Help a cyclist sued by the motorist who hit him
Donation protected
Im a 32 year old American man who finally, after 3 years of trying and selling everything I own, have made a life and a future for myself in Berlin, Germany… but there is a problem that I cant solve on my own that could jeopardise my future here.
In 2016 I sold everything, quit my job and came to Berlin to live with my girlfriend and start a new life. I had a couple of job connections and things were looking promising, until my 3rd week of being in the city. I was on a bicycle trying to commute to a meeting with a potential employer when a woman in a large Mercedes pulled into the bicycle lane, cutting me off, causing me to slam into the back of her SUV. She was attempting to make a right hand turn, didn’t know I was there and came to nearly a full stop in my lane and I met her trunk with the full force of my head, shoulder and right leg but I was able to walk away from the accident. Her husband showed up within minutes in his convertible to translate, and the police came to file a report and assured me that everything would work out fine. They were thankful I wasn’t injured and their insurance would take care of the rest. After all, according to every single person I have spoken to in the last 3 years, she was at fault. But, alas, I received my first piece of mail from her attorney just a few days later attempting to sue me for damages to her vehicle. With the help of a lawyer from my girlfriends family, we sent a letter in response expecting her to back down as she had no grounds to win this case, as drivers are usually at fault if they struck a cyclist in a bike lane.
Unfortunately things didn’t go smoothly with my working visa and I had to leave Germany to return to the states to make money and try again the following year. In 2017 we were also unsuccessful at finding work and apartments in Berlin so we left for the United States. After being in the states for a few months I finally got word of a contract in Berlin, so we moved back in 2018 and I acquired my 3 year working visa. Just as I found work, language courses and some stability, the incident from 3 years ago reared its ugly head. The attorney from the woman had been attempting to contact me for months at our address from 2016 and we had never received the mail. An entire court proceeding had taken place without my knowledge and she had won by default because of my absence. There is no rebuttal, nothing left to do. I unfairly lost a ridiculous case because I wasn’t even in the country and now I am nearly 7000 Euro in debt with court fees and damages, have a title against my name, and a ruined credit score or “schufa” which prevents me from opening a bank account or even being able to rent an apartment in my own name. This will not go away, my life will no proceed here until the payment is made and she lifts the titles.
Since being in Berlin, my girlfriend, her family and I have all attempted to contact this woman with the help of professionals to straighten out this whole mess. We have written with her lawyer and had meetings with her in person to explain our side of the situation and attempted to meet somewhere in the middle to make both parties happy but she refuses to budge and no one is sure of her intent. Perhaps her car insurance wouldn’t cover the damages because she was at fault. Perhaps she saw an American tourist with no knowledge of German law or its systems and knew she could get away with it, figuring I would have trouble defending myself. Or perhaps she feels like she was really the victim that day, but this is really about my future in this city or her car.
Your support will help me to finally put this all behind me. I have been asked to pay for damages to her car, as well as all of her lawyer fees, court fees and the cost she took upon herself to seek me out and put a title on my name. It has been a 3 year ordeal and I am already over half a year late to pay these fees because I have been trying to organize other forms of help. Somehow it never occurred to me to try out this wonderful platform but I hope that people will read this and contribute. Your support will allow me to move forward in my new home and continue to give freely to the community I work for here and I will be forever thankful and relieved.
I work as a teacher. I am a trainer in a local climbing gym and a yoga instructor and make just enough money to make rent and live a fairly comfortable life in the city. She is a successful real estate agent with expensive cars and a seemingly cushy life. The money she is asking for to repair the dent in her car is more than I make in over half a year of hard work, not to mention she has prevented me from opening a proper bank account and I can’t rent an apartment or own a car in my own name. If I can’t pay the money up front then I have to prove my low income for the next 3 years and live with the bad credit title until the debt is paid. That means there is no ability for me to grow financially or find more work without breaking the low income barrier, thus having to pay over half a years wages for a fine decided unjustly. I fought for 3 years to live in this city and work for this community that I love and I ask for your help so that I may put this all behind me and continue my life.
Thank you.
I wish you all good fortune!
In 2016 I sold everything, quit my job and came to Berlin to live with my girlfriend and start a new life. I had a couple of job connections and things were looking promising, until my 3rd week of being in the city. I was on a bicycle trying to commute to a meeting with a potential employer when a woman in a large Mercedes pulled into the bicycle lane, cutting me off, causing me to slam into the back of her SUV. She was attempting to make a right hand turn, didn’t know I was there and came to nearly a full stop in my lane and I met her trunk with the full force of my head, shoulder and right leg but I was able to walk away from the accident. Her husband showed up within minutes in his convertible to translate, and the police came to file a report and assured me that everything would work out fine. They were thankful I wasn’t injured and their insurance would take care of the rest. After all, according to every single person I have spoken to in the last 3 years, she was at fault. But, alas, I received my first piece of mail from her attorney just a few days later attempting to sue me for damages to her vehicle. With the help of a lawyer from my girlfriends family, we sent a letter in response expecting her to back down as she had no grounds to win this case, as drivers are usually at fault if they struck a cyclist in a bike lane.
Unfortunately things didn’t go smoothly with my working visa and I had to leave Germany to return to the states to make money and try again the following year. In 2017 we were also unsuccessful at finding work and apartments in Berlin so we left for the United States. After being in the states for a few months I finally got word of a contract in Berlin, so we moved back in 2018 and I acquired my 3 year working visa. Just as I found work, language courses and some stability, the incident from 3 years ago reared its ugly head. The attorney from the woman had been attempting to contact me for months at our address from 2016 and we had never received the mail. An entire court proceeding had taken place without my knowledge and she had won by default because of my absence. There is no rebuttal, nothing left to do. I unfairly lost a ridiculous case because I wasn’t even in the country and now I am nearly 7000 Euro in debt with court fees and damages, have a title against my name, and a ruined credit score or “schufa” which prevents me from opening a bank account or even being able to rent an apartment in my own name. This will not go away, my life will no proceed here until the payment is made and she lifts the titles.
Since being in Berlin, my girlfriend, her family and I have all attempted to contact this woman with the help of professionals to straighten out this whole mess. We have written with her lawyer and had meetings with her in person to explain our side of the situation and attempted to meet somewhere in the middle to make both parties happy but she refuses to budge and no one is sure of her intent. Perhaps her car insurance wouldn’t cover the damages because she was at fault. Perhaps she saw an American tourist with no knowledge of German law or its systems and knew she could get away with it, figuring I would have trouble defending myself. Or perhaps she feels like she was really the victim that day, but this is really about my future in this city or her car.
Your support will help me to finally put this all behind me. I have been asked to pay for damages to her car, as well as all of her lawyer fees, court fees and the cost she took upon herself to seek me out and put a title on my name. It has been a 3 year ordeal and I am already over half a year late to pay these fees because I have been trying to organize other forms of help. Somehow it never occurred to me to try out this wonderful platform but I hope that people will read this and contribute. Your support will allow me to move forward in my new home and continue to give freely to the community I work for here and I will be forever thankful and relieved.
I work as a teacher. I am a trainer in a local climbing gym and a yoga instructor and make just enough money to make rent and live a fairly comfortable life in the city. She is a successful real estate agent with expensive cars and a seemingly cushy life. The money she is asking for to repair the dent in her car is more than I make in over half a year of hard work, not to mention she has prevented me from opening a proper bank account and I can’t rent an apartment or own a car in my own name. If I can’t pay the money up front then I have to prove my low income for the next 3 years and live with the bad credit title until the debt is paid. That means there is no ability for me to grow financially or find more work without breaking the low income barrier, thus having to pay over half a years wages for a fine decided unjustly. I fought for 3 years to live in this city and work for this community that I love and I ask for your help so that I may put this all behind me and continue my life.
Thank you.
I wish you all good fortune!
Organizer
Aaron Kyle
Organizer
Berlin
