Hit-and-run driver moved unconscious cyclist off road before fleeing scene

A driver who collided with a cyclist — seriously injuring the woman in her 30s — then allegedly shouted at the unconscious rider before “dragging her to the side of the road” and fleeing the scene.

The victim needed six hours of hospital treatment after being hit by the driver in Oxfordshire, on Pulpit Hill between Sparsholt and Childrey on Sunday 25 September, with Thames Valley Police confirming no arrests have been made.

A friend of the rider said it is “quite unbelievable” that the driver of the Vauxhall Vivaro van was spotted by a couple walking nearby moving the unconscious rider. The driver then left the scene, prompting Thames Valley Police to appeal for any other witnesses to come forward.

“It is quite unbelievable,” Paul Hayward told the Oxford Mail. “Unbelievable in the sense that not only did he hit her but then he moved her body away from the middle of the road, left her and drove off.

“It’s beyond scary because she could have been paralysed – she is terrified that she was unconscious because she was so helpless.”

The friend of the cyclist said a couple walking nearby recalled seeing the driver “shouting” at the woman before “dragging her to the side of the road”. The couple then called an ambulance.

“She was going down a single-track road and the driver was coming up and I don’t know if they didn’t see her but they hit her head on,” Mr Hayward said.

“It’s really difficult as a cyclist to be fully on the grass verge so she would have been out a little bit but the driver didn’t stop or slow down — her bike is completely totalled.”

Her friend explained the rider suffered “horrific” cuts and “looks like she has been for a couple of [boxing] rounds” but is otherwise “doing fine”.

“She needs to wait a few weeks to see if there is a bleed on the brain as sometimes it doesn’t show up straight away,” he said.

“But remarkably, despite the bike being destroyed, she’s fine. She’s terrified that she was unconscious and helpless. It’s just unbelievable. It’s bad enough to hit a deer or animal and not do something about it, but to leave a person?

“You always think it won’t happen to you but seeing what has happened to my friend has really drummed it home how helpless you are as a cyclist. I haven’t cycled for a week because of it and I don’t know when my friend will go out again – it’s going to be a big thing.”

Anyone with information or dash cam footage is asked to contact Thames Valley Police, quoting the reference number 43220430762.