French cyclist must pay pedestrian before leaving NZ

French backpacker Cyril Millet. Photo / Facebook

A French cyclist riding on a footpath who knocked over a pedestrian and broke his hip has been ordered to pay his victim $600 before he leaves New Zealand.

Backpacker Cyril Millet, 24, was cycling on a Christchurch footpath on February 16 when office worker Bruce Royston Hewitt was leaving work for the night.

As 54-year-old Mr Hewitt closed his office door, Millet mowed him down, crashing him to the Manchester St pavement.

"I never even saw the bike. Something just threw me to the ground," Mr Hewitt said.

"I was in shock but I remember [the cyclist] hardly spoke a word of English. In fact, the poor guy found my phone for me under a car and I had to ring 111 myself before I pretty much fainted. At least he waited there."

Mr Hewitt was hospitalised with a fractured hip.

He underwent surgery to join the bones back together and spent three nights in hospital.

Millet, in New Zealand on a one-year working holiday visa, earlier admitted a rare charge of operating a vehicle carelessly and thereby caused injury.

He appeared in the dock at Christchurch District Court today aided by a French interpreter.

Defence counsel Michelle Barrell said it was an "unusual" case.

A police prosecutor earlier told the court that "even rollerblades" are deemed to be vehicles.

Judge Raoul Neave told Millet that footpaths were exclusively for pedestrians.

However, he said it would've been "ludicrous" to disqualify him from driving a car after committing an offence while riding a bicycle.

He ordered him to pay $600 of reparation to Mr Hewitt before he leaves New Zealand on May 1.

Millet earlier told NZME. News Service that he did not see Mr Hewitt.

"I drive (sic) slowly, he close the door, and we ... smack. He hit the concrete," he said.

"It has not been good for my trip in New Zealand."

Millet has been working in Christchurch as a labourer, and now wants to travel around the South Island before flying home in May.

Mr Hewitt said his recovery has been going "as well as I can expect" but is only now slowly putting weight back on the leg.

"The real issue is that I might be more at risk of getting a hip replacement in a few years, if the bone hasn't mended well, which is the thing that bugs me the most," said the Canterbury father.

"I'm a fairly active person -- cycling, jogging, kayaking, just general fitness stuff -- so it's killing me at the moment, not being able to do anything.

"It's not an accident I ever thought would happen to me -- to walk out onto a footpath and get taken out."

Mr Hewitt holds no malice towards Millet, but is pleased that police charged him.

"It was a stupid thing he did, even though it was an accident. But he should be held accountable, given the impact it's had on me.

"If I just had bruises and cuts, then I wouldn't have seen the need to charge. But because it was the hip, it's really impacted on me."