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Police are appealing for a driver to hand themselves in after they allegedly deliberately veered into the path of a cyclist in Melbourne’s south-east, leaving the man with cuts and bruises.
Robert Clarke, from Pakenham, was cycling on Douglas Street in Noble Park at 6.40am on Thursday when a white car passed by.
The driver initially stopped to allow the 59-year-old cyclist to pass before accelerating toward him, mounting the curb and hitting him.
Clarke fell off his bicycle and landed on the road, while the driver continued on, dragging the twisted metal of the bicycle for another 130 metres.
Clarke received grazes and bruises and was taken to hospital for treatment.
In an interview on Nine News, Clarke wiped away tears as he described the emotional toll the hit-run had taken. It was the second time he had been injured in a hit-run, he said.
Pakenham cyclist Robert Clarke, 59, speaks to the media after he was the victim of a hit-run. Credit: Nine News
“I cycle everywhere, and you know the dangers are there. But you always keep to the left and do the right thing, wear a helmet, have lights…” he said.
“I heard the acceleration behind me and I thought, ‘here’s another smart arse, they’re going to rev, scare me and then keep going.’ And the next thing, the world was spinning.
The wreckage of Robert Clarke’s bike after the hit-run in Noble Park.
“I get a lot of abuse on the road as a cyclist, and this one hit me.”
Police say the car was a white Mitsubishi Lancer, believed to have been built between 2008 and 2017.
The sedan was last seen being driven north-west through the intersection of Douglas Street and Heatherton Road.
Greater Dandenong highway patrol sergeant Jerome Ithier said there had been no altercation between the driver and cyclist before the collision.
“I’m appealing for the driver to hand [themselves] in. What you’ve done is deliberate, it’s dangerous, it’s reckless. We’re just very fortunate … no one was killed or seriously injured as a result,” he said.
“Anyone that partakes in this particular behaviour should not be on our roads.”
Police believe the Mitsubishi may not have been bearing any registration plates.
Investigators have released CCTV footage and an image of the vehicle believed to be involved.
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