A CYCLIST who fell from his bike and was left injured on the road has described how the motorist involved had “deliberately” braked in front of him.
The man, who is from Darlington and is in his mid-50s, was cycling in the town on Friday afternoon (April 1) when he was involved in the collision.
He was taken to hospital with hip injuries and is now at home recovering, but he is currently unable to walk and has been left bedridden since the crash.
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The incident happened at the junction between Parkside and Geneva Lane at about 12.05pm.
He has since told The Northern Echo that he feels the vehicle had “deliberately” braked in front of him, seeing him lying on the ground before driving away.
Describing what he believed had happened, he said the vehicle had slowed down and was swerving from left to right to block him from getting past.
He said: “He took off at a normal speed so I did and then he screeched on the brakes so I went into the back of him.”
Adding that he felt “it was definitely intentional,” he said: “Thankfully there were some witnesses who stopped and were brilliant. One of them took my bike in and another took me home.”
He said the incident did not happen at traffic lights, as previously reported.
The man, who works at Darlington Memorial Hospital, was taken there by officers to get treatment for his injuries.
He has passed footage from the camera attached to the front of his bike to police.
He said: “I’ve cycled for a lot of years. I’ve not really had something like this before. Some cars don’t see you.
“I’ve got all the gadgets and lights all over the bike and I’ve got a camera on it.
“You get used to it. I know some cyclists do cause hassle.”
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On Friday, a Durham Police spokesman said: “Shortly after 12.05 today (Friday lunchtime) police were called to Geneva Lane, in Darlington following reports of a collision between a cycle and a car.
“Both are believed to have been stationary at traffic lights. As they both pulled away at the lights, the car appears to have applied its brakes sharply and the cyclist has collided with the back of the vehicle, causing him to fall from his bike.
“The car then appears to have left the scene, leaving the cyclist injured on the path.
“The cyclist, a local man in his mid-50s, was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital suffering hip injuries.”
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