After their rear window of their Fiat Punto was smashed by a cycle rack that had slipped from where it had been fitted on their car, one Yorkshire couple narrowly escaped injury on an RTA on the A58 (M).
According to motor accident claim experts writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper, Leeds natives Andrew Thomas and Elizabeth Cooper had been on their way to Devon for a planned cycling weekend at the time of the incident. Thirty year old Mr Thomas, who lives with Ms Cooper in Leeds, had bought both two bikes and the rack itself from their local Halfords branch, personal injury claims specialists writing for the newspaper said.
However, not ten minutes after they had fitted the cycle rack to their car, the couple were startled when the rack dumped both bikes to the road, ripped off the rear spoiler to the vehicle, and smashed its rear window after it slipped. Both Mr Thomas and Ms Cooper were forced to pull off onto the road as a result.
The faulty cycle rack could have caused serious injuries, said thirty seven year old Ms Cooper, who had been badly shaken by the accident. In the wake of the incident, Halfords had initially offered a £100 ‘goodwill gesture’ to the couple, but have since remarked that they will be not only offer a discount on the two purchased cycles but will also be replacing the cycle rack and pay for the repairs needed to the couple’s car.
Luckily for both the couple and for Halfords, none of the other motorists sharing the road with Ms Cooper and Mr Thomas, as a collision with debris could have caused a quite serious incident that could have left to severe injuries.