Lawford Kidd's Blog

A cyclist who was forced to quit his job due to life changing injuries has been awarded £100,000 in compensation in an out of court settlement.

48-year-old Heath Marshall was left with a serious skull fracture and leg injuries following a crash involving a motorbike. He also suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as well as experiencing flashbacks of the incident. Due to the extent of the injuries, the cyclist was forced to quit his job which left him unable to save for a property which he was looking to move into with his partner and children.

As well as shattering his knee and finding it hard to concentrate on matters as a result of his head injury, the 48-year-old also had to cancel his wedding due to the injuries sustained and struggled to continue cycling, a hobby he loved.

A new map plotting cyclist accident hotspots has revealed the most dangerous areas for vulnerable road users to use.

The statistics, which come from Transport Scotland reveal the most likely places for fatal and serious injuries with the study revealing a mixed success rate. This year has seen a significant reduction in the number of fatal accidents involving cyclists . However, there has been a slight increase in the number of cyclists seriously injured.

Last year eight cyclists lost their lives on Scotland’s roads, a substantial drop of 38.5% from the previous year however almost 900 cyclists were seriously injured, indicating a slight rise of 0.5%.

New research shows that child pedestrians in Scotland are much more likely to be injured in road traffic accidents than adults across the nation.

Specifically, the recent study by Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH), shows that the risk for children is two-and-a-half times more than the risk for adults.