Cyclist lucky to avoid serious injury after running into car

COULDN'T STOP: The cyclist lay in the street with bystanders comforting him as he waited for an ambulance.PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY 020315WCBRCBIK03

A cyclist slammed into the side of a turning car in Bell St yesterday after it appears his brakes failed.

"He's come screaming down that hill and the car's turned in front of him and he hasn't been able to stop," Constable Vaughan Patching said.

"His brakes ... they weren't working. They were faulty when we looked at the bike."

It was unclear whether the brakes had been faulty before the accident or as a result of it.

The cyclist was riding on the footpath down Guyton St towards Bell, while the car was heading the same direction. When the car turned left on to Bell St, the cyclist was unable to avoid hitting the side of it.

He was not seriously injured, St John staff said.

Duty manager Trudy Taylor said the ambulance attended but the man was left at home with his family as he did not need to be taken to hospital.

Police blocked off the section of the road while the cyclist lay in the street awaiting an ambulance. Bystanders comforted him following the accident.

The cyclist was not wearing a helmet when the 11am accident happened and Mr Patching said he was "lucky" his injuries weren't more serious.

"It's very, very lucky he didn't come out with more serious injuries."

It didn't take "much of a bang on the head" to do more damage.

Police wanted to remind cyclists to always be wearing helmets.