The owner of the riding school was initially sympathetic, getting one of his minions to run my son to hospital and calling me, but he did not bring him home – I think that might be because I spoke quite firmly to his minion. I have my son’s medical notes from the hospital.
The riding school has said my son fell off as he kept dragging his foot and leaning off his bike. Well, even if this is true, the instructor shouldn’t have let him ride. Also, this took place in a car park and the surface was far from perfectly smooth. And why didn’t they start him on an automatic scooter, rather than giving him a proper, big bike?
I have left a couple of stinking reviews for the school and want to sue behalf of my son, who is 24. My son wants nothing to do with this but I don’t want to see this school injure any more young riders.
Answer
Oh lord, your adult son is clearly not cut out for riding a motorcycle he managed to fall off in a car park less an 90 minutes after first getting on a bike. He wanted to do his direct access which involves riding a ‘big bike’ – not a scooter.
As a preliminary point, your son is going to have to show the school failed to properly teach your son the skill of riding a motorcycle with a clutch, if he wanted to sue, which he does not. It is pretty basic – and the school, which I happen to know has been around for years, will have taught hundreds if not thousands of riders that basic skill.
Having seen your son’s admission notes, if I am being charitable, you were a mum in a state of panic, but the nursing team did say you were abusive enough in the waiting room for them to warn you that security would be called, which is probably a bit more than “speaking firmly” to the “minion”.
I note your son was discharged, advised to take over-the-counter pain relief like ibuprofen and to avoid manual work for seven days, so I am not sure there was a serious sprain. And if he is traumatised by falling off a motorcycle at low speed in a car park then he probably shouldn’t ride one.
There is no meaningful allegation of any negligence against the riding school. Some people are just rubbish at riding a motorcycle. He needs to know the basic skill of clutch control and he needs to be able to ride on typical British roads, so riding in a car park that isn’t bowling green smooth is not negligent. Nor is allowing him to continue to ride in what sounds like quite a cock-eyed way. He is learning a new skill – so if he gets his body position wrong or hangs his leg out like a stabiliser, then the instructor can correct this, but if he falls off, absent of any negligence by the instructor, then that is one of those things.
Maybe take down the “stinking” reviews. Both of them are defamatory and not at all in line with the actual evidence – your son was not “seriously injured as a result of criminal negligence” as your review states. I note your son has not contacted me, left no reviews and didn’t have the A&E department warn him as to his behaviour. Maybe be more like your son.
And you cannot sue anyone on his behalf. He is a grown man without a cause of action and he seems – rather more sensibly than you – to put this minor spill down to experience.
Andrew Dalton
RiDE Magazine – January 2025
