Hi guys, I just want to get some advice about an accident that happened to me recently. I was riding my bike, at a fairly fast speed (it was downhill and I admit I was in a bit of a hurry). I was biking on the right side of the sidewalk, where there was a 711 convenience store to my right. There was another cyclist on my left, and I didn’t know that he wanted to go to the 711. So the moment he turned, our bikes hit one another. He said “itai” a lot after we hit. Luckily, none of our bikes were damaged or anything, it seems. He checked himself after and said his leg hurts a bit. (My Japanese is poor.) For me, my fingers got bruised after the crash but I didn’t say anything about it. I just kept on saying sorry and asking if he was okay.
No police came, but two guys came over to check on us. He seemed okay with not getting the police involved. We exchanged contact numbers. Later, he called and asked if I had insurance. I said yes. Then he said that since I’m a gaijin and that the insurance process is troublesome, he asked me if I was okay to pay for the damages I had caused him (he mentioned hospital visit). He asked me how much I can pay. I said I’m just a student, and I don’t have much idea on the costs in Japan, so I asked him how much is on his mind. He said 5000 yen, and I said I will get back to him.
I just want to share my story and get some advice, learn some lessons, by posting here. Any comments or advice on how to proceed from here would be very helpful. Thank you! I should have been more careful.
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1. always call the police, always
2. give him your insurance information, tell him to deal directly with them, put simply you’re either dealing with the nicest person alive or being scammed – either way this is exactly why you have insurance, use it. If they are the nicest person alive they’ll get more money from your insurance. If its a scam they’ll get nothing and you’ll have peace of mind knowing you tried to help them.
How does being a gaijin make the insurance process troublesome? I guess he could mean language since he realised your English was “poor”. But, the insurance process is conducted by the insurance company, not you. I would just do this through insurance – there’s a chance this 5000 yen, becomes more and more. It’s very odd that he wants to avoid insurance and it screams scam in the making.
So, he turned across your path (bumping his front wheel on your back wheel, I surmise) and crashed, and he blames you?
(But yes, always call the police to protect yourself. In this case, they would take a report and likely tell you both to let your insurance companies handle it.)
My first question is, why did you exchange numbers if it was all agreed no harm done? Were you gonna go drinking?
DONT give anyone money directly ever. Always go though police and insurance. Thats what they are there for.
Do NOT pay. In fact, he should be the one who should compensate any damage he caused on your bike since he failed to check if the path is clear before turning.
I had the exact same scenario as you, going downhill, and the other guy turned into me while trying to go into a side road. Guy fully paid for my bicycle repairs and I agreed not to ask for more compensation for the slight injuries I got on my hand in exchange. For a while after the accident I thought I was largely at fault for not slowing down on a downhill and unable to brake in time but I have since been advised that the other guy should have checked before turning into my path.
My non-lawyer-advice suggestion to you is to block his number.
5000 is in line with an hospital visit. Since you are at fault (FFS Don’t ride on the sidewalk, especially at speed!), I’d just pay and make clear that I would block the number afterwards and not accept any more claim.
I’m pretty sure if he was serious he would have contacted his insurance and given them your information.
Why were you riding on the sidewalk? Especially at a “fairly fast speed”? It’s dangerous as you may have noticed, no one expects (or should expect) a fast moving object on the sidewalk.
Block the guys number and move on. If someone says they won’t want to involve the police or insurance you need to involve the police or insurance or say “OK bye”
You’ve been told already to involve police.
On the claims, it seems like he’s asking you to cover his hospital visit. 5000 yen is not much. However, to think about it, why would he have any rights to claim anything?
Are you absolutely sure it’s you on the wrong there? It seems to me that he didn’t check either (ok, you riding on the sidewalk is not good too).
Insurance will probably do nothing, as you didn’t involve the police.
Here are the possibilities:
1) Ghost the dude completely. It’s immoral and not a nice thing to do, but read further.
2) Ask him to settle for a smaller sum and do pay or just pay what he asks. Two serious caveats here. How do you document the act of payment? Are you sure he won’t be asking for anything more later?
3) Therefore, my advice would be to involve the insurance company and not pay anything directly. They will try to jump out of it, since police was not involved, but you can try to involve them anyway. I’m not sure if police involvement is necessary. And if your insurance doesn’t work, then sorry dude but no payment.
Like what people have suggested to you – please call the police. Even if it’s late. I’m not a lawyer but everything I’ve learnt in driving school here says that if you have a “victim” go to the police later, the police will take what you did as a hit & run.
No police record . No witnesses. Block the guys number, renew your insurance and consider it a lesson learned.
If he wants to use insurance he has to go the hospital… get a form from
The hospital and file a police report…
It sounds like he just wants money
You got taken for a chump.
Can he show a medical proof, the bill of the hospital ?
You’re getting scammed for pocket change by an amateur that needs ¥5k. If that’s all he’s asking he can’t afford a lawyer. Pay it or don’t, either way you’ll be fine
I’d ghost like a second date gone wrong.
5000 yen seems reasonable. I don’t think it was only your fault as he should have checked behind before going right (imagine cars or bikes not doing so). But I would pay it and wish him good luck, no more.
Going the asshole mode and saying him to go to the insurance will waste you both more time, which is more important than 5000 yens. And don’t expect English to be spoken in the process.
He wants you to pay for the damages you caused him = he needs to show you a hospital receipt. And if he does send you one, make sure it’s at the right type of clinic and the date is when the accident happened.
Just an FYI telling the police isn’t a suggestion, it’s the law. Bicycles are legally defined as small vehicles and as such any collision between vehicles has to be reported to the police.
You can still, and should contact the police about it now. DO NOT PAY THIS PERSON MONEY! There is a reason why this person did not call the police. He could be wanted for another crime for example.
Isn’t he at fault for turning out right in front of you?
Tell him your finger hurts and you’d need to go get an x-ray.
Tell him it’s going to cost………………… about 5,000 yen and you accept all major payment types.
Or suggest that you can call it even and leave it at that.
Doesn’t sound like you’re definitively at fault, paying him money might accidentally make you look like you’re admitting fault and then you’re screwed when he turns around and says “oh actually the collision gave me cancer and I need chemotherapy now” or something equally bizarre and far-fetched.
Either you call the police to the scene or you forget it happened.
Anything else is just asking to be exploited.