Cyclists in 50-bike Sydney hit and run
A pack of 50 cyclists - including reportedly at least one Olympian -
has been involved in a hit and run incident on a Sydney road.
http://news.smh.com.au/cyclists-in-50bike-sydney-hit-and-run/20080508-2c56.html
Cyclists dispute driver's account
HE IS known in Colquhoun Way, a back street in the Campbelltown suburb
of Claymore, as "Huss", a nice guy by neighbours' accounts. But only
his dark brown Ford Falcon was there yesterday, with a dented boot -
while Huss was elsewhere arguing his case against furious cyclists.
Huss was driving his sedan along Southern Cross Drive at 6.45am on
Thursday when he encountered a large group of cyclists returning from
a training ride.
The speed limit for vehicles was 80kmh and Huss was obliged to slow.
"I've got in front of, overtaken all of the cyclists, and while I'm
sort of in the middle lane … another car in front of me, he has slowed
down. I've accelerated to get into the left lane - and I just got a
car two days that is a gas and petrol thing - and it backfired, the
airbox popped."
On his account most of the cyclists sailed past him but two went
"thud, thud" into his boot. He found himself surrounded by up to 50
angry cyclists and thought it prudent to drive off. On the accounts of
several cyclists involved, there was a pile-up involving injuries to
up to 20 cyclists.
Yesterday on Macquarie Radio and calling himself "Jason", he defended
himself and said he had even put on his hazard lights. Ben Kersten,
one of the cyclists, rang the station to call Huss a liar: "We have 50
witnesses to say everything you have said is false."
Police have interviewed Huss, and last night had laid no charges but
the cyclists have intimated they may mount a class action and seek up
to $50,000 compensation.
A political row erupted, with the Minister for Roads, Eric Roozendaal,
saying it was "not helpful" for cyclists to ride in peak hour traffic.
But the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said he was sending a dangerous
message.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cyclists-dispute-drivers-account/2008/05/09/1210131264145.html