Ask the lawyer
Gavin Grewal, used to volunteer his time as a special constable which gave him a good insight into how evidence is gathered from accident scenes. Gavin is partner at specialist motorcycle solicitors White Dalton.
Is a flashing light on my rucksack at night illegal?
22 Jun 2023
I am having a bit of a debate with a member of my advanced group of riders. I commute into the city most days and in the autumn and winter, during the misty mornings, I have a high-intensity flashing beacon on my Kriega rucksack.
Should the dealer have told me about my new bike’s payload?
18 May 2023
I own a large adventure touring motorcycle that I bought from a franchised dealer and when they saw me, they must have been able to see I am a big lad.
Can I claim for loss of earnings after a motorcycle accident?
19 Jan 2023
I think I may have made a terrible mistake. I had a motorcycle accident four years ago. At first it seemed I had soft-tissue injuries.
Do I bring a claim in France or suck up the losses?
22 Dec 2022
I was fairly injured in France last year. The accident facts are quite straightforward; I was on a roundabout when a car cut me up from the inside, then decided to go right (i.e. across me) and scooped me up.
Am I on the hook for a hire bike I didn’t need?
01 Dec 2022
I have what seems to be a pretty major problem. My bike was knocked over in a London parking bay.
I’m being told to settle for less than lost earnings. Is that fair?
03 Nov 2022
I am a 43-year-old bloke that has not long left the Army, having done my 22 years. I was riding into work when a car turned right across me – I was unable to avoid hitting it and did myself a fair bit of harm.
I thought it was a mechanical fault…
06 Oct 2022
I had an unexplained loss of control on my bike that I initially believed was a mechanical fault.
Surely she can’t hit me, say “black ice” and get away with it?
15 Sep 2022
I was hit by a car from behind as I was waiting in a queue of traffic. It was all very low speed but as the bike went down, it got pushed along the road on its side with me sat on the car’s bonnet.
I was speeding, will it affect my claim?
18 Aug 2022
I was riding along a straight stretch of road and in the opposite lane, saw a camper van heading towards me, indicating right. I carried on and when I was really close to the camper van, it turned right, across my path.
Do the Police have a duty to clean up diesel after an accident?
28 Jul 2022
I was involved in an accident with no warning. I was riding around an easy sweeping bend when my bike just fell out from underneath me.
My bike was knocked over in Spain. How do I get reimbursed?
07 Jul 2022
My Yamaha FJR1800 was knocked down in Spain a few weeks ago. A driver reversed his car into me but as good luck would have it, the whole thing was captured on my bike’s on-board video. So, how do I get reimbursed for the damage for my bike? It is around £3000.
If he had a blow-out and then knocked me off, can I claim?
23 Jun 2022
I was involved in a side swipe on the motorway. I was in lane two, my speed set by cruise control to 70 mph.
Is pushing a motorcycle in a pedestrian area an offence?
09 Jun 2022
I have been ticketed for getting off my motorcycle and pushing it through a pedestrianised area.
Do I have to pay for a hire bike I didn’t even want?
19 May 2022
I was knocked off my bike at a roundabout, whilst stationary in the summer of 2019.
My Irish cousin used my bike. Police say he had no insurance. What can I do?
10 Mar 2022
I lent my spare bike – a tough old Fazer 1000 winter hack – to my cousin who came over from Ireland in May.
Can I put my bike in a van or on a trailer and travel to France?
17 Feb 2022
I am planning on taking my bike into France later this year – it’s a street-legal trackday bike.
The farm trailer I hit had illegal tyres – can I claim?
09 Dec 2021
I was riding my old dual-sport bike along a narrow single-track road. Ahead of me was a farmer on a quad towing a big livestock trailer.
Can I claim from a central fund instead of my own insurance?
11 Nov 2021
I was riding along a busy road in North Devon. Just as all the campers and caravanners were heading to the seaside.
