John Connelly
 
Having ridden motorcycles for over 40 years, motorcycle instructor John Connelly was very surprised when he fell off his Honda CG 125 during a training session. “It had been raining and the road was still damp and, as we’d previously encountered small drops of oil or diesel on the road, I'd advised the two students I was training for their CBT to be extra careful as I thought there was a chance of sliding.”

Having taken into account that the road might not have as much grip as he would have liked it to have, when John and the two students reached a roundabout, he once more warned them to be careful. “As they negotiated the roundabout, one of them lost control of his bike and fell off,” recalls John. “I tried to go round him and, in the process, I fell off, too.”

Luckily, there were no other vehicles on the roundabout and John and his student were able to pick themselves and their bikes up. “When I studied the road, I realised it was extremely slippy due to some kind of spill, either diesel or oil from buses or lorries,” says John, who recalls that there was a strong smell of diesel at the time.

Although suffering from a painful arm, as the student was okay and the bikes had only suffered light damage, John decided to continue with the training session.

The next day, John’s arm had swollen to twice its size and he went along to his local hospital, where he discovered he had broken his arm. “When I mentioned what had happened to a colleague, he reckoned I might be eligible for compensation and suggested I contact Digby Brown,” says John, who had been told by the Police when he reported the accident that it would be impossible to identify the vehicle which had caused the spillage. However, Digby Brown advised John to submit a claim to the Motor Insurers Bureau under the Untraced Drivers Scheme.

Digby Brown took care of the paperwork and successfully pursued John’s case, which resulted in him being awarded over £8000 compensation for injuries and wage loss. “It was all very straight forward and although I didn’t expect I would get so much, it wasn’t about the money,” said John, who is now more aware than ever of the dangers of diesel spills.

“Motorcyclists should look out for diesel as a matter of course,” John stressed. “When riding a motorcycle, it’s very important to assess your level of grip and, when slippery surfaces are encountered, don’t brake too hard and use the brake and throttle sensibly. However, accidents still happen – I’m proof of that.”
 
If you wish to make a motorcycle accident claim in Scotland, call the Digby Brown Motorcycle Law Department on 0845 273 2323 or complete an Enquiry Form .