A British holidaymaker was hospitalized for six days France after a horror bicycle accident with a car.
Stuart Payne, 46, traveled with three friends in April to attend Paris-Roubaix, a professional cycling road race.
On the last day of the holiday, the project engineer from Manchester was reportedly hit from behind by a car as he returned to his accommodation in Lille.
Mr Payne suffered a lacerated liver, four broken ribs, a punctured lung and damage to his neck and shoulder.
Although she eventually returned to the scene, the motorist was initially unable to stop, Mr Payne claimed.
“We had rented a place in Lille, and I was just on my way back to our digs when the car crashed into the back of me,” the father of two recalls.
The father-of-two suffered a lacerated liver, four broken ribs, a punctured lung and damage to his neck and shoulder
Stuart Payne suffered a lacerated liver, four broken ribs, a punctured lung and damage to his neck and shoulder as a result of the incident.
“It’s not like I was standing in the middle of the road or anything like that. I was on the cycle path and the road, like many in France, was very wide.’
He claimed: ‘I was out of it when I got off my bike but I can’t believe the woman rode away – even though at least she had the decency to come back.’
The next morning, Mr Payne said he was in ‘so much pain’ and had spent five days in intensive care due to his ruptured liver damage.
“My friends stayed with me for a few days, but they couldn’t do anything, so I told them to go home,” he said.
The Brit was given the Eurostar home from Lille because he was not allowed to fly due to the extent of his injuries.
“What happened was terrible, but it is what it is: you just have to keep moving and keep going,” he added.
Mr Payne is now seeking compensation for his injuries in France.
Paul Rimmer, a senior litigation manager at Hudgell Solicitors and part of the legal team responsible for Mr Payne, said: ‘We allege that the driver was driving too fast in the circumstances and that she failed to exercise reasonable care and skill in driving the vehicle to ensure the reasonable safety of Stuart.
‘Under the Loi Badinter (a French law relating to the potential liability of drivers and non-drivers in the event of an accident), we believe that Stuart was completely innocent of what happened.’
The car that allegedly hit British holidaymaker Payne in France
An avid cyclist, Mr Payne is now demanding compensation for the injuries he suffered in France
Another Briton, Darren Cummins, was left with his leg ‘dangling’ after a motorcycle accident Thailand And racked up thousands of pounds in medical bills.
Mr Cummins, 34, went on holiday to the popular Asian destination in 2015 and loved it so much he stayed, leaving behind his hometown of Falkirk, Scotland.
He often rides his motorcycle to see the ‘beauty’ of the country, but during one ride, on June 13, he collided with a 100 km/h car that was reportedly making a U-turn into oncoming traffic.
The business development consultant claimed his leg “took the brunt of the impact” and said his ankle and six inches of his shin were shattered and “scattered across the road.”
