On 15 Nov, 00:17, wrote:
Norman wrote:
On Nov 14, 2:26*am, wrote:
* *I continue to try to recoup damages for dog/bike accident I was in
last year. *A dog ran in front of me, causing me to swerve and crash. *
But the dog owner's insurance people are laying the blame on me,
claiming that I was riding too fast (I was doing about 15 mph), lost
control even though the dog was thirty feet away from me, fishtailed for
sixty feet (really, that's what they're saying!), and finally went down.
* *So I thought I'd solicit the experiences of others here who may have
had run-ins with dogs, which might have caused a crash or injury, or in
which you were able to avoid the dog.
* *Anyone have a story they'd like to share?
Dogs, as predators, are hardwired to chase fast-
moving things. *This instinct is very useful when
subsumed into herding behaviour, and very dif-
ficult to overcome when mounted on a bicycle,
because if the dog sees that you are not attacking
him, he is compelled to pursue. *The only fool-
proof method that I know of (having tried water,
shouting "no", etc etc) is 280 grains of plumbum
applied carefully to the skull of the animal in
question. *Applicators do vary, so be familiar
with the one you choose, & remember that the
irate owner may inadvertently request that a
similar application be applied to him. *Make
sure you have a good excuse.

* *I appreciate the advice to seek legal redress in this case. *I have
retained a prominent local legal firm that specializes in accident
cases. *The case is still in the negotiating phase, and I'm not
particularly eager to see it go all the way to court. *I have little
doubt that I'd win, but court can take a LONG time.
* *My OP was motivated by a letter from the dog owner's insurance
company that my attorney copied to me. *I have already written back
pointing out how the dog owner's claims violate everything from common
sense to the laws of physics. *(It's clear that neither the insurance
person nor the dog owner knows anything significant about riding a
bike.) *I also mentioned the canine predatory instinct. *I also pointed
out that the dog should not have been out there unleashed, period. *And
I said that it seems an odd coincidence that I have ridden that route
literally 1000 times before without a problem, but suddenly would
coincidentally crash just when the dog happened to be there.
* *Clearly the dog owner is liable. *In fact, since he's insured I don't
know why he feels motivated to try and stonewall like this. *What I'm
looking for is anecdotes like thirty-six's about other, preferably
experienced, cyclists, who have been injured because of an unrestrained
dog's persuit/harassment/attack behavior.
* *My thanks for all the responses so far. *Anybody else got something
to chip in? *If nothing else, I'd happy to tally up some votes about my
speed. *Is 15 mph too fast to keep a bike under control? *(I know, I
know, but I'm asking for YOUR opinions.)


Only if you're not using studded tyres on black ice, and there's a
wind blowing, and your trying to get a new car battery home by
balancing it on the handlebars. That may cause a less experienced
cyclist to lose control or fall. Yes, the only reason you would lose
control is if the wheels were unstable, you were carrying a heavy load
and travelling too quickly. Actually there's no such thing as to
quickly on a bicycle, it the environment that's wrong. Oh, like
stray dogs. For you to suddenly lose control at 'speed' the bike
would have to be defecvtive in some way. Could be useful to get a
report in the days following the incident, you have kept copies of
performed maintenance history which can be presented in court, and
would be so much the better if authorised by an acknowledged mechanic./
technician/engineer etc.

15mph may be a bit quick for a child's bike but I seem to recalllthat
Raleigh tested their childrens bikes for stability using a speed test
which accelerated the bike up to 40mph. Adult bikes should be stable
at all speeds, unfortunately not all are and it is possibly that this
is the angle of attack. No way at all should a bike be unstable at
15mph and if it was you would hve rejected it as being unsuitable.
Stability is also affected by load, so if you were carrying more than
a packet of cornflakes someone may attempt to claim you were
overloaded. It is certainly possible to lose control of a bicycle at
15mph if it was overloaded and on rough ground but extremely
unlikely.

15mph - too fast? It's the stopping that hurts, not the speed. Make
it 45mph and I'm happy. 15mph is slow.