they collect.

You were wrongfully harmed and you will need to be made whole. For life.
 
#207 ·
Have had the best news I can at this stage.

At last I am getting through to the insurance.
Third party insurance have finally caved in.
Everything is now getting set in motion.
Financial help is in the post.
Full time carers are been vetted as I write.
Transport is to be provided, including a driver to let me get about.

Head doctors and body doctors or specialists are now lining up so to speak now that the funding has been approved.
The weight is almost lifted off me at long last.
I got this news on Xmas eve from my insurers.:)
 
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