Cyclist hit by driver “blinded” by sun – but who is to blame?
The long-standing feud between drivers and cyclists in Australia has hit a new low, after footage emerged of a bike rider being hit and thrown into the air by a driver who was blinded by the sun, sparking fierce debate online.
The video, released by Bicycle Queensland, shows cyclist Geoffrey James being hit and knocked off his bike on Brisbane’s Wynnum Rd by a driver in a white Camry, apparently blinded by the sun shining directly onto the vehicle's windscreen.
“Call the ambos, call the cops,” cyclist James yells after the impact.
“I’m really sorry man, I’m so sorry. I’ll pay you, I’m running late to work man, I’m really sorry ... Nothing happened,” the driver replies while trying to help the cyclist get to his feet.
But James had no time for apologies, shouting, “I can’t get to f***ing work! How the f**k didn’t you see me?”
And while the cyclist appeared to be following the road rules and was not at fault, the footage has resulted in James receiving thousands of threatening and vitriolic comments.
“The cyclist is a bit of a drama queen if you ask me — didn’t even have a scratch on him,” one man wrote on Facebook.
“‘Call the ambos, call the cops,’ ... should have just called his mummy!” another replied.
However, one woman criticised the many “revolting” comments on the video, writing, “The comments on this thread are shameful and revolting. People blatantly advocating for a human being to be seriously injured or killed. I feel like taking screen shots of some of these statements and sending them to the police, or better yet, the person’s employer.
“PEOPLE on bikes are seriously injured every day because of driver inattention, wilful ignorance and even deliberate action. Have some human decency.”
Tell us in the comments below, who do you think is at fault? Has the war between drivers and cyclists gone too far?