A council worker who shattered his right leg after crashing on a “faulty” Lime e-bike has begun a legal case and is demanding an urgent safety review.
William Radford, 27, was left in “indescribable pain” following the accident while braking in rain to let pedestrians cross Garrett Lane, Earlsfield.
According to lawyers, the dockless hired cycle’s back wheel skidded out without warning and the weight of its front right arch fell on Mr Radford, “snapping” his leg in four places “like a twig”.
Doctors at nearby St George’s Hospital, Tooting, later told him his injuries in September last year could have been potentially fatal as the break was near the femoral artery.
Mr Radford has launched a compensation case against Lime, one of at least 12 being brought by riders who say they were seriously injured on the firm’s e-bikes in London.
His solicitors, Injury Lawyers 4U, sent a letter of claim to Lime but it has not been submitted to the High Court.
As the Standard reported last month, legal teams at Osbornes Law have issued similar compensation claims.
Chelsea FC season ticket holder Mr Radford had hired a bike outside his south London flat to buy lunch.
He told the Standard: “It’s only a matter of time before someone with a similar injury dies if they bleed out from their femoral artery.
“I 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.
“All they did after I told them was give me a £6.99 refund for the hire instead of speaking with me.”
More than a year on, Mr Radford continues to recover and is unable to kick a football, go for a run or cycle with his friends.
Describing the moment he broke his leg outside the Halfway House pub, Mr Radford said: “It was like in slow motion, the sound, ‘snap’ and then the pain so bad I would score it 100 out of 100.
“It 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.”
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In September, surgeons warned that e-bike injuries are causing a “massive burden” on NHS resources in the capital.
Over the past six months, Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel has seen 150 cases – with patients including a 32-year-old who also broke a leg and a six-year-old girl with multiple fractures who was hit by an electric bike.
Injury Lawyers 4U e-bike specialist lawyer Michael Hardacre said it’s part of a worrying trend.
He added: “Lime have a duty of care to their riders to make sure the bikes are safe when hired out and fit for purpose.
“Serious injuries like William’s can no longer be ignored or seen as the price of doing business in our town and cities.”
Lime bikes have soared in popularity, with hundreds of thousands of rides being made in the capital each day.
During the five-day Tube strike at the start of September, its ridership was up about 70 per cent.
Lime does not reveal ride data or the size of its fleet, but industry sources suspect it has about 40,000 e-bikes in London.
However, there have been several reports of some riders suffering broken bones – dubbed “Lime bike leg” – when the bike that weighs about 25kg falls on the cyclist.
A Lime spokesman said it received Mr Radford’s claim correspondence in late October.
“Our claims team responded to the letter of claim requesting necessary further information,” he added. “As of last week, we are still waiting a response.”
Injury Lawyers 4U say they replied on November 15.
Lime previously said: “We are saddened to hear about these incidents and our thoughts are with those impacted.
“We 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.”
