Dan Walker says he’s ‘confident’ he was not to blame after being hit by a car while out cycling – as he reveals he’s still eating through a straw but hopes to be back on TV later this week
- TV presenter in horror crash earlier this week while riding his bike in Sheffield
- Dan Walker, 45, doesn’t remember accident but is confident he is not to blame
- Read more: Jeremy Vine sparks another online cycling debate over van driver
Dan Walker has said he is ‘confident that I am not to blame’ after being involved in a horror bike crash on Monday morning.
The 45-year-old former BBC Breakfast presenter first shared the news of the incident with a post on Instagram, showing him with cuts to his face and a bloodied nose.
He said he had left his house early to catch the train and was going over the roundabout instead of through a cycle lane because it was often covered in smashed glass.
The presenter said that he hadn’t been able to watch the footage of the accident but after speaking with police again on Thursday he is ‘confident’ he was not to blame for the accident.
Mr Walker has asked to speak to the driver and said he hopes the matter can be resolved outside the courts.
Walker thanked the two paramedics who treated him for the injuries before tweeting a picture of them from inside an ambulance. He said he was knocked out cold for 20 minutes
Dan Walker was hit by a car while trying to cycle over the roundabout on Moore Street in the centre of Sheffield, MailOnline understands
Writing in The Sunday Times, Mr Walker said he ‘could have died’ but confirmed he is unable to remember any details of the incident in Sheffield.
He said: ‘There is still nothing there, which a large part of me is very happy about. I can’t go into details at the moment because the police might take another week or so to publish their report but, after talking to Conor [a police officer], I am confident that I am not to blame and I hope this can be resolved outside the courts.
READ MORE: Safety campaigners slam Channel 5 host for wearing dark clothing but warn motorists should be aware of cyclists
‘I know I could have died but I also know how easy it is to make a mistake, even when you’re trying to be careful.
‘I can’t really remember what they (the driver) looked like, from that moment they were looking over me as I came round, but I do recall that they looked deeply distressed and I imagine it is all they are thinking about at the moment.
‘That Monday could have been the day that changed their life for ever. I asked Conor if I would be able to talk to the driver if they were OK with that. I’ll let you know what happens.’
His comments come as experts are at loggerheads over who caused the collision.
A driving campaigner has argued Walker should have been using a nearby cycle lane that would have diverted him through a subway underneath the road, avoiding heavy traffic.
But cycling figures have said the driver should have had greater awareness prior to the collision.
The debate comes following a change to the Highway Code last year that placed ‘those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy’.
It means drivers of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm bear the most responsibility to take care of others around them. Essentially, the bigger and heavier the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility you have to reduce risk.
The Code states: ‘You should give priority to cyclists on the roundabout. They will be travelling more slowly than motorised traffic.
‘Give them plenty of room and do not attempt to overtake them within their lane. Allow them to move across your path as they travel around the roundabout.’
The Highway Code adds that ‘drivers should take extra care when entering a roundabout to ensure that they do not cut across cyclists’.
Hugh Bladon, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said Walker should not have used the roundabout – said to be a notorious accident hotspot.
He told MailOnline: ‘Neither Walker or the driver are blameless. Walker should have used the safer route provided for him as a cyclist (why do cyclists not use the facilities provided for them?) and he is a clot for wearing dark clothing.
‘Cyclists should make sure they are clearly visible at all times. The driver appears to be starting to move to his left, presumably in preparation for taking the next exit.
‘With signs everywhere, other traffic to consider and maybe trying to find his way, it is a simple mistake to miss Walker possibly hidden by the A pillar. If I were cycling I would not venture onto that roundabout.’
He tweeted this selfie of his swollen face after arriving home from hospital on Monday
The hierarchy of road users is a pyramid scheme of protection to keep those who are most vulnerable safe
In footage from a car ahead, Walker’s rear wheel can be seen catching the car’s front wing, flipping the Strictly Come Dancing star over
A cycle lane is said to go under the roundabout through a subway
But Duncan Dollimore, the head of campaigns at Cycling UK who both drives and cycles, said drivers need to ‘brush up’ on the new Highway Code guidance regarding vulnerable road users.
He said: ‘Without witnessing the incident, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of the horrific collision involving Dan Walker and the driver.
‘Changes in the Highway Code last year make it clear when we drive we have a greater responsibility to look out for those more vulnerable than us, like people walking, cycling or horse riding.’
Mr Dollimore added that if people aren’t sure about the new rules, they should brush up on the Highway Code.
Road safety experts urged cyclists to use cycle lanes where available and told road users to be more aware of their surroundings.
Rebecca Guy, road safety manager at Rospa, said: ‘We believe road users should be aware they are using a shared space and therefore on the lookout for others – this includes cyclists, people out walking, people on scooters and those in other vehicles.
‘Although we do recognise that cycle paths sometimes provide quieter routes with less traffic, cyclists may exercise their judgement and are not obliged to use them.’
Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation, added: ‘We know that cyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to being killed or seriously injured when they are struck by vehicles moving above 20mph which is why we are seeing lots of 20mph speed limits being put into place now.
‘We are pleased that Dan’s injuries appear minor, but this collision does illustrate the importance of either managing traffic speeds below 20mph where cyclists are expected to mix with motorised vehicles or providing segregated facilities where traffic speeds are higher.’
READ MORE: Ex-BBC presenter Dan Walker was knocked out cold for 20 MINUTES after he was hit by a car while cycling in horror crash: ‘I’m very thankful to still be here’
Mr Walker had left home shortly before 8.30am on Monday and was cycling to catch a train to London when the accident happened.
He was knocked out for more than 20 minutes and said he dreamed of cycling down a ‘tree-lined French country road’ while he was unconscious.
The presenter said he woke up briefly before drifting off again and wasn’t aware that he was being put into an ambulance.
‘I remember looking at my watch to catch the time. The whole thing was smashed to pieces and there was blood on my hand.’
Paramedics called producers at Channel 5 and Mr Walker asked them to call his wife.
The journalist shouted: ‘Don’t worry, I’m not dead!’ from his bed in the ambulance.
He was taken to Northern General hospital and was checked over by an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP), who joked that she was a doctor on a nurse’s salary.
Mr Walker miraculously hadn’t broken any bones and was released later that afternoon.
‘My head was all over the place, my Gocycle e-bike was bent and I could hardly breathe with all the hard, congealed blood in my nostrils.’
The presenter thanked the police, NHS and ambulance services, friends and family and members of the public who helped him following the crash.
‘I thanked the NHS on social media and repeated what Conor and the paramedics had told me… that my cycle helmet had saved my life.’
He wrote that he was surprised by the levels of vitriol towards cyclists online and said he never thought it was ‘his road’ whether he was in a car or on a bike.
The journalist suggested a new slogan for cyclist campaigns: ‘If anyone is looking for a new campaign slogan for cyclists, may I humbly suggest the message on some of the flowers which arrived this week: “Don’t be a helmet. Wear a helmet.”‘
The presenter previously posed for a selfie with his bicycle, believed to be the same bike he was using before the crash
Mr Walker added that while he did not break any bones, his whole body ‘aches’ and he feels like his teeth are bruised and he has a large ulcer in his mouth, forcing him to continue eating through a straw.
His left wrist is painful and he says he is still discovering new injuries.
But the journalist said he has hated ‘doing nothing’ and confirmed that he hopes to return to his role as a Channel 5 news anchor next week.
‘As long as the swelling and bruising have gone down, I think I will go back to work later this week,’ he wrote.
‘Channel 5 have been brilliant. They sent me some chocolates in the post. I sucked the caramel one and will come back to the rest once the mouth is back to full power.’
Walker left the BBC for his current post at Channel 5 last year.
A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police previously said that as it was a ‘minor injury collision’ the force would not be ‘providing details’.
Reports say 37 collisions have happened on Ecclesall Road, which leads onto Moore Street, between 2016 and 2019 where cyclists have been injured.
Cycle Sheffield previously told the Star that six of these were recorded at Hunters Bar roundabout, on the same long stretch of road.
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