hurt on the luas

dbnavan

I was on the Luas today when someone walked out in front of it and it had to jam on very suddenly. I fell forward onto a railing and sprained my finger(I know its a sprain having been a goalkeeper and had it several times i know the feeling), the driver asked was anyone hurt and I was only one.

He wanted to know if I wanted to report it or go to the hospital and I said no its ok, no point in claiming for a sprained finger very very sore but if i would have loved to claim off someone it was the idiot that walked out infront of the tram.

Very sore finger tonight straped it up myself, but question is would everyone have reacted the same way, I can hardly hold to company or driver to blame for avoiding killing someone even if they were an idiot. People have claimed for less.

Draupnir

You should have gone to the hospital or at least mad a complaint to the driver. If your finger is mangled now then you have no comeback since you made no complaint or report.

lodgepole

dbnavan wrote:

Very sore finger tonight straped it up myself, but question is would everyone have reacted the same way, I can hardly hold to company or driver to blame for avoiding killing someone even if they were an idiot. People have claimed for less.

Fair play to you, most people wouldn't have the decency to accept it as an accident. I don't know if drivers have to report incidents like that, but it may have been worthwhile asking him to make note of it officially.

dbnavan

Draupnir wrote:

You should have gone to the hospital or at least mad a complaint to the driver. If your finger is mangled now then you have no comeback since you made no complaint or report.

Complain over what? The fact that he hurt my finger over instead of kill someone? Gone to hospital to add to the 337 tonight in our causulty wards and maybe wait 6/7 to do something i could do myself?

projectmayhem

dbnavan wrote:

Complain over what? The fact that he hurt my finger over instead of kill someone? Gone to hospital to add to the 337 tonight in our causulty wards and maybe wait 6/7 to do something i could do myself?

you did the right thing. like you said, it was put up or add another person to the hospital queue and try and earn a quick buck off someone elses stupidity

junkyard

Fair play to you for not making a big deal out of it. Not being from Dublin or having seen the Luas close up only what I've seen on T.V. I'm surprised there hasn't been more accidents than there have been. Does it have seat belts? Do you have to stand if there are no seats available? If this is the case there could be safety implications.

jd

junkyard wrote:

Does it have seat belts? Do you have to stand if there are no seats available? If this is the case there could be safety implications.

just like any light-rail commuter system in the world, really.:rolleyes:

Dave!

yeah fair play to you. there's too many people who sue because they can (as opposed to because they need to).

Guy:Incognito

junkyard wrote:

Fair play to you for not making a big deal out of it. Not being from Dublin or having seen the Luas close up only what I've seen on T.V. I'm surprised there hasn't been more accidents than there have been. Does it have seat belts? Do you have to stand if there are no seats available? If this is the case there could be safety implications.

Ho so? Full size trains dont have seatbelts and go faster, busses dont and as pointed out above, other light rail around the world dont either.


Oh, to OP, fair play for the reaction (or lack of).

jonny68

I fell to the floor 2 years ago on the LUAS when the driver had to brake suddendly in order to avoid hitting some junkie scumbag who was so out of his head nr Heuston Statiion he didn't realise just how close he came to death,i wouldn't mind it was my 2nd ever time to use the LUAS :eek: thankfully since then apart from the odd driver braking a bit hard there have been no incidents.

JohnCleary

I wouldnt have filed against the LUAS tbh, the driver braked to avoid killing someone.

However, if you got your hands on the person that jumped out infront of the LUAS... :mad:

TomTom

I too have fallen on the luas but never hurt myself. One day though on the green line the driver had to break suddenly coming into beechwood as some asshole broke the lights and drove out in front of it. Being a true muppet he stoped when he saw the luas but if he kept going the luas would not have had to stop. The luas had to grind to a halt as the tosser sat on the track staring at it for a few moments. The bad thing was, a guy in his late 50's early 60's was walking to the door to get off and when the luas broke he fell. he banged his head and was bleeding a bit. The driver came out and kept apologising and called an ambulance. The guy did not want an ambulance but as he banged his head the driver insisted on it. The guy told the driver it was not his fault and not to worry about it. He was only doing his job. He was lucky we were pulling into a station and the luas was going slow enough as i'd say if it was going full speed he would have broke himself up alltogether off the drivers door, along with a few other people.

I think the luas is great but some people out there need to have darwins theory forcefully applied to them.

Slutmonkey57b

I think it should be illegal for luas drivers to brake for pedestrians. Anyone stupid enough to hop out in front of a tram to save themselves 30 seconds deserves whatever they get. It's not like the extra 30 seconds is going to be spent shagging supermodels, is it?

funk-you

Slutmonkey57b wrote:

It's not like the extra 30 seconds is going to be spent shagging supermodels, is it?

Speak for yourself.

-Funk

The Real B-man

Fair play its people like you that stop Ireland turning into & Suing Nation for small accidents the like the usa "i broke a nail im Suing your ass"

Fighting Irish

Lodgepole wrote:

Fair play to you, most people wouldn't have the decency to accept it as an accident. I don't know if drivers have to report incidents like that, but it may have been worthwhile asking him to make note of it officially.

:rolleyes: he should have at least being brought to the hospital

Fighting Irish

Slutmonkey57b wrote:

I think it should be illegal for luas drivers to brake for pedestrians. Anyone stupid enough to hop out in front of a tram to save themselves 30 seconds deserves whatever they get. It's not like the extra 30 seconds is going to be spent shagging supermodels, is it?

I only read the bolded part and didn't read anymore :rolleyes:

Nietzschean

Fighting Irish wrote:

:rolleyes: he should have at least being brought to the hospital

Why? he obviously didn't feel the need......... As pointed out they are a bit on the over-crowded side already...

I only read the bolded part and didn't read anymore

Short attention span?

It might be somewhat OTT(and intentionally so) , but the sentiment is right, certainly should be some sort of offence legally to be doing it.

WhiteWashMan

you should have gone to hospital.

lodgepole

Why should he have gone to hospital? Even if he had broken his finger, a broken finger isn't worth taking up a place in a the A&E for.

And the over the top statement about running over pedestrians is nonsense, even the sentiment. Accidents happen. There's a thousand different reasons why somebody may find themselves accidentally in front of a car or LUAS.

Fighting Irish

Nietzschean wrote:

Why? he obviously didn't feel the need......... As pointed out they are a bit on the over-crowded side already...

Very sore finger tonight straped it up myself

And it obviously must be serious enough if he has to ask us about it

Nietzschean wrote:

Short attention span?

It might be somewhat OTT(and intentionally so) , but the sentiment is right, certainly should be some sort of offence legally to be doing it.

I think it should be illegal for luas drivers to brake for pedestrians

Illegal for a lus driver to brake for pedestrians!!!!
Would you be happy if it was made ILLEGAL for car drivers to brake for pedestrians?

Fighting Irish

Lodgepole wrote:

Why should he have gone to hospital? Even if he had broken his finger, a broken finger isn't worth taking up a place in a the A&E for.

And the over the top statement about running over pedestrians is nonsense, even the sentiment. Accidents happen. There's a thousand different reasons why somebody may find themselves accidentally in front of a car or LUAS.

Welll maybe not a hospital considering the state they are in, but maybe a doctors or something?

WhiteWashMan

Lodgepole wrote:

Why should he have gone to hospital? Even if he had broken his finger, a broken finger isn't worth taking up a place in a the A&E for. .

if i was injured in an accident, i would go to the hospital.
what you feel is right or wrong has nothing to do with it.

if theres an injury, why wouldnt you get it looked at? at what point do you consider an injury serious enough to warrant a wait in A&E?

id it the point of too much blood loss?
is it the point that you have fainted?
is it after being crushed by falling masonry?

i would consider a broken finger worth taking up a place in A&E by the way.
especially if it is caused by someone else.

Gurgle

WhiteWashMan wrote:

i would consider a broken finger worth taking up a place in A&E by the way.
especially if it is caused by someone else.

Worth the place as in you're entitled to the place? Of course
Worth hanging around and wasting 7-8 hours of your life for no medical treatment ? Maybe not

dbnavan

A few years back while teaching in a school I decided to play soccer with some of the lads in PE to even up the team, during this I injured my wrist, bad sprain and because it was a work related injury I had to go the hospital for insurance purposes. I sat from 2.30 til 9 that night waiting for a doctor to look at an xray which was taken about say 5.30.

He eventually told me yes its just a sprain, wrap it up nothing we can do, only reason I went on this occasion as I said, it was work related. Wasn't going to take up another casualty spot yesterday just for the sake of it, IMO even if I had broken my arm or whatever, why should LUAS be responsible they didn't intend to see me hurt, the driver did nothing wrong, the whole meaning of accident seems to be forgotten in society when there might be a chance of a claim.

I remember years ago my grandfather was knocked down because he was standing in the middle of a road and crossing over when he stepped backwards to let a car by and was hit from a car behind. anyway the driver accepted responsibility and by grandfather said "don't be silly man, it was my own bloody fault, i don't want your money". If more people took this attitude insurance costs would be so much lower.

That is not to say I would never claim off someone but there would have to be a strong reason and a non beneficial financial gain.

Ruaidhri

Fighting Irish wrote:

Illegal for a lus driver to brake for pedestrians!!!!
Would you be happy if it was made ILLEGAL for car drivers to brake for pedestrians?

Quite happy! Actually, I'd invest in bull-bars.

Something from my childhood is coming back to me..something about looking left,right,left,right,forwards,backwards before attempting to cross a road.

It isn't that hard to get hit by a tram, they are almost silent, unlike cars, and usually run in random places. In Dublin at least there's an obvious track, but I nearly got hit in Amsterdam and I'm the most cautious person ever.

Civilian_Target

TomTom wrote:

I think the luas is great but some people out there need to have darwins theory forcefully applied to them.

I agree - education from the front end of a 100 ton tram would do some people the world of good.

Terry

dbnavan wrote:

A few years back while teaching in a school I decided to play soccer with some of the lads in PE to even up the team, during this I injured my wrist, bad sprain and because it was a work related injury I had to go the hospital for insurance purposes. I sat from 2.30 til 9 that night waiting for a doctor to look at an xray which was taken about say 5.30.

He eventually told me yes its just a sprain, wrap it up nothing we can do, only reason I went on this occasion as I said, it was work related. Wasn't going to take up another casualty spot yesterday just for the sake of it, IMO even if I had broken my arm or whatever, why should LUAS be responsible they didn't intend to see me hurt, the driver did nothing wrong, the whole meaning of accident seems to be forgotten in society when there might be a chance of a claim.

I remember years ago my grandfather was knocked down because he was standing in the middle of a road and crossing over when he stepped backwards to let a car by and was hit from a car behind. anyway the driver accepted responsibility and by grandfather said "don't be silly man, it was my own bloody fault, i don't want your money". If more people took this attitude insurance costs would be so much lower.

That is not to say I would never claim off someone but there would have to be a strong reason and a non beneficial financial gain.

damn right.
there is a family around the corner from me who have made a living from friviolous claims. it's a joke.
i've been knocked down and in three or four car crashes (no driving myself) and have never claimed. i wasn't seriously injured in any of these incidents, yet several people were baffled as to why i didn't claim.
the time i was knocked down (moped hit my bicycle as i crossed the road), i lay on the ground for about ten minutes. i jokingly told the driver of the moped that i was going to sue him for all he had. he started panicking, so i told him i was kidding. i then got up and hobbled home. i was fine a couple of days later.
people making ridiculous claims are the reason motor insurance is so high in this country.

lodgepole

WhiteWashMan wrote:

if i was injured in an accident, i would go to the hospital.
what you feel is right or wrong has nothing to do with it.

if theres an injury, why wouldnt you get it looked at? at what point do you consider an injury serious enough to warrant a wait in A&E?

The OP said that he knew it was a sprain, having had the injury before. I've been injured many times and not going to a hosptial or a doctor's office, it's all down to how you feel personally about it. If the OP didn't think he needed to go and made a judgement call in that manner, then there is no real reason why he should. I could understand if he had hit his head... That's the kind of injury that can go unnoticed until it's too late.

Ruaidhri wrote:

Quite happy! Actually, I'd invest in bull-bars.

Something from my childhood is coming back to me..something about looking left,right,left,right,forwards,backwards before attempting to cross a road.

The anonymous world of the internet is a wonderful place to make such statements. Utter ****e is what it is. As though every pedestrian killed in a road accident is killed as a result of their own misconduct on the road. Have you ever lost an aquaintance in such a way? If so, do you hold them in the same regard?

Ruaidhri

Lodgepole wrote:

The anonymous world of the internet is a wonderful place to make such statements.

Hmm,that's why I use my real first name. And also hint at my location. Not an assumed moniker...Perfect anonymity. I'd say the same thing in real life, except you might get the hint of a joke from it there...

Utter ****e is what it is. As though every pedestrian killed in a road accident is killed as a result of their own misconduct on the road. Have you ever lost an aquaintance in such a way? If so, do you hold them in the same regard?

No,I've not lost anybody to traffic accidents. Are you honestly suggesting that every pedestrian is careful?

And I've spend a LONG time as a pedestrian. I always check oncoming traffic if I'm crossing a road. I've never had an accident, I've never even had a close call. It could have something to do with not taking a risk when I'm a squishy bag of organs against a few hundred kilo's of hard metal with large momentum.

Imo, most accidents could be avoided with a little care. My original statement refers to removing careless people from the gene pool.

Yes genuine accidents do happen, but not so much as we're lead to believe.

Head The Wall

The Real B-man wrote:

Fair play its people like you that stop Ireland turning into & Suing Nation for small accidents the like the usa "i broke a nail im Suing your ass"

Have to agree with your choice I would have done the same. Some people panic when they break a fingernail, talk about loving drama. America is the pits for litigation, you go to any clubbing event here and they are not allowed to shine the lasers down into the crowd only upwards for fear of getting sued. Thats only the start of it, they will actually walk in front of your car to get money out of you on purpose

lodgepole

Ruaidhri wrote:

No,I've not lost anybody to traffic accidents. Are you honestly suggesting that every pedestrian is careful?

Of course not. That would be a ludicrous claim to make. As ludicrous as attributing blame to pedestrians in what appears to be an automatic fashion. A joke it may have been, but in the context of this discussion it suggests you feeling a certain way.

And I've spend a LONG time as a pedestrian. I always check oncoming traffic if I'm crossing a road. I've never had an accident, I've never even had a close call. It could have something to do with not taking a risk when I'm a squishy bag of organs against a few hundred kilo's of hard metal with large momentum.

That is true of most people. This is why they are called accidents.

Imo, most accidents could be avoided with a little care. My original statement refers to removing careless people from the gene pool.

That would be my opinion as well. Although i'd alter "a little care" to "a little more care". Being careless should never equal death.

Yes genuine accidents do happen, but not so much as we're lead to believe.

Quite possibly true. Carelessness on the part of the driver (or indeed a passenger) or a pedestrian likely causes more accidents then something wholly coincidental. I don't see how shifting the blame one way automatically is helpful.

Terry

Ruaidhri wrote:

No,I've not lost anybody to traffic accidents. Are you honestly suggesting that every pedestrian is careful?
Imo, most accidents could be avoided with a little care. My original statement refers to removing careless people from the gene pool.

tell that to my father.

no, wait. you can't because he's dead as a result of a driver breaking the lights as my father was crossing the road.

so, the careless person lives and the person crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing is removed from the gene pool.

cop the fuck on.

Are you honestly suggesting that every pedestrian is careful?

motor vehicles should be going slow enough to be able to stop if someone walks out in front of them. who's the careless person? the driver who is speeding or the pedestrian trying to cross the road?

lodgepole

julep wrote:

motor vehicles should be going slow enough to be able to stop if someone walks out in front of them. who's the careless person? the driver who is speeding or the pedestrian trying to cross the road?

Isn't that sort of doing the same thing as some people in this thread? Assuming the blame should be with the driver of the car? It's quite possible for a person to be driving safely and to accidentally kill a pedestrian.

To look at road accidents involving a vehicle and a pedestrian in a general sense you can't assume anything about either party.

Terry

sorry. this is a touchy subject for me. my father was crossing at a pedestrian crossing that had the little gren man showing, but he was still run over.
i do realise that this is not always the case and that there are careless people out there on both sides.
people of the mindset of "Ruaidhri" just piss me off. you can be as careful as you want, but there are still arsehole drivers out there who think going 120 in a 40 zone is cool. having a car that can hit 180kph doesn't give you the right to do that speed.

Slutmonkey57b

Having two legs and the ability to think "Meh, I can make that" while looking at oncoming traffic doesn't give anyone the right to dodge cars and trams either. If my joke offended anyone, well there you are, but as Dick Cheney said to Superman, "Dodge This!"

blorg

The reason you should go the hospital and have a note made of it is in case it turns out worse later. If it doesn't, great. If you are _sure_ it is not going to be worse then obviously no need. Having said that I was knocked off my bike by a car myself and thought I was fine, maybe just a sprain, but the garda attending reckoned I should get it checked out. Turned out my arm was broken (the pain did get much worse after the shock wore off.)

IMHO insurance costs in this country would be a lot lower primarily if the standard of driving improved. Frivolous claims get a lot of media attention but they are a tiny tiny fraction; most claims are legitimate (and the accident avoidable if someone had been more careful.) From my own experience there is also a _lot_ of medical and legal red tape around the claims procedure, and that doesn't come for free you know. Six medical reports at €250-350 which all said the same thing for example, instead of one independent report (which could of course be challenged by either side if necessary?) Constant back and forth between the solicitors in what was a black and white case. The Personal Injuries Board will hopefully help this. But it's in the interest of the industry to gloss over these things and go for the populist fake claim angle.

Sorry to hear about your loss, julep. I see cars breaking pedestrian crossings on at least a daily basis (I have been nearly hit myself) but no-one seems to care about it, or even think it's a problem.

Ruaidhri

Lodgepole wrote:

Quite possibly true. Carelessness on the part of the driver (or indeed a passenger) or a pedestrian likely causes more accidents then something wholly coincidental. I don't see how shifting the blame one way automatically is helpful.

Heh, glad that was cleared up And I'm not one to assume there's always someone to blame. I do believe that with extra care, most accidents can be avoided. Here, the operative word is most. And carelessness is a trait I really dislike.

julep wrote:

sorry. this is a touchy subject for me. my father was crossing at a pedestrian crossing that had the little gren man showing, but he was still run over.
i do realise that this is not always the case and that there are careless people out there on both sides.
people of the mindset of "Ruaidhri" just piss me off. you can be as careful as you want, but there are still arsehole drivers out there who think going 120 in a 40 zone is cool. having a car that can hit 180kph doesn't give you the right to do that speed.

Sorry if i offended you Julep, But even when crossing at green lights or pedestrian crossings, I still look left and right, keeping an eye on any moving cars. like I said earlier, I'm just a squishy bag or organs, and cars are hard,with huge momentum.

Hence I think a little extra care can avoid most accidents. But it annoys me when i see people doing extra stupid things on the road, be it drivers ( overtaking at >120Km/h on a busy road ) or pedestrians ( walking across a road,assuming cars will slow down ).

And yes, i totally agree with you that breaking the speed limit is silly, especially in built up area's. Although, I dont understand what "attitude" you think i fit into.

To the OP, i commend you for not making a claim, or going to A&E cause it was unnecessary!

Gegerty

He said he didn't need to go to hospital but like most accidents its a day or two later that you realise the extent of the damage. Personally if i honestly needed a doctor I'd go to one and send them the bill. This would never go to court. Anyway I'm sure Connex would be more than happy to foot the doctors bill so long as he's obviously not taking the piss and claim whiplash or something. You should have made sure the incident was put on record though.

And what if he had seriously hurt himself? What if there was permanent damage? Why shouldn't they pay the bill? We all pay PRSI. Connex have insurance. No skin off their nose.

Gegerty

Lodgepole wrote:

Why should he have gone to hospital? Even if he had broken his finger, a broken finger isn't worth taking up a place in a the A&E for.

I see where you're coming from but have you ever broken something? Hospital or a doctor is a necessity, even with a finger. Never mind the excurtiating agony, there can be complications like blocked blood flow etc

In fairness its drunk people who should stay away from A&E, not people with broken bones. Obviously if you can go to a doctor instead its the better option but he/she will most likely just send you to A&E for an X-Ray anyway.

Terry

Imo, most accidents could be avoided with a little care. My original statement refers to removing careless people from the gene pool.

ruaidhri, the above quote is what offended me.
i think you can see where i'm coming from now.
anyway, carry on. i've had my little rant.

astrofool

The only thing A+E can do for a broken/sprained finger/toe is strap it up, which most people can do themselves anyway.

Anyway, nice to see someone not abuse insurance, I remember being on the bus a while ago when some old dear pulled in front of it to go to a petrol station and the bus had to slam on the brakes. It was very full and a few people went sprawling. As soon as it happened (no one was seriously hurt), a few people were going on about sore fingers (mostly the ones in seats rather than the standing people who were actually thrown forward a bit).

I remember a few years ago Watchdog did an exposé on one of the no win/no fee companies who had a claim out on a bus crash which apparantly caused 30 injuries. It turned out the bus was in the depot at the time of the crash

dbnavan

Gegerty wrote:

And what if he had seriously hurt himself? What if there was permanent damage? Why shouldn't they pay the bill? We all pay PRSI. Connex have insurance. No skin off their nose.

Whole point of the thread was not really should I/shouldnt I have gone to the hospital, But exactly the point made when you say no skin off there nose. True connex dont directly pay there insurance pays so every time someone makes a claim premiums increase. So it is skin of their nose, my nose, your nose and infact all the noses of people who pay for insurance.

Now.....had I broken a bone, and been off work because of it, or suffered serious whiplash that was going to cause me long term financial implications bloody sure I would have put in a claim and definatly gone to a hospital.

Insurance is to remburse those who have Financially suffered, not to give money just cause you can. And that is a common misconception about insurance.

I remember couple of years ago I had just moved into a house 2 weeks married and I was burgled and had no insurance, when people asked me I did I have it insured and I said no most of their replies where "Ah man you could have made a killing on that"