I can’t help but get really frustrated and extremely upset when people call a crash an accident, and I had two of the consultation letters where they wrote road traffic accident or collision without proper attention to what I am saying.
I sadly, and I say this with great sorrow and bitter pain, am a victim of a stupid, cruel, violent, inconsiderate, reckless e-bike rider who committed a criminal act against me, colliding forcefully into my back unexpectedly, while I was walking on the footpath on my own peacefully, and he caused me multiple injuries and fractures that I will live with for a lifetime. He caused me unnecessary pain and agony and this sort of collision is entirely preventable – and even though the rider didn’t intend for the crash to happen, it was still his fault.
I was merely a pedestrian and not on the road at all. So, the language and its technicality should be used and applied wisely. How can you call it- your accident and a road traffic accident when I was not even on the road? It just disturbs me. No one knows how it feels and how it affects me.
I am living with constant pains in my left hand, neck, and knees. That pain and suffering is caused by life-changing injuries I sustained unnecessarily due to a reckless inconsiderate violent cruel e-bike rider. My left hand is malunited, clicks and is sore and not the same hand as before. I am also having difficulty breathing as the fall and the hit impact caused me a fractured nasal septum. I had the correction operation after 18 months of waiting and this caused other consequences that I suffer from, and expecting another nose operation but with no guarantees. My nose is very dry and crusty all the time along with alternative blockage, and it is just driving me crazy. I feel I can’t cope anymore with this; it is just a constant nightmare.
I left my home perfectly fit and well, and came back very poorly and severed injured. It was a very tough time to me, and not sure if I ever will recover totally.
No death or serious injuries should be expected when you are walking on the pavement which is supposed to be a safe heaven. It’s totally unacceptable and should not be inevitable either. How on earth this could happen in a civilised country like the UK? Collisions can result in devastating impacts on the person; death, disabilities, fractures, and injuries that will change life forever, as I have experienced. Why should I suffer and struggle for someone’s ill act against me? This has discouraged me from walking again which I enjoy as a health activity and I stopped walking on that road where this e-bike rider collided on my back with force, to avoid the horrific memory.
I want everyone to know this cruel behaviour and want to campaign this to prevent others from suffering similarly. I believe those driving those dangerous tools should have training, license, and insurance so they will be more vigilant and careful in riding them along with a restricted speed in case something goes wrong. I recall this e-bike rider hit me in my back at great speed and I fell on the ground forcefully causing instantaneous two black eyes, two big bumps on my face (forehead and cheek), fractured nose, fractured left hand and right knee along with whiplash. Does he even know the magnitude of the problem he caused me?
I am not the same person anymore and don’t think I ever will be.
This horrific collision experience affected me physically, emotionally, psychologically, and financially. Just everything. He just ruined everything for me.
Everyone has the entitlement to walk and feel safe on the footpath, only possible if everyone pays due care and attention. We need to be seen and recognised and heard. No one should suffer what I have suffered especially when I wasn’t even crossing the road.
I couldn’t understand how this hit-and-run could happen on the footpath.
I don’t think this person woke up in the morning with the intention to hit me. But having hit me on my back while I was walking on the footpath, he should have stopped, checked on me, and called the police and ambulance but he sped off as if he did nothing.
The CCTV failed to serve its purpose despite a big note in the area where this collision on my back happened at high speed. The police were reluctant to investigate as would be expected. The offender got away with this criminal act against me, with riding on the pavement illegally and with hitting me on my back, and he ran away and was never caught.
To date, I get horrified and distressed seeing any e-bikes and I feel there is something wrong with the justice system in this country.
I had countless appointments with ENT and no one explained the consequences of the long wait nasal septum fracture that I suffer from now. This led me to have one surgery to get it corrected and another one to address the complications without any guarantee. This horrible experience just caused me too much pain, agony, and distress along with long-term damages caused by a reckless inconsiderate e-bike rider.
Thanks to Dr Ebtisam for sharing her story. You can read Ebtisam’s poem below.
Grieving and pained – a tale of sorrow.
And that horrific day came out
Shining with its pale sad light
And terrors passed by
To sit on the lonely hill of sadness
Through that sadness, I pass
Solitudes in silence grieving
All that night in anguish
Deep in the stillness of speech and sound
The invisible shadow of darkness and dangerous
Faster, in the wink of an eye
Glimpse and gone forever
Flamed and fled
And why all the grief is mine
What did I do to deserve this
Dwelling in too much pain, anger, and agony
Pondering over my future ahead
Unwanted guest, uneasy and never rest
What a dreadful memory through the gloom
Sickness-out of the street
Suddenly came out quickly without warning
Impeding evil doom in vain
Mindless to disdain
Penetrated and left a life-unwanted footprints
The trauma is inaccessible and incommunicable
Far away- hard to describe!
A dreadful moment of time
Disturbed my quietness and calmness
Dreams of reached hopes shattered
A sordid flood of hatred
Foolish with dark fatal errors and terrors
His steps are like a chain of hells
Wild monster – evil
Wrapped in reflection of disgrace
Hit me from behind, on the footpath, while walking, with the spinning thick wheel of an e-bike
Blushed me with a pond of blood
Inflicted me with a book full of pain
Tears of me, flow unchecked
Unseen by mortal eye
Sending dreadful dreams
I loudly, at length I cried
Tears that drip all over!
I fade into deep painful misery
Veiled me darkened hours
Blasting my saddened mind
Sinking on an ocean full of suffering, sadness, and pain
Dimmed my days
Silent go, and harmful come
Haunting me in my dreams every night
Dreams, nightmares, ghosts, flashbacks and vain
My soul asking for reasons, for answers
No more to view
My fractured finger can’t function as it was, just oddness and soreness with multiple clicking
Struggling breathing due to blockage of the nose fracture
Feels as if part of my body was taken away unlawfully
Cannot cheer -bestow smile anymore
Stealing unlawfully my nature’s face
A desolate shade
Odour of near killed and deplore
My days burn slowly in awful pain
Empty air and vacant hopes
I was hoping for brighter days
I had plans but all of a sudden bloomed away by a stupid careless reckless speed idiotic vile e-bike rider
Ploughing and stroking me with brutality from behind while walking lawfully on the pavement
To shatter my plans and dreams away
To cause me unnecessary physical harm and great pain
I could not see his evil eyes
I was dreadfully crying of the immense pain he inflicted on me unlawfully
Why would I walk with smiles
That each should be a tear down there
Broken soul, broken morality
Emotionally and physically smashed shattered
Caused me too much agony and unnecessary injuries and multiple fractures
Who counts accountable for this
Why would I get this and the criminal ran away with it enjoying
I never hurt anyone to deserve this
I never knew that walking on the UK’s footpath could bring physical harm that much, that bad
He ruined that day and the coming after
Why causing harm, I demand answers
How unfair life can be?
How unkind, horrible person was he?
Horror horror
I wonder what was he feeling
To hit and run is immoral and cruel
For me here no fancy no more
Laughing his farewell and departed
I stood alone in pain
And lonely I cried
Limping my way to care
Intense harrowing sorrow
Where is judgment and justice
Where is all that
To meet my sorrows for nothing I did wrong
Justice failed to unleash
Inflicted with a scar for life
God what fools those mortals be
Sad sad glow-less moment for me
The darkest day of my life and left me deeply wounded
And the tyrant walked as if he did nothing
Leaving me nests of sadness
Where is hope and faith in justice
Words cannot paint my feelings
Trembling through my story
He will get his comeuppance – amen