Hove road rage cyclist's victim remains unconscious in hospital
A 52-year-old man from Hove is still unconscious in intensive care this morning after being attacked by a cyclist.
The man was punched to the ground in what appears to have been a road rage row in Portland Road, Hove, late yesterday morning.
Sussex Police today issued descriptions of three cyclists that it believes were involved in the incident.
It is thought that the victim opened the door of his Jaguar car into the path of three people cycling eastbound either hitting one or forcing him to take avoiding action.
An argument appears to have followed during which one of the cyclists knocked out the 52-year-old with a punch.
He suffered a serious head injury and was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
He was later transferred to the Hurstwood Park Neurosciences Centre in Haywards Heath where his condition was described as serious but stable.
Sussex Police described the attacker as a white man, in his late thirties, 5ft 10in to 6ft tall, of slim build and with two or three days’ growth of stubble.
He was wearing green cargo trousers and had a scruffy appearance.
He is believed to have been with two other cyclists who were wearing day-to-day clothes, not sports cycling gear.
One of the cyclists was riding a distinctive luminous green bicycle.
A fourth cyclist was close behind, travelling in the same direction, but was not part of the group.
Witnesses to the incident and anyone who recognises the descriptions or who has information is asked to call 0845 6070999.
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Firstly I would like to condemn this act of violence from the cyclists, punching someone can never be justified.
However given the apparent circumstances, I would question calling the Jaguar drive the victim. The highway code states that “you MUST ensure you do not hit anyone when you open your door. Check for cyclists or other traffic.” As such it seems that the driver assaulted one of the cyclists with his car.
I am inclined to agree with Martin.
I also suspect that the cyclists have got fed up with expecting the police to act on reports of doorings (which they never do, despite it being illegal) so reached the accurate conclusion that they needed to defend themselves instead of relying on the law to do it.
An eye-witness said this:
“I was there when it happened and just want to make sure the facts are straight… Not all of the cyclists were involved in the rage part of this incident, it was actually one person. I just happened that four cyclists (not three) were cycling along the road together at the same time. This was not a gang of cyclists, not all of them knew each other, they just happen to be sharing the same bit of the road when the incident happened.”
Phil
November 9, 2010 at 1.35 am
“I also suspect that the cyclists have got fed up with expecting the police to act on reports of doorings (which they never do, despite it being illegal) so reached the accurate conclusion that they needed to defend themselves instead of relying on the law to do it.”
That is a hypothesis for which there seems to be no evidence.
I am a cyclist who experiences daily the careless driving and aggression of motorists. It scares me and sometimes I get angry, but some drivers are seemingly in a permanent rage at cyclists, any cyclist. Normally it’s the cyclist on the receiving end.
Google: road rage cyclist site:www.youtube.com
Road rage is totally unacceptable. This person needs to be caught.
First of all the eye-witness who reported the incident to the Police disputes the theory that the cyclists were a connected group. The other two were in the area at the same time. There appears to be doubt as to whether they even knew the assault had occurred. A fourth cyclist who arrived on the scene afterwards assisted the victim.
Second, only one was involved in the assault.
Third, Both news accounts differ from the witness account and are therefore suspect.
Thank you for your comments. I was at the scene shortly afterwards and spoke to as many people as I could, including officers from Sussex Police and, later, Detective Sergeant Julian Deans.
After an incident like this, it can take a while for the full picture to emerge.
Different people will have seen things from different perspectives and may each add elements to the overall picture of what went on.
I am a cyclist and a driver and have seen examples of good and bad behaviour by both.
Part of the reason for reporting incidents like this is in the hope of helping the police to solve crimes and bring offenders to justice.
While we try hard to get everything right first time every time, as you can probably guess, the reality is often much harder.
If we have got something wrong, or if you disagree with our interpretation, we are always pleased to hear from you.
The witness I quoted above was apparently the person who saw the incident and first phoned the Police.
I think anyone suggesting that the victim who lies critically ill in hospital deserved such treatment shold be locked up with the neanderthal who did this. Disgusting behaviour.