Dismay at cycle crash report

David Keys

The family of a cyclist left a quadriplegic after riding into a sinkhole are considering legal action over a report into the horrific incident.

David Keys broke his neck in October after crashing on his bicycle into the 1m-wide hole in a Waihi street.

As he lay, cold, unable to move and face-down in the hole, his 12-month-old dog Bailey kept a tight vigil on her master.

She barked incessantly for seven hours until a council worker was alerted and came to his rescue.

The 52-year-old has been in the Otara Spinal Unit in South Auckland since the accident.

Hauraki District Council is due to release the findings of its internal review next week after an independent review.

Keys' brother, Ian, told the Herald on Sunday he had been briefed on the council's findings.

He "wasn't happy with the result and would be seeking legal action to investigate the matter further".

The council's chief executive, Langley Cavers, said the review recommended how the council could "improve our processes to ensure hazards are identified in a timely manner and dealt with proactively".

He said it was unclear how long the sinkhole had been there before Keys rode into it.

Cavers confirmed council records indicated no other incidents had been brought to their attention, adding it was "not uncommon" for sinkholes to appear. "This was an unfortunate accident," he said.

Ian said his brother had had his fair share of "ups and downs" since the tragedy.

Keys could "blink and talk" but is likely to remain in the spinal unit until mid-January.

Keys heard his neck snap when he was thrown over his handlebars after riding into the sinkhole on October 15.