{"id":288856,"date":"2025-11-29T00:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T00:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/288856\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T00:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T00:59:14","slug":"all-they-did-was-give-me-a-6-99-refund-cyclist-suing-lime-over-e-bike-horror-crash-which-snapped-his-leg-like-a-twig-says-its-only-a-matter-of-ti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/288856\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAll they did was give me a \u00a36.99 refund\u201d: Cyclist suing Lime over e-bike horror crash which \u201csnapped his leg like a twig\u201d says it\u2019s \u201conly a matter of time before someone dies\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

A London council worker who broke his leg in four places after crashing while riding a \u201cfaulty\u201d Lime hire bike<\/a> \u2013 the latest example of what\u2019s become known as \u2018Lime bike leg\u2019 \u2013 has called on the cycle hire company to introduce safety measures \u201cbefore someone with a similar injury dies\u201d.<\/p>\n

Willam Radford, who has launched a compensation case against Lime, also criticised the company\u2019s response to his crash, claiming the only communication he has received from the brand was the offer of a \u00a36.99 refund for his use of the hire bike.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old had hired the dockless e-bike from outside his south London flat as he went to buy lunch in September 2024. As Radford cycled in the rain on Garrett Lane in Earlsfield, he slowed down to let pedestrians cross the road.<\/p>\n

But as he braked, the bike\u2019s rear wheel slid out without warning, causing Radford to crash and the bike to land on top of him, \u201csnapping\u201d his leg in four places \u201clike a twig\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

Describing the crash to the Evening Standard<\/a>, Radford said: \u201cIt was like in slow motion, the sound, \u2018snap\u2019, and then the pain so bad I would score it 100 out of 100.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most painful thing ever. If someone had walked past and offered to end it all there and then, I would have said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WilliamWilliam Radford’s injuries after leg break on Lime Bike (credit: Injury Lawyers 4 U)<\/p>\n

He was taken to nearby St George\u2019s Hospital, Tooting, where doctors told him his injuries could potentially have been fatal as the break was near the femoral artery. The council worker says that, over a year on, he is still recovering and is unable to go for a run or ride a bike.<\/p>\n

Radford has since launched a compensation claim against the hire bike firm, one of at least a dozen cyclists to have publicly revealed that they were seriously injured<\/a> while riding a Lime bike in London in recent years.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old\u2019s solicitors, Injury Lawyers 4U, have sent a letter of claim to Lime, though it has not yet been submitted to the High Court.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0Cyclists injured in crashes caused by “faulty” Lime bikes that “fell apart” file 12 compensation claims<\/a><\/p>\n

Calling for an urgent safety review of the machines, Radford said: \u201cIt\u2019s only a matter of time before someone with a similar injury dies if they bleed out from their femoral artery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI now have metal in my leg for life holding it together. I think Lime know they have a problem with the heavy frame that is causing serious injuries like mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll they did after I told them was give me a \u00a36.99 refund for the hire instead of speaking with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FemaleFemale cyclist in London on Lime hire bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)<\/p>\n

Injury Lawyers 4U\u2019s e-bike specialist Michael Hardacre also told the Standard that Radford\u2019s crash is part of a \u201cworrying trend\u201d of injuries caused by the heavy dockless e-bikes, which weigh around 35kg, that can \u201cno longer be ignored\u201d by the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cLime have a duty of care to their riders to make sure the bikes are safe when hired out and fit for purpose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSerious injuries like William\u2019s can no longer be ignored or seen as the price of doing business in our town and cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Lime spokesperson told the Standard that it had received Mr Radford\u2019s claim correspondence in late October.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur claims team responded to the letter of claim requesting necessary further information. As of last week, we are still waiting a response,\u201d he said, though Injury Lawyers 4U say they replied on 15 November.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0\u201cI see at least one patient a week\u201d: Doctor claims surge in \u2018Lime bike leg\u2019 injuries linked to tourists and inexperienced riders<\/a><\/p>\n

In September, it was reported that Lime was facing 12 compensation claims from other London cyclists who say they were injured in crashes<\/a> caused by \u201cfaulty\u201d e-bikes, with some claiming their brakes stopped working or the bike \u201csimply fell apart\u201d.<\/p>\n

The law firm pursuing the claims, Osbornes Law, also stated that the incidents \u201cwere avoidable if the bikes had been in working order\u201d and there had been \u201ca steady influx of cases coming to us in the past few months\u201d.<\/p>\n

Since the story\u2019s publication, Osbornes Law contacted us to confirm it had heard from more people came forward with similar stories due to the increased media attention.<\/p>\n

The previous month,\u00a0a London surgeon also warned of the rise in serious injuries linked to Lime e-bikes<\/a>, claiming he now sees \u201cat least one patient a week\u201d suffering from \u2018Like bike leg\u2019.<\/p>\n

Alex Liddle, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip and knee surgery at King Edward VII\u2019s Hospital, told the Telegraph: \u201cI see at least one patient a week, which comes in after a Lime bike injury. It\u2019s a really common cause of leg injuries today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CommuterCommuter cyclist on Lime hire bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)<\/p>\n

Unlike experienced cyclists, who he explained are more likely to suffer \u201chigh energy\u201d trauma such as head, chest, or multiple limb fractures after collisions with drivers, Lime-related incidents are usually \u201clow energy\u201d, meaning people losing balance or having the bike fall on them while stationary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost always the lower limbs, from ankle fractures to tibia [shinbone] fractures, and soft tissue injuries around the knee \u2013 we don\u2019t see many injuries from the knee upwards, but we\u2019ve had the odd cracked pelvis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, it\u2019s normally fractures either at the top of or in the middle of the tibia. These bikes are heavy things, so there\u2019s quite a lot of force that goes through the bone. We\u2019ve had patients who\u2019ve required plastic surgery for open fractures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CyclistCyclist in London riding Lime bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)<\/p>\n

One case noted by Liddle involved a 21-year-old tourist who stopped at a junction only for the 35kg bike to topple onto her leg, leaving her with an open tibial fracture that required surgery.<\/p>\n

In another incident, a man broke his ACL after losing balance when a driver pulled out in front of him, a fall made worse by the weight of a bag in the Lime bike\u2019s front basket.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften we get a lot of tourists who aren\u2019t used to the roads in London,\u201d he said. \u201cQuite often it\u2019s people I see who were literally just taking off on the bikes; they get this unexpected push from the motor, and they then lose balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

>\u00a0In the aftermath of tube strike chaos, 28% of Londoners say they are now more likely to cycle in future<\/a><\/p>\n

Responding to the rise of incidents involving their bikes, a Lime spokesperson previously said: \u201cWe are saddened to hear about these incidents and our thoughts are with those impacted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take these claims extremely seriously. Safety informs everything we do at Lime – from how we design and maintain our vehicles, to our rider education, and how we work with cities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A London council worker who broke his leg in four places after crashing while riding a \u201cfaulty\u201d Lime…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-288856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}