Police search for motorist who knocked 10-year-old girl from bike before driving off “at speed”

Police in Bristol carried out house-to-house enquiries after a 10-year-old suffered bruises and grazes in an alleged hit-and-run incident while cycling with her family last month.

The family were riding their bikes in a 20mph zone on Bristol’s Hartcliffe Road, at the junction with Instow Road and Bideford Crescent, on Tuesday 1 February at around 8pm, reports BristolLive. 

According to Avon and Somerset Police, a motorist struck the girl with their car, knocking her off her bike. She suffered grazing and bruising in the incident, and her bike was damaged.

Following the collision, the driver fled the scene “at speed towards Filewood Broadway”, police said.

Officers subsequently carried out house-to-house enquiries in the area, and are appealing for witnesses to come forward who may have dashcam footage of the incident or any other information which may identify the ‘fail-to-stop’ motorist, who was believed to be driving a silver hatchback.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “A number of people stopped to help the child after the collision, and police urge any who did not speak to officers at the time to call 101, giving the reference 5222026529.”

> Suspended sentence for hit-and-run driver who knocked child off bike and denied having been in crash 

Police in Bath are also looking to identify a lorry driver allegedly involved in a hit-and-run incident with a cyclist last month.  

The cyclist was struck by a lorry driver at around 7.45am on Monday 7 February, and was treated in hospital for serious injuries. The motorist failed to stop at the scene. 

In February, a hit-and-run driver who fled the scene of a crash that left a nine-year-old boy seriously injured, and later denied to police that she had been in a collision, was handed a suspended prison sentence.

Despite lying about her involvement in the incident, Blackburn Magistrates’ Court heard that had Sameia Sohail Mahmood stayed at the scene she may not have faced any charges at all – since camera footage suggested that the collision was the young cyclist’s fault.