A CYCLIST who had to undergo surgery for a broken collar bone after a hitand- run accident has appealed to the driver of the car who fled the scene.

John Hagon, 50, of Keyes Close, Shoebury, said he can’t remember the immediate aftermath of being knocked unconscious in the smash.

He fears he could have died if he hadn’t seen the car coming at him and quickly manoeuvred to minimise the impact.

He spoke out after it was revealed Southend had seen more cyclists killed or seriously injured on its roads than anywhere else in Essex.

Mr Hagon said: “When I came to, my shoulder was in excruciating pain. I just wanted to get home.

“If I hadn’t done the manoeuvre on my bike, I think the accident would have been a lot worse. It could have killed me.

“There were two women and a man trying to help me and one of them walked me home.

“I started shaking all over almost immediately, when the shocked kicked in.”

He was on his daily cycle ride home from Thorpe Bay train station after a day at work and was coming to the end of Frobisher Way, about to cross Mountbatten Drive, when a car sped past him to turn left.

As Mr Hagon crossed the road, he believes an oncoming car in Mountbatten Drive, turning right into Frobisher Way, was distracted and didn’t see him cross. He hit the bonnet and was thrown on to the road on his head and shoulder, knocking him out.

After the crash, he was helped home, where his wife called for an ambulance.

Doctors decided reconstructive surgery was needed and surgeons inserted a plate into his collar bone. He was told to take up to four weeks off his work as an acoustic engineer, but as he is self employed, he decided to go back to work yesterday, two weeks early, so he doesn’t lose any more pay.

He said: “I have been cycling for 20 or 30 years and I have experienced a lot of near misses in the past year.

“I want to make a direct plea to the driver to make themselves known to police.

“Because I was out of it, I don’t know if the person stopped or not. None of the three people who helped me said they were the driver.”

The crash happened at 5.50pm on Monday, February 2.

Police said the vehicle failed to stop at the scene.

Any witnesses who have not yet contacted them to call PC Matt Ayling, at Laindon road policing unit on 101 or email matt.ayling@essex.pnn.

police.uk