"If you're not paying attention you can seriously hurt someone": Cyclist whose back was broken by careless driver calls on road users to "be considerate"

A cyclist whose group ride ended with him suffering a broken back after a careless driver hit him at a roundabout has appealed for drivers to "be aware" of cyclists and asked for all road users to "just be considerate" as "if you're not careful or paying attention then you can seriously hurt someone".

The comments come after Hamish Hutchinson — whose back was broken in the collision which left his bike damaged beyond repair — learnt that the driver responsible, Stuart Smillie, has been banned from driving for 20 months and ordered to observe an eight-week curfew having admitted causing serious injury by careless driving.

"I hope the driver reflects on what happened and if he gets back in the driving seat again he's more careful and considerate to other users," Mr Hutchinson, who still suffers physical pain from the impact, told the Daily Record.

"I hope that reading this story makes people more vigilant. The injury did cause, and is still causing, issues. I've still got pain in my back and I'm having physiotherapy." 

The 43-year-old was hit while on a group ride with friends last June, the collision happening at the Keir Roundabout in Dunblane, just a short distance from where many of the world's best professional riders descended on Stirling for the time trial events at the UCI Cycling World Championships later in the summer.

Mr Hutchinson was signalling his turning with his hand when Smillie hit him while driving at a speed of 15-20mph, the collision leaving him in severe pain for months afterwards and preventing him from enjoying his family life.

"I have an 11-year-old daughter, a seven-year-old son and a 20-month-old daughter and so at the time of the accident [collision] my daughter was just over one-year-old and I basically couldn't do what I'd normally do – I couldn't carry her, I couldn't pick her up," he continued.

"That didn't go back to normal for about three months after the accident and even now it's not quite the same. I still get a sore back when carrying her for long periods of time. 

"I'm not afraid to get back on my bike, but I don't know how I'm going to feel when I get back on my bike and on the road. I tell people what happened and everyone tells me how lucky I am, and that's true.

"I just want to put a spotlight on the fact there are a lot of cyclists on the roads and drivers have to be aware, all road users need to be aware of their surroundings. Just be considerate, because if you're not careful or paying attention then you can seriously hurt someone. This could have potentially been worse."