Incident Leaves Elderly Bicyclist Critically Ill In Hospital

New Zealand Police Wellington News Release

2:38pm 17 December 2008

http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release.html?id=4596

Lower Hutt Police are appealing for public help to find out how an elderly man fell from his bicycle in central Lower Hutt on Friday night, leaving him with life threatening head injuries.

Detective Sergeant Mike Sears, Lower Hutt CIB, said detectives are investigating an incident between the 76-year-old local man and a group of youths about 8.10pm outside Motomart in Rutherford Street, near the Melling Bridge intersection.

The man, whose name has not been released, is critically ill in Hutt Hospital.

"The nature of the incident and just how the gentleman fell from his bike onto the street is unclear," Detective Sergeant Sears said. "We know that he ended up on the ground, resulting in serious head injuries, and that some people stopped to help."

The man had cycled on his old style brown mountain bike with red mudguards from Petone to Lower Hutt. He was wearing a white bike helmet and had travelled along the Hutt Road, crossed the river at the Melling Bridge and turned into Rutherford Street where the incident took place.

"We want to hear from a woman motorist who stopped her car and ran to help the man when he was on the ground," Detective Sergeant Sears said. "She may have seen how the incident happened. We believe that this woman was wearing a dressing gown or nightwear and was heading to pick up or drop off a family member."

Police also want to hear from people who saw the cyclist anywhere along the Petone to Rutherford Street route between 7.30pm to 8.10pm on the Friday evening.

People with information are asked to contact Lower Hutt Police Station on telephone: 04 560 2600.

ENDS

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