Can I claim bike repair costs after another child rode into my son?

[Sunisfinallyherebut]

Could anyone advise on where I stand with this following issue.
My son was out on a bike ride with some of his mates. They stopped and was stationary but the boy behind him wasn’t looking ahead and crashed into him.
He was lightly injured but it caused extensive damage to his bike that he worked to pay for.
To fix it, it’s going to cost £150.
The boy was very apologetic and agreed he would pay for the cost.
A few days have passed and he now says his mum would not pay as she has no money.
I txt her and she basically said she has no money but also doesn’t see why she should always pay for her son’s damages when no one pays for her.
I sympathised with her and offered to do a payment plan but no response.
She is a single mother and I know things are tough at the minute for everyone but when i looked on her social media page. She’s been on 2 separate holidays abroad in the last 4 months which doesn’t prove she is well off but my sympathy has slightly deflated.
Where do i stand in terms of trying to claim the cost?
Thank you

I would consider it a natural part of kids riding bikes together and not be asking the other parent to pay.

Its was an accident and there wouldnt be anything to claim against if she has no money and there is no insurance involved

Where are you hoping to claim the cost from? It’s kids playing on bikes, there’s no insurance and the mum has no money. You can’t get money out of someone that they don’t have.

Her going on 2 holidays recently is irrelevant as you 1) have no idea who paid for them 2) if she used her money up paying for them, then she still has no money.

I wouldn’t dream of asking someone to pay here. You will cause an issue between your son and his friend. You have no legal case, there is no insurance involved. The boy agreed to pay because he didn’t know any better.

You need to message her and say that on reflection you completely understand that she can’t pay.

These things happen.

Yeah i wouldn't pay you £150 either

If you child plays with rocks and throws it around and damages someone’s car. Should you not have to pay for damages as they were just playing???
I mean where does the responsibility lies when your minor causes damages.
Should it not be with the parents?
Everyone should swallow the cost just because it was the accident??
Its ridiculous.
The kids weren’t playing on bikes. They were having a bike ride it’s not a messing around and it’s everyone’s fault.

I’d take this as a normal part of kids playing on bikes together. I would see if you can take the bike to a local cycle hub or somewhere where they fix bikes for free, I doubt it is that much damage unless an actual component has been broken, more likely adjusting gears and brakes. What did the bike repair place say needed doing? I know this isn’t what you asked, but might help to resolve the situation quickly!

I find it hard to believe someone cycling into someone caused £150 worth of damage do you have photos

She didn't choose for your child to have a very expensive bike.

You chose that.

£150 for a bike repair is crazy. Bikes should be fixed by their owners generally.

Buy a cheap bike for your child , second hand preferably and you'll have less worry.

I would consider it a lesson in group cycling for your son and the group of friends. How the leaders of the pack need to signal to those behind what is happening, point out hazards such as potholes etc, and that one needs to check behind when stopping.

How did you get the 150 quid repair cost ? Bike shop or new parts needed ?

Edit spelling

Throwing rocks at cars and an accident with a bike are not remotely comparable.

You are a massive CF OP. These things happen with kids. I can’t believe you even asked, let alone suggested a payment plan. You need to let this go.

You can certainly ask someone for money in that scenario but the same applies in that if they don’t have it, they can’t give it to you. The difference is that you have insurance for cars and would claim on that instead as the alternative. You don’t have that option here so not sure what else you want to do?

Throwing rocks at a car isn’t an accident.

Well if it’s everyone’s fault, did your son make the correct hand signal to show he was stopping? Because there is a signal to other road users that cyclists should use to show they are stopping. If your son failed to do that then he has responsibility.

As an ex club cyclist, I would be teaching them how to ride in a group.

I think, looking back honestly, in the 10's of thousands of miles I have cycled in a group I have never heard 150 quid of damage from someone riding into the back. In fact, I can't really think of anyone riding into the back of stopped cyclists., not in the same group.

I wouldn’t pay £150 to fix a kids bike either 😂

The boy was very apologetic and agreed he would pay for the cost.
A few days have passed and he now says his mum would not pay as she has no money.
Get him to pay in kind. I suggest that he and your DS try to fix the bike themselves and learn a bit of engineering along the way.

Wow. What sort of damage was caused anyway? Bent frame? Ruined wheel? That must have been a hell of a collision.

I wouldn't pay £150 to fix another child's bike, they were ridding and although the other lad rode into your son it sounds like your son stopped on the track/path, not in a safe space. Can you claim the fix on house insurance? You can get bike insurance that is cheap as long as the bike isn't used for competitive sports

I can’t believe you’d expect another parent to pay for this to be honest, it’s part of riding with other kids, playing with other kids in general to be honest. Accidents happen, sometimes things get broken, unfortunate but just part of life.

Not sure why you’re trying to compare it with throwing stones at cars which is quite obviously not an accident.

I've just looked at Halfords. You can get a brand new bike for £144.

Kids playing with rocks and damaging a car would be malicious and stupid. Kids horsing around and bashing bikes into each other is normal and I wouldn’t ask for money for this . If you can’t afford £150 repairs, don’t buy your son such an expensive bike! And please don’t lash out at posters disagreeing with you. You obvioualy posted on MN for opinions!

It was an accident, not worth ruining a friendship for. Let it go.