A cyclist who was hit by a truck more than a month ago is currently struggling to break even with his finances, with no legal recourse in sight.
On August 22, cyclist Tim Lane was injured on St. Margaret’s Bay Road near Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia. The truck driver refused to help Lane or take responsibility for the accident and chose to take off. Fortunately for Lane, an off-duty police officer happened to be nearby - he witnessed the crash incident and rushed to save Lane.
Since then, the hit-and-run truck driver has made life difficult for Lane.
“It’s certainly affected the financial situation,” Lane told
CBC News in an interview.
According to Lane, he has not been able to return to his IT job with the provincial government since the accident.
“I’m still getting paid by work, but eventually that will decrease as I go on different forms of long-term illness or disability,” he explained.
Lane suffered grievous injuries as a result of the crash—a fractured skull, perforated lungs, a fractured jaw, a fractured orbital bone around his eye, broken ribs and a ruptured spleen, among other bodily damages.
His left femur suffered the worst, broken in several places. This has kept Lane in a wheelchair, which added to his family’s expenses.
“Getting the wheelchair I’m sitting in now, the crutches, the walker I use at home, some of that is covered by our auto insurance, but we’re not clear on what the extent of that coverage is,” Lane remarked.
Lane’s wife, Stephanie, has commented that her even her life become difficult due to her husband’s injuries.
“It’s definitely been hard having your partner who helps with every aspect of our home life not being able to help,” she said. “I’ve had to take on extra, and it’s just been a whirlwind.”
Lane said that he remembers little from the accident, and the last thing he could recall was getting ready for work the day before.
“The next thing I knew, I was in hospital and it was two or three days later when I can remember being aware of anything,” he admitted.
The truck driver has yet to come forward, and until he or she can be identified, little can be done.
The truck in question was described as a black vehicle with a flat deck.
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