Helpless, bloodied and suffering multiple fractures, cyclist Brendan Braid was left alone on the side of the road.

The 58-year-old accountant had been cycling south on a quiet stretch of the Old Princes Highway near Helensburgh about 6.24am on January 5, 2014, when a white Ford Laser ran him down, flinging him from his bike.

Seriously injured: cyclist Brendan Braid. Credit:Greg Totman

In the seconds that followed, green P-plater Talia Jade Van-Rysewyk fled the scene, already concocting a cover story for the smashed windscreen, passenger-side mirror and indicator.

She would say her car was damaged by a large piece of plastic thrown from a car in front.