Driver who hit cyclist had a frozen windscreen

A cyclist whose bike was destroyed in an hit-and-run incident believes the car driver's windscreen was covered in ice.

Richard Trask, 40, of Holt, Wiltshire, suffered extensive bruising after being hit by a silver hatchback as he cycled to work. The driver failed to stop at the scene.

Mr Trask said: “My main memory is of how noisy the car was behind me. I am incredibly lucky that I didn’t break anything.

“I have my mobility back and am grateful for that. My bike has been totally written off.”

Mr Trask was cycling to Bradford-on-Avon railway station. He works as an aeronautical engineer at the University of Bristol.

He was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath for treatment, and was later discharged.

He told the Wiltshire Times: “I wear a fluorescent jacket and my bike has reflectors. It was a clear morning and I was cycling away from the sun, I would have been very visible.

“I think it was probably someone from the village. If the window was frozen up I think it would have melted if they came from further away.

“This has put me off cycling, I am going to get a little runabout."

PC Mark Green, of the roads policing unit, said the car would have suffered damage to one side in the accident.

"This could have had a far more serious outcome.

"From witness reports I think the windscreen was covered in ice. Although we are near the end of winter, drivers must still pay attention to clearing windscreens before they set off.

"It's dangerous not to do so, and also carries a fine. It could even be construed as driving without due care and attention."