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Having covered most aspects of personal injury news from whiplash through to fatal industrial disease, this particular damages compensation worker was becoming a little jaded by the arguments for and against safety helmets in pastimes such as cycling, skiing and skateboarding, then one day last week my partner arrived home bloodied and visibly shaken after a fall from his bicycle and my apathetic viewpoint changed irrevocably.
No other party was involved, so my telling of the incident is not going to breach any compensation claim interests - it was just an accident that happened on a summer afternoon, after an August downpour which had left the roads greasy and treacherous. The significance of the retelling is in the fact that the rider was wearing a cycle helmet.
Over the last few years there has been much debate about the effectiveness of such protective headgear in the event of an accident and whilst many neurosurgeons and health care professionals have joined the pro-helmet lobby, there are many free-spirited, pro-choice dudes out there who say a polystyrene hat is not going to help you much in the event of a high speed crash. And yes, most people will concede that when it comes to bike rider versus HGV the presence of cycle helmet is not going to be of much use in the prevention of personal injury.
Still, let my partner be a lesson to you, as I firmly believe the £25 safety device he was wearing last week saved his life.
As already mentioned the road was slippery and it was pouring with rain, and as he tried to negotiate a curb the tyres apparently slid from beneath him and he came crashing down. Luckily, there was no traffic nearby to run him over, but his forearm and leg connected with tarmac and his head hit the kerb.
Back home he was shaken and dripping blood, but thankful that he was walking and his bike hadn't suffered too much damage – the same could not be said of his cycle helmet.
When we inspected it, the polystyrene structure at the rear of the helmet was completely cracked through – the ribs of the protective structure had taken the full force of the blow and had completely succumbed to the impact. And as we contemplated the damage it was shocking to think that had he not been wearing the hat it would have been his head that connected with the pavement and his skull would have absorbed the thud. Instead of a man with a grazed elbow and knee, and a bit of a headache, we could have had a man in a coma with severe brain injury.
Suffice it to say, I have now officially joined the pro-helmet brigade and will continue to be in favour of their use in the prevention of personal injury – cue a visit to our local bike shop for a family cycle helmet fitting session and the strong resolution to sing the praises of safety equipment for the foreseeable future.
