A bus driver has been jailed after he used his vehicle to ram a cyclist off the road – catapulting the rider three metres through the air, and resulting in a broken leg and fractured wrist. Moments prior to the collision, the two had an argument at a roundabout, with the cyclist said to have “tugged at one of the bus’ windscreen wipers.”

In a CCTV clip shown to the court, the cyclist, Phillip Mead, is shown riding in front of the vehicle before the bus pulls out to overtake him. But the bus then suddenly swerves to the left – knocking into Mead.

I think he meant to brush against me and give me a fright. I don’t think he set out to break my bones, or at least I like to think not. I remember losing my balance and rolling over a couple of times. I tried to stand up and could see that my bike was under the bus between the front and back wheels. It doesn’t matter to me what sentence he gets, it won’t change what has already happened. For me what is important is that he has acknowledged what he did.

The bus driver, Gavin Hill, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm, and was jailed for 17 months yesterday. Judge Mark Horton said Hill’s action “was not an accident” and added:

You used the bus as a weapon to bully and intimidate Mr Mead.

This ruling highlights the growing debate regarding the rights of cyclists, even ones who deliberately provoke motorists.

Here is the video of the CCTV footage of the incident:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3PWJtDJME

[Source: Daily Mail]