A man has been arrested after a female cyclist was injured after allegedly being “forcibly” pushed off a seawall while riding on the pavement, causing her to plummet several feet onto the beach below.
The woman, in her 60s, was cycling along Culver Parade in Sandown, a seaside resort on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, on Tuesday at around 3.10pm when the incident took place, in front of a beach filled with holidaymakers.
Culver Parade, Sandown (credit: Google Street View)
According to the Island Echo, the cyclist was “forcibly pushed” as she travelled along the narrow wall separating the road from the beach. She fell several feet and landed on the beach, sustaining what was reported to be a leg injury.
Local lifeguards and paramedics rushed to treat the injured cyclist, while Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance were also called, landing on the beach just metres from the scene.
However, the woman’s injuries were not as severe as first feared and she was taken by road to St Mary’s Hospital.
A 38-year-old man from Ryde has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have confirmed that they are treating the incident as an assault.
The incident in Sandown comes in the same week a video of a cyclist being shoved into a canal by an angry dogwalker has attracted national headlines after going viral on social media.
Manchester-based cyclist Klaudia Mitura was riding her bike to work on 19 July when she approached a couple walking with their dog along a narrow towpath. The 34-year-old can then be seen in the clip, captured on her bike camera, braking and coming to a halt, as one of the walkers shouts at her to “slow down”.
Mitura then pointed out to the couple, who were stood across the width of the path, that their dog was off its lead, prompting the man to angrily retort: “Yeah, but you’re on a f***ing bike.” He then calls the cyclist a “f***ing idiot” before pushing her into the canal and walking off.
“As you can see in the video I was trying to pass the couple. He did not want to move out of the way,” Mitura, reflecting on the “traumatising” encounter, told the Manchester Evening News.
“When he passed me, he just pushed me in the water. They were gone, and didn’t turn their heads to see if I’m alive or not.
“I was strapped to the pedals of the bike, so it was really hard to get out. I was thinking of how to get out. No-one was there so I was in the water for about five minutes before someone took me out.”
The mum-of-two, who said she can’t swim and was worried she was going to drown, managed to stand on a rock before a passer-by helped her out of the water and called the police.
“I don’t know what I would do if no-one had walked past me. They didn’t look back to see if I’m okay or if I’m drowning,” she said.
“He refused to move out of the way, I didn’t do anything, I just wanted to pass him and go my way.
“I need help with my mental health. I’m on my own with that, I’m traumatised. It’s the first time anything like this has happened. Cycling was my main means of transport. I’m physically okay but mentally it’s really bad.”