Cyclist's severed foot found on hit-and-run suspect's car as driver arrested

A woman in her 20s has been arrested following a hit-and-run incident on Thursday which left a cyclist in a serious but stable condition in hospital having suffered a severed foot in the collision.

Off-duty Garda inspector Niall Flood — described in Irish media reports as an experienced cyclist — was riding along the R522 near Newcastle West when he was flung from his bike at around 7.15pm.

His police colleagues are reportedly working on the assumption the motorist fled the scene and drove to a relative's property, at which point a family member found the cyclist's foot wedged into the car and contacted the authorities.

Air ambulance medics raced to the scene, applying a tourniquet to stem the blood loss from the injury, which was severed below the shinbone above the ankle. 

Mr Flood was kept conscious and airlifted to Cork University Hospital where he is being treated for multiple bone fractures, lacerations, bruising, as well as the severed wound.

The air ambulance arrived at the scene 12 minutes after being notified of the incident, and Mr Flood's friends and colleagues have praised the rapid response, which is believed to have saved the cyclist's life.

A woman in her 20s was arrested later on Thursday night and a Garda spokesperson yesterday confirmed the suspect remains in custody.

 A source told breakingnews.ie the cyclist "spoke to the guys who came on scene, and the first thing he said to them was 'is my leg gone?' He was talking, he was in severe pain, he's a lucky man to be alive."

The Garda have launched an appeal "to any person who may have witnessed this collision to contact them, including any road users who were travelling on the R522 between Dromcollogher and Feohanagh at the time of the incident with camera footage (including dash cam).

"A car understood to be involved in the incident was seized for forensic examination, and the scene has been examined by Garda Forensic Collision investigators."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Henry Street Garda Station (061212400) or the Garda Confidential Line on (1800666666). 

The photo illustrating this article is of the R522 near Newcastle West, but may not be the exact site of the collision. Please note the comments are closed on this story.