Driver sues cyclist for car damage after she runs him down.
A Manhattan woman is suing our client, a Brooklyn Cyclist, for $ 2000 for damaged to her car after she mowed him down on a Brooklyn street.
In May of 2014 cyclist John Roemer, just days before his college graduation, was seriously injured in a bike crash when he was struck from behind while traveling northbound on Union Avenue in Brooklyn. The crash was so violent that it fractured John’s hip, caused multiple internal injuries and put him in the ICU for three days.
The driver’s insurance company quickly acknowledged the crash was the fault of its driver. Within weeks of the crash we recovered the full value of John’s bike. Shortly thereafter her insurance company tendered its full policy limits resolve John’s personal injury claim.
You would think that would be the end. However, she is now dragging him to Small Claims Court in Manhattan where she is suing him for $ 2000.00 for damage to her car as a result of the crash.
Mind you, at the scene of the crash there were no visible skid marks found on the street. John heard no horn or skid of tires before she plowed him down. His bike was found by witnesses (see photo above) wedged under her car and had to be pulled out from beneath it.
As a New York Bicycle accident attorney, this is not the first time our firm has encountered this bizarre behavior. In 2013 Brooklyn Cyclist Justin Johnsen was run over by a NYPD unmarked vehicle sending him to the hospital. Rather than receiving an apology note from the City, their attorneys sent Justin a bill for more than $1,200 dollars for damage to its vehicle. As a result of our firm’s pro bono efforts, the City quickly dropped that case and ended their program of prosecuting claims against victims of crashes their employees cause.
As to John’s case, I will be appearing in Small Claims Court with him this upcoming January to vigorously defend this claim. Stay tuned for more details about this one.
