£5,000 for child injured by faulty bicycle

March 2011

Do you remember the joy of receiving a new bicycle as a child, especially for as a Christmas or birthday present?

One little boy’s present turned out to be not so joyful when the frame broke and collapsed whilst he was riding it. The accident resulted in a number of injuries to the lower half of his body and the young boy had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

The frame of the bicycle, which was purchased from one of Britain’s leading cycle retailers, had snapped due to obviously poor welding. As it was clear that the bicycle was faulty and ‘not fit for purpose’ then our client had a number of consumer rights and protections under the Sale of Goods Act and product liability law.

Bartletts made a claim for compensation on behalf of the injured boy. In these circumstances, unless the retailer was able to prove that the bicycle was not defective, then they are responsible for any injuries to customers and have insurance in place to cover such claims.

As the retailer was unable to prove that the bicycle had not been defective, then they agreed to settle and pay compensation of £5,000.

In any case involving a minor, then the court gets involved to ensure that the compensation is invested and protected in the interests of the child and it will become available to them when they reach eighteen.

You can call our legal team without obligation on Freephone 0800 988 3676. Or if you would prefer for us to contact you either make a claim online or use our call back request feature and one of our solicitors will contact you at your convenience.