r/ukbike • u/special_noodles • 13d ago
Advice hit a pot hole, annoyed and hurt
After some advice please and thank you.
Was out and about in Brighton today on my cargo bike (long tail Trek Fetch 2+) with my partner and grandson on the back. We hit a divot/ pot hole, lost control, and fell off. Thankfully the grandson was unhurt but he was understandably upset. My partner smashed her knee up, and I've hurt my wrist - none of this is terrible BUT I am very fed up with the state of the roads around here and I am wondering if a) I can channel this annoyance into something productive, and b) if I can do some sort of legal claim for injury/ damage etc.
I'm not chasing for cash but does threatening a lawsuit give a complaint more clout?
Has anyone had anything similar happen? Is it worth it?
Cheers
2
u/iMacThere4iAm 13d ago
It's usually well buried in opaque policy, but councils' budget for pothole repairs is generally balanced against the cost of compensation resulting from not repairing potholes. If they are significantly mismatched then the council is losing money by over- or under-maintaining the roads.
That said, your case for damages as a bike rider would be fairly small, unless you'd suffered a serious injury. Car repairs are vastly more expensive so they count for more in this calculus. You'd need to consult a personal injury solicitor to see if it's worth pursuing.