Was on my way home tonight following a young girl in a Corsa. We're both waiting to turn onto a busy main road, she is going left, I want to go straight across. Due to the way the road bends the view to the right isn't great but you have probably 100 yards or so of visibility (can be a pain when cars are going fast).

Anyway, the traffic on the main road stops briefly and when it restarts the last car in the queue (an Escort) waves the Corsa out, she moves about 3 feet before I see a biker hit the front of the car and cartwheel over her bonnet . I can't understand how he hit her when she had moved such a small amount, but it appears that he had been passing the stationary car on the inside (ie between the kerb and the car), probably believing the Escort was turning off the road to the right (can't see any reason why he would do that otherwise ).

The biker was a bit shaken, and reckon he'd broken his wrist. Bike (a Kawasaki Ninja) was fooked, I helped lift it up and the Corsa had a bit dent on the bonnet and wing. I gave them my details as a witness.

I can't really decide whose fault it would be though? Obviously the girl shouldn't have pulled out on someone, but likewise the biker shouldn't have been there anyway - should he?

 

Yep, biker had right of way if she was entering the road.

Whether he should have been pushbiking up the inside or not and liability is not for you to decide, you are merely a witness and can only state what you saw.

I know it's a line of traffic, but waving people out is a big risk. I've seen people actually stop to do it!

 

After that start I did wonder where this post was going!!!

 

So the bike was undertaking on the inside of the traffic?

 

Bike was undertaking but she still pulled out in to traffic, her fault.

 

Sounds like the bikers fault to me - if the Escort wasn't indicating to turn right and the biker has assumed s/he is making a right turn just because they have slowed down, then undertaking between the car and the kerb is asking for trouble.

 

Her fault, bike's right of way regardless of anything he might have been doing wrong.

Found that out the hard way 6 years ago.

 

If I was driving along in my car and the vehicle in front of me stopped to let someone out of a side road, and I decided to squeeze through between car and kerb and then hit the vehicle pulling out of the side road I would expect to be held at least partly responsible.

 

Biker was an idiot and deserves the blame, though I suspect legally it might be different.

 

Have to agree with above comments. It doesn't matter, how fast the biker was going, or even if he was undertaking, she still pulled onto a major road from a minor/side road. Her fault I'm sorry to say.

It's always risky when someone waves you out, as people don't do it very often these days. Glad to hear the biker is not dead, and only getting a possible broken wrist. Could have been so much worse.