Moment driver ploughs into elderly cyclist sending 71-year-old woman flying through the air in crash that left victim with bleed on the brain

By Matthew Lodge[1]

Published: 15:49, 28 December 2023 | Updated: 18:10, 28 December 2023

This is the moment an elderly cyclist was sent flying through the air after a driver ploughed into her.

The 71-year-old woman was left with a bleed on the brain after being hit by a Citroen C3 Flair being driven by Thomas Freeman, 29, in Coventry.

Shocking CCTV footage captured the horror collision, which happened on Wildcroft Road at the junction with Brookside Avenue on May 6 this year.

Freeman can be seen pulling out in front of the cyclist, who is in hi-vis clothing, sending her spinning 360 degrees through the air before she slams into the ground.

The driver and his passenger then rush from the car to the woman's aid as she lies motionless in the street.

Thomas Freeman, pictured here in his mugshot, was jailed for one year after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving

Horrifying footage showed the moment Freeman pulled out of a junction directly into the path of the cyclist

The crash sent the woman flying through the air and the impact left her with a bleed on the brain

The cyclist spent five days in hospital being treated for multiple injuries, which also included a broken shoulder and a broken ankle.

Freeman, of Coventry, admitted causing serious injury by careless driving and was jailed for a year at Warwick Crown Court on December 21.

He was also banned from driving for two years.

Today West Midlands Police released the footage, with the agreement of the victim, to 'highlight the responsibility drivers have to more vulnerable road users'.

Technical Sergeant Jordan Keen, from the force's traffic investigations unit, said: 'This was an appalling piece of careless driving which left the cyclist badly injured.

'She is an experienced cyclist and a member of a local cycling club, but it's clear from the footage that Freeman's careless driving when crossing the junction meant she stood no chance.

'I hope that drivers who see this footage know that they have a responsibility to more vulnerable road users out there, such as cyclists and pedestrians.'

References

1. ^ Matthew Lodge (www.dailymail.co.uk)