A cyclist was knocked off his bike by a car that drove onto the pavement after a road rage offense in Poole.
Police are investigating the incident after footage shows a car driving down the curb and hitting cyclist Don Codman, who had to be treated in hospital for his injuries.
Mr Codman said he was moving through traffic just after 5pm when he noticed a driver on his phone.
“The cars were crawling to the lights. I was going at a normal pace and the car drove past [as the traffic moved]he said. I ironed [when the traffic stopped]and the driver was still on the phone.”
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After being hit by drivers who hadn’t seen him in the past, he tapped on the car window and politely said the driver shouldn’t be on his phone.
“I debated whether to say anything but stopped and tapped on the window. I was just carrying on as normal, not being aggressive at all,” he said. declared.
“I just had to say something. If you see something that could hurt you or someone else, you have to say something.”
Mr Codman then continued along Herbert Avenue and approaching the junction with Northmere Road he heard shouting after him from behind.
He turned into Northmere Road and continued to hear screams, engine revs and horn beeps. Mr. Codman moved to the sidewalk, where he thought he would be safer.
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“I wasn’t aggressive, but the driver flew off, he was clearly using his car as a weapon,” he said.
The car passed in front of him and stopped, but he continued to drive on the sidewalk, in order to avoid a confrontation. The car started up again and as Mr Codman turned into Sancreed Road the car rolled over the curb and struck the cyclist.
Footage from a house’s Ring doorbell captured the moment the cyclist was hit and the driver left the scene without stopping. A passerby witnessed the incident and called the police.
Mr Codman was wearing high visibility clothing and had lights on his bike so he was clearly visible to other road users.
He suffered knee, elbow and shoulder injuries, for which he attended A&E, on the advice of NHS 111.
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Mr. Codman said he would continue to commute by bicycle, despite the incident.
“I have to keep going,” he said. “I don’t have a car and this is the most efficient way.
“Everyone knows there are idiots out there, so who knows what’s going to happen. For him to react the way he did was just plain wrong.”
A Dorset Police spokesman said: “We received a report at around 5.20pm on Tuesday November 22, 2022 of a collision involving a dark blue hatchback and a cyclist in the Sancreed Road area of Poole.
“It was reported that the car did not stop at the scene of the collision.
“The cyclist suffered injuries that were not considered serious.
“Investigations into the incident are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this time.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact or by calling 101, quoting incident number 55220189695.
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