A CYCLIST who was the victim of a hit and run in Flintshire has acknowledged he is lucky to be alive.

 
Ian Tierney, from Bebington on the Wirral, suffered a broken elbow and several broken ribs after colliding with a car in Hawarden on Saturday morning. 

The driver, who had looked to pull out of a junction before stopping in the middle of the road, then failed to stop following the collision. 

Mr Tierney, 44, said: “I was out with my cycling pals on Saturday morning, we had travelled from Northop Hall and were on our way to Broughton.

“The car in question was pulling out of Moor Lane onto the main road between Hawarden and Broughton. At the speed were travelling at he should never have pulled out, but attempted to.

“If he had put his foot down he may have had got out in front of me in time, but he just stopped in the middle of the road. 

“I slammed on to my breaks but couldn’t stop, I smashed into the side of his car, went all the way over it and fell into the middle of the road.

“I’m lucky to be alive on two counts, one that I didn’t go through either the windscreen or side mirror, and two that a car didn’t hit me after I fell into the middle of the road. 

“I looked up to see him speeding off up the hill towards Hawarden village.

“The paramedics said they see incidents like this regularly and that I’m very fortunate it wasn’t a fatal.”

And Mr Tierney, director of Cycling Projects which supports disabled cyclists, has now urged the driver to hand himself in to police. 

He added: “If he simply made an error of judgement, I would accept that as these things do happen on the road. 

“But the fact he simply drove off is what really angers me. He must know what he’s done, so I’d urge him to hand himself in now.”

North Wales Police are now appealing for information, and in particular for witnesses or people who may have dash cam footage from near the area around that time.

The driver of a blue or green vehicle – which is believed to be a Citroen Picasso – is currently a person of interest to law enforcers.

Should you have any information on the incident, contact North Wales Police by calling 101 and quoting the reference number X067986.