Cyclist awarded $1.6m after being hit by another cyclist then struck by car

A Canberra cyclist has been awarded more $1.6 million after being knocked from his bike by a fellow cyclist then run over by a car.

The man, who was 43 at the time of the accident, was left with painful injuries including a broken pelvis and a broken bone in his spine, as well as internal bleeding.

The accident happened on Capital Circle in Canberra's centre in June 2009 as the man travelled home from work with the second cyclist.

The other man said he hit a piece of wood that threw his bike off balance, hitting the victim and knocking him onto the road.

The injured man had been a keen triathlete and had a successful career working on IT contracts.

But as a result of his injuries his capacity for work was reduced to about 25 hours a week and he no longer competed in triathlons.

The victim claimed the other cyclist was liable as he had not kept a proper lookout or seen the wood.

Duty of care breached, court finds

The defendant in the civil negligence case argued his only duty was to take reasonable care.

He alleged contributory negligence against the plaintiff on the basis of a failure to keep a proper lookout, a failure to take proper care for his own safety and failure to safely ride and manoeuvre his bicycle.

But Justice John Burns disagreed, and found the defendant liable for the accident.

"I am satisfied that the defendant breached his duty of care to the plaintiff, and that the plaintiff's injuries as a consequence of falling from his bike and being struck by a car directly flow from the defendant's negligence," he said.

Justice Burns found the defendant's claim of contributory negligence failed.

The compensation included general damages, and loss of earnings and superannuation.