Injured cyclist’s plea for help after Heslington Lane crash

9:12am Monday 16th May 2011 in News Photograph of the Author By Haydn Lewis, haydn.lewis@thepress.co.uk

Gavin Wormald, who suffered whiplash injuries in a crash in York Gavin Wormald, who suffered whiplash injuries in a crash in York

A CYCLIST who has had to sign off work after being thrown from his bike in York has appealed for witnesses to the accident to come forward.

Gavin Wormald, 31, of St Oswald’s Close, Wilberfoss, was cycling to work along Heslington Lane in York when he claims he was hit by a dark grey hatchback at the mini roundabout junction with Broadway.

The incident happened at about 8.40am on Wednesday, May 4, and though not seriously injured, Mr Wormald has been left with severe whiplash preventing him from doing his job as a bus driver for Transdev.

Mr Wormald is now appealing to anyone who may have seen the incident to come forward and speak to the police.

He said: “I was approaching the roundabout when a car shot out in front of me forcing me to brake hard and another car behind it followed across the roundabout and my bike impacted with the rear tyre of the car. I went over the handlebars and into the road.

“I slammed my head on the road and it left a huge gash in my helmet.

“People in other cars stopped to help me and I was very lucky, but if that had been a child or an older person they might not have been so fortunate.”

On the day of the crash Mr Wormald was cycling to his workplace in Hospital Field’s Road, Fulford, from Dunnington having dropped his car in at the garage for a service.

He said since the accident he has had one day back at work, but the whiplash caused by the accident means that he couldn’t do his job and has since had to be signed off sick.

He said: “I was in hospital for five hours having X-rays after the accident and even now, over a week after the accident, I am in a lot of pain.”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police confirmed the incident had been reported and said inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

Any witnesses should phone 0845 6060247.

Comments(44)

Pete the Brickie says...
9:25am Mon 16 May 11

The car driver should absolutely have stopped here, but from the description of the point of impact it sounds like he was on the roundabout first and the cyclist hit him? Might be just the way I read it though, I hope he gets better soon and well done for riding with the correct high vis kit and helmet.

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spiritofyork says...
9:37am Mon 16 May 11

I'm sure many on here will say that this is fair game and possibly even payback, but I hope he makes a full recovery, isn't defeated and doesn't stop using his bike because of the incident.

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again says...
10:48am Mon 16 May 11

Don't think it's possible to apportion blame but clearly the cyclist isn't accepting it. As a professional driver he ought to know the rules, should he not?

Anyway, I am glad his injuries were no worse and wish him a quick return to his bike!

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pedalling paul says...
11:11am Mon 16 May 11

The golden rule for all road users is to give way to vehicles already on the roundabout incluiding cyclists, before entering it.
Some pedal cyclists may choose to ride round the perpihery, but that exposes them to the danger of being overtaken then "hooked" by an exiting motor vehicle. So stick to the edge only if leaving at the first exit.
For second or subsequent exits, ride near the centre island. At the exit prior to yours, do a left shoulder check, signal left turn and move confidently back toward the edge, ready to exit. That maximises your visibilty to other road users. Their correct behaviour is your best guarantor of safety.

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akuma says...
11:43am Mon 16 May 11

In other cycling related news, I actually saw a cyclists using the cycle lane at Clfiton Green!!!
.
Although the experience was ruined when he sailed through the red light and across up into the Kingsway area without a care in the world!

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greenmonkey says...
12:27pm Mon 16 May 11

Pauls advice works for a full sized roundabout. However this 'roundabout' is dangerous - from the description sounds as though the cars pulled out from Heslington Lane in front of the cyclist, and obviously in law should have stopped, whether at fault or not. Because the mini roundabout is so small, a collision can occur if both road users try to beat the other onto the 'roundabout' Its because too many drivers fail to respect the right of way here that some cyclists illegally take to the footpath alongside, shifting the risk from themselves to pedestrians.

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roskoboskovic says...
12:29pm Mon 16 May 11

considering that he s a professional driver it sounds as though he was in the wrong and he should know better.the low standard of driving from taxi and bus drivers in york has to be seen to be believed and if he drives like he cycles i wouldn t be surprised.usual patronising garbled garbage from the pedantic one

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TooRecked says...
12:34pm Mon 16 May 11

I'm not at all surprised this happened. I call this mini roundabout the Circle of Death.
I used to cycle it daily and without fail someone would pull out in front of me or, worse, cut me up by turning left while I'm going straight on. Not to mention NOBODY indicates there. I was hit by a car there once, it wasn't my fault - I was on the roundabout first and the car tried to pass me and did exactly what Paul describes. The driver leapt out of his car to check if there was damage to his car and if so I was "gonna be a dead man"
.
Horrible horrible dangerous awful piece of road best avoided on a bike.
Hope the guy in this story gets help for a good resolution.

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gordonump says...
2:25pm Mon 16 May 11

he must mean being at the hospital for 5 hours, not having an x-ray for 5 hours. thats a long x-ray if it was 5 hours. still it helps with his claim for compo. make things sound as bad and dangerous as u can, might get more money. if i knew a piece of road was dangerous i wouldn`t blindly go where no man has gone before if i were on a pedal cycle

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spiritofyork says...
2:30pm Mon 16 May 11

The more I think about this..driver failing to stop etc, the more I think it may have been deliberate. I often get cars revving their engines at me as I tootle on by or cars edging into the cycle lane on purpose to block my route. Ah well...good job they sell helmets cheaply!

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pedalling paul says...
4:27pm Mon 16 May 11

There is increasing evidence that helmets and conspicuity clothing give other road users the impression that the cyclist wearer is "safe" to take greater risks with.
Regarding positioning on a roundabout, the advice in every cycle training handbook is to get to the middle and be visible. Use position to indicate intention ie continue round. Hand signals and left shoulder check before moving back to the edge ready to exit.
Suggest commentators await the outcome of possible criminal proceedings against the motor vehicle driver, rather than speculate unhelpfully.

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Lamplighter says...
5:43pm Mon 16 May 11

Paul, why left shoulder? I can't do left shoulder I would fall off, have always done right.

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Mentos says...
5:46pm Mon 16 May 11

roskoboskovic wrote:
considering that he s a professional driver it sounds as though he was in the wrong and he should know better.the low standard of driving from taxi and bus drivers in york has to be seen to be believed and if he drives like he cycles i wouldn t be surprised.usual patronising garbled garbage from the pedantic one
This just does not make sense.
Just because he is a professional driver why say it makes him in the wrong. a stupid link
There is not enough here to say he rode he bike badly so why extrapolate that to his standard of bus driving.
I can sympathise with questioning the standard of bus/taxi driving in York but you have a paranoid complex which cause you to make two and two make five.

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brummiebob says...
5:47pm Mon 16 May 11

spiritofyork wrote:
I'm sure many on here will say that this is fair game and possibly even payback, but I hope he makes a full recovery, isn't defeated and doesn't stop using his bike because of the incident.
Do you mean it is fair game to single out an innocent cyclist (because you or others don't like some cyclists) and hit and injure them with a vehicle? Payback for all the poor cyclists on the road even though he personally might be a good one???? So drivers now have the right to select cyclists for retribution and run them over, is that what you mean?

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ak7274 says...
8:09pm Mon 16 May 11

Same old tripe from the same old contributors. Cyclist aren't my favourite road users either, but they are on the road legally and if the incident was either deliberate or the driver knew he had caught the cyclist, then I hope he gets caught for failing to stop at the very least. I hope Mr Wormald recovers fully. I ain't keen on Bus drivers either, but I do admit to stereotyping. Was in Wales with an abnormal load last week and 2 bus drivers gave me consideration for which I passed my thanks on to the Bus companies at that location. It's never happened in York yet, but I live in hope.

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Gavinw79 says...
8:49pm Mon 16 May 11

Pete the Brickie wrote:
The car driver should absolutely have stopped here, but from the description of the point of impact it sounds like he was on the roundabout first and the cyclist hit him? Might be just the way I read it though, I hope he gets better soon and well done for riding with the correct high vis kit and helmet.
Hi, Just to clarify i had started to cross the round about heading straight on, i had reached the middle when the car shot out from my left in to my path.

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Gavinw79 says...
8:53pm Mon 16 May 11

spiritofyork wrote:
I'm sure many on here will say that this is fair game and possibly even payback, but I hope he makes a full recovery, isn't defeated and doesn't stop using his bike because of the incident.
Is that really how some people think? "fair game" "payback" If i'd not been wearing a helmet it's likely i'd have been killed. Is that fair game?

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Gavinw79 says...
8:57pm Mon 16 May 11

again wrote:
Don't think it's possible to apportion blame but clearly the cyclist isn't accepting it. As a professional driver he ought to know the rules, should he not?

Anyway, I am glad his injuries were no worse and wish him a quick return to his bike!
As a driver and cyclist i do know the rules. It's give way to the right on round- a-bouts. I was coming from the right and was already on the round-a-bout. The car shot out from the left and knocked me off.

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Gavinw79 says...
9:03pm Mon 16 May 11

roskoboskovic wrote:
considering that he s a professional driver it sounds as though he was in the wrong and he should know better.the low standard of driving from taxi and bus drivers in york has to be seen to be believed and if he drives like he cycles i wouldn t be surprised.usual patronising garbled garbage from the pedantic one
There are over 300 bus drivers in york, are you saying every one of them operate the same low standard? I am a carefull and considerate driver, and i cycle in the same way. I was crossing the mini round-a-bout when the car driver swiped me off. If it not for my helmet i would have been seriously injured or killed. Are you saying because i'm a bus driver i deserve this?

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Gavinw79 says...
9:08pm Mon 16 May 11

gordonump wrote:
he must mean being at the hospital for 5 hours, not having an x-ray for 5 hours. thats a long x-ray if it was 5 hours. still it helps with his claim for compo. make things sound as bad and dangerous as u can, might get more money. if i knew a piece of road was dangerous i wouldn`t blindly go where no man has gone before if i were on a pedal cycle
Firstly i didn't write the article, i was in hospital for 5hrs the x-rays took minutes. This has nothing to do with compo or claims. Nobody is trying to make it sound worse. This was just what happened. As for the road, all roads are dangerous when they are shared with careless drivers.

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Pete the Brickie says...
9:10pm Mon 16 May 11

Gavinw79 wrote:
Pete the Brickie wrote: The car driver should absolutely have stopped here, but from the description of the point of impact it sounds like he was on the roundabout first and the cyclist hit him? Might be just the way I read it though, I hope he gets better soon and well done for riding with the correct high vis kit and helmet.
Hi, Just to clarify i had started to cross the round about heading straight on, i had reached the middle when the car shot out from my left in to my path.
Thanks, that makes more sense. I hope you get better soon and you don't let it put you off. I'm never short of a dig at pedaling paul but I'm a keen cyclist myself in the real world. The roundabout concerned is a bad one, noboby ever indicates and you see a lot of near misses there.

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TooRecked says...
9:16pm Mon 16 May 11

Firstly ak7274 - Very fine post, I know your stance on cyclists, it's good to see such balance, bloody rare round here. Guess I got you wrong before.
.
Second Paul - you say
Use position to indicate intention

Doesn't work for me very often. I look back, I judge the space and the speed of following vehicles, I signal exaggeratedly. Many times whether it's on a roundabout or trying to turn or move right and even if I've moved to the chuffing white line in the middle, cars will angrily and dangerously beep beep past me in the opposing lane because they refuse to take their foot off the pedal and give way. I'm not seeking permission, I'm signalling my intention just like when I'm in my car.
.
Assertive positioning works only sometimes because most drivers expect cyclists to be in the gutter and behind them and anything else is just "being an idiot cyclist trying to get us all killed"
Screw theory, I talk from experience.

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jake777 says...
9:19pm Mon 16 May 11

roskoboskovic wrote:
considering that he s a professional driver it sounds as though he was in the wrong and he should know better.the low standard of driving from taxi and bus drivers in york has to be seen to be believed and if he drives like he cycles i wouldn t be surprised.usual patronising garbled garbage from the pedantic one
Another muppet, that if the police were to down load cctv from buses would find that half the car/van/ and cyclists could be taken off the road, you have an obsession that bus and taxi drivers are the worst drivers on the road take a look at yourself and check over a week how many times you break the law, thats why you dont hold licence to drive a bus, anybody who drives a bus in york deserves to hold that licence, when they have to put up with pedestrians walking out in front of them, car drivers who think that breaking the law by driving through access areas such as coppergate, cyclists that think they have the right to ride on the nearside of a large vehicle making a left hand manover the list is endless your so good lets see you drive a bus for a day and see how many accidents you have, another typical W****R

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TooRecked says...
9:23pm Mon 16 May 11

Hey Gavin
I understood what happened, I've seen it all too many times.
.
Also, spiritofyork wasn't saying it's fair game he or she was lamenting the many who do.

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Gavinw79 says...
9:29pm Mon 16 May 11

Gavin the cycling bus driver! Thanks to all the well wishers who can still display some compassion whether i am a ciclist or a bus driver. I was amazed to read the narrow minded comments of some readers hinting that because i'm a bus driver it must have been my fault or i should know better? Just to clarify i was crossing a mini round-a-bout heading straight on when the car shot out of a "give way" junction on my left, the car swiped me off my bike and onto the floor, had it not been for my helmet i'd probably been killed or brain damaged. I was in no way at fault, i am an innocent victim. I can't believe the attitude of some people making comments about my accident. It's these idiots contributing to society on the whole changing for the worse.

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sensationalism says...
11:04pm Mon 16 May 11

Gavin, I am working on the idea of a Xenon flasher and/or loud electric horn operated simply from the brake levers, which is where one's hands would be in an emergency. Would any such device have helped, do you think.... ie, was the driver inattentive, or were they trying to race you and misjudged? I had a similar near one at the roundabout in Heslington, and am terrified of not being observed by drivers who should give way when I am on the roundabout.

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EQUALISER says...
6:23am Tue 17 May 11

All these comments seem to be slating the cyclist, why not take some time out and think about that poor man that got THROWN from his bike and stop saying in most comments that it was down to the cyclist, have some thought, it could have been your father etc or a member of your family. Give the man a break!!! You seem to be getting at him because he is a bus driver, get a life!!!!!

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Yorkmackem says...
11:50am Tue 17 May 11

Gavin, you should be able to pursue a claim for compensation via the Motor Insurers Bureau even if the driver remains untraced. I would consult a local firm of solicitors, although it's unlikely they would act on a No Win No Fee basis as they're limited in the legal costs they can recover. The MIB has their own website which provides further info. Hope this helps.

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CHISSY1 says...
12:36pm Tue 17 May 11

Whiplash,sounds about right, traumatized might be another good one any more suggestions?.

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Save The Cheerleader says...
12:40pm Tue 17 May 11

I lol'd at the "professional driver" comments. Bus & Taxi drivers are far from the "best drivers" if best means "safe, obeying the rules of the road and driving with due care", quite the opposite.

Here's some professional drivers around york. On YouTube
http://www.youtube.c
om/results?search_qu
ery=taxi+york+bad+dr
iving&aq=f

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CHISSY1 says...
1:56pm Tue 17 May 11

Contacted FBI yet?.

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gordonump says...
2:11pm Tue 17 May 11

now, now, gavinw 79 dont tell me you wont go for compo if the poor car driver is found and admits liability? wots the highway code got to say about watching for vehicles entering roundabouts? is it true you are now selling your old rammer to pay for convalesence?

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dav2330 says...
3:58pm Tue 17 May 11

Gavin, I really feel for you, I have suffered similar incidents as a keen cyclist, but never been injured, fortunately. That area is particularly bad especially at that time.

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brummiebob says...
8:29pm Tue 17 May 11

I was nearly killed Christmas eve morning by some idiot who couldn't be bothered to clear his frosted windows, even though I was wearing hi viz jacket and helmet and had a flashing light on, a nice present that would have been for my family.

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yo30 dan says...
11:15pm Tue 17 May 11

I think every cyclist in York can recount at least 5 times where they have nearly been killed!

It's a fact that as a cyclist it's dangerous out there; cyclists are vulnerable and hated which is a really really bad combination!

Get a helmet and be assertive.

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Gavinw79 says...
11:33pm Tue 17 May 11

Thanks again for all the friendly comments, and "grow up" to all the other idiots. (i presume the messages are written by adults?) How can you put all bus drivers in the same category! I agree there are a number of bus drivers who give the rest a bad name. Most of us are courteous and professional drivers. I go out of my way on a daily basis to drive in a professional manner and the thanks i get is to be constantly (every 5 minutes) forced to brake hard to avoid other motorists trying to avoid getting stuck behind a bus. I could write a book on the pressures and stresses and the effort it takes to stay calm when driving a bus. People presume we just drive from one place to another and go home. I challenge anyone who has got an opinion on bus drivers to consider that: Driving for 9 or 10hrs a day through heavy traffic mostly 6 days a week. Stopping every minute to drop off or pick up, regularly being abused or complained at for matters out of our control. Add to that the very tight time schedules we must try to stick to, then if you overcome these issues you then have to deal with the many acts of careless and inconsiderate sometimes iratic and dangerous manouvers by other road users. I am speaking from experience it is a difficult and stressfull job.
It's a sad state of affairs when people feel the need to snipe at each other and pass judgement on others just to get a reaction. This is the last you'll hear from me on here, i've got a life to lead.

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dav2330 says...
10:00am Wed 18 May 11

Gavin, the article says you are appealing for witnesses. Did none of the people who stopped to help get any more details of the car other than it was a grey hatchback? If you have any details for them it might be worth a try, there must be loads of grey hatchbacks around at rush hour.
As a cyclist and a driver I can appreciate your situation. Perhaps it should be mandatory that anyone taking their driving test should also do some hours cycling, to show them the cyclists point of view.
I am sure the genuine decent 'grownups' who have commented here are understanding and would only want to help. like myself. As for the others, ignore them.

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cherokee says...
10:37am Wed 18 May 11

Cyclists are the slowest moving vehicles on the road It therefore follows that they will be overtaken more times than any other vehicle yet P P and a few others advise them to look over their shoulders (Difficult) Have they never heard of mirrors?

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gordonump says...
12:11pm Wed 18 May 11

dear gavin, i do know what it is like to drive a bus for over 30 years. what i didnt do was to throw my bus driving knowledge out the window when i left work, be i driving my car, riding my bike, or even walking. drivers behaviour doesn`t change just because you are not on your bus. on your bike you are harder to see (TRUE) you must see this is true when u r driving your big bus around york. remember it and act accordingly. ps, ow much do you want for your bike??

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brummiebob says...
7:33pm Wed 18 May 11

cherokee wrote:
Cyclists are the slowest moving vehicles on the road It therefore follows that they will be overtaken more times than any other vehicle yet P P and a few others advise them to look over their shoulders (Difficult) Have they never heard of mirrors?
I don't think you can have driven in York, on my way to work I pass at least 50 cars in traffic jams, the problem is poor observation from drivers, pedestrians and sometimes other cyclists, daily I avoid cars pulling out in front of me, pedestrians crossing the road looking at a phone with earphones on, cyclists wandering all over, jumping red lights, cycling down one way streets the wrong way, it's all down to the individual, think bike look twice.

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Magicman! says...
3:44am Fri 20 May 11

again wrote:
Don't think it's possible to apportion blame but clearly the cyclist isn't accepting it. As a professional driver he ought to know the rules, should he not?

Anyway, I am glad his injuries were no worse and wish him a quick return to his bike!
The 'rules' are that you give way to traffic entering or already on the roundabout from the right, regardless of their size.
I myself have had whiplash injuries, and still suffer from back twinges, because a driver decided to drive into me at the New Earswick link road roundabout.
Regardless of position, when Mr Wormald was entering the roundabout, he had right of way over any cars to the left of him. If he had been indicating to turn left, then those cars can enter the roundabout, if he is indicating right or if there is no indication then the car drivers should have taken it that he was heading straight across their path and thus waited. I have had near-misses myself at this roundabout, and it generally seems to be a case of drivers pushing their luck because they cannot wait all of 5 seconds.
I have even had cars overtake me on mini-roundabouts when I have indicated to turn right - that's how appauling some drivers are towards cyclists, and I well expect some of those drivers have commented on this article.

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Clickclick says...
2:09pm Fri 20 May 11

I like it when people who are the subjects of articles comment to explain what happened first hand. It forces all the bell-ends who comment on here to quickly swallow their words :-)

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york_chap says...
10:04pm Fri 20 May 11

I'll be the first to admit some cyclists pull manouvers that irritate me when I'm driving, and they often slow down your progress temporarily. However, if I lived in town or had to pay tourist prices for parking I'd probably want to use a bike -but I'm not sure I'd dare with the state of the roads/a few drivers these days.

Sounds like this guy was doing everything right. It's a shame this kind of thing always seems to happen to the decent cyclists while the dangerous ones somehow get away scott free.

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gordonump says...
11:54am Sun 22 May 11

oh dear click clock, i know what i said and i stand by it. it doesn`t matter what shape a person is, the truth will out. insulting people doesn`t make you right, but it says a lot about you. if you have good roadcraft whilst driving a bus, you should use it while riding your rammer. this is York, the City of one million invisible rammer riders.

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