Spinal Cord Injury Case Highlights Importance of "Think Bike" Campaign
21/06/2007
Thank you for all your time and excellent work and rest assured that if myself or family or friends require any legal help in the future I will refer them to yourselves.
Michael, Crawley
A Court in Sheffield has refused to reduce an award of damages to a
seriously injured young motorbike rider over allegations of unsafe
riding.
Alex Krol, now aged 25, suffered spinal cord injuries
leading to paraplegia in a road accident in March 2005. Mr Krol's
Yamaha Fazer 1000cc motorbike, which he was test riding at the time,
was struck by a car executing a U turn in the road as the motorbike
overtook a line of slow moving traffic in the same lane. Despite
pleading guilty to a charge of careless driving, the car driver and his
insurers argued that it was "manifestly unsafe" for Mr Krol to overtake
and that his driving at 30mph on a 60mph road in heavy traffic was an
excessive speed.
Rejecting both arguments, the Court found in
favour of Mr Krol that he had been riding carefully and appropriately
before the collision. In contrast the car driver was held to be fully
responsible, and found to have made at best only a cursory glance in
his mirror before moving off without indicating.
Speaking after
the hearing, Neil Whiteley, Mr Krol's Solicitor at the Sheffield office
of Irwin Mitchell, said: "I have a great deal of respect for Alex.
Despite his devastating and life changing spinal cord injuries, Alex
has kept a very positive outlook on life and has remained very active.
Alex works hard to raise funds for charities including a recent ascent
to the top of Mount Snowden for the Back-Up Trust. I would describe him
as "irrepressible". It is unfortunate that he has had to relive the
accident in detail through this trial.
"Motorcyclists are often
considered to be to blame in some for an accident, even when the facts
clearly show that they are not. This case highlights the importance of
the "Think Bike" campaign - a momentary act of impatience by the car
driver has left Alex wheelchair dependant for the rest of his life.
"Alex's
continued efforts in looking forward to brighter future even involves
the release of his wheelchair fitness DVD later on this year "No Push
Too Tough": an exercise and fitness programme for people who have
suffered a spinal cord injury."
The amount of damages will now been assessed by the Court on a later date.
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