Robert Hazeldean said he would be ‘forever thankful’ to people who donated to an online appeal for him (Picture: Triangle/Champion)

A cyclist facing bankruptcy after being ordered to pay a woman who stepped in front of him while using her phone has thanked the public who donated more than £45,000 to help him.

The fundraising drive has raised more than double its initial target of £21,300 to meet the estimated legal costs of Robert Hazeldean.

Mr Hazeldean – who is also facing a £100,000 court bill – said he would be ‘forever thankful’ to the more than 3,000 people who donated to the gofundme appeal.

A hearing to decide the final court costs will take place at a later date and crowdfunders say that anything left from the end total will be donated to ActionAid.




Mr Hazeldean had sponsored a child through the charity for 13 years, but recently had to stop because of the financial pressures around his case.

On Friday he said he was left ‘reeling’ after a judge ordered him to pay yoga instructor Gemma Brushett, 28, damages despite traffic lights being green for him.

Robert Hazeldean has been ordered to pay Gemma Brushett £20,000 in damages (Picture: Triangle)

Ms Brushett sued Mr Hazeldean after the collision (Picture: Champion)

Mr Hazeldean, who has since moved to the Côte d’Azur to work as a landscape designer, was working at a mental health charity in July 2015 when the accident happened near London Bridge.

He sounded a bike horn, and swerved to try to avoid Ms Brushett but both were knocked out in the collision which Judge Shanti Mauger found they were equally to blame for.

However, the judge ruled Mr Hazeldean was liable to pay Ms Brushett compensation because ‘cyclists must be prepared at all times for people to behave in unexpected ways’.

She said: ‘Mr Hazeldean did fall below the level to be expected of a reasonably competent cyclist in that he did proceed when the road was not completely clear.’

In a statement released through his lawyers on Friday, the cyclist said: ‘I am of course deeply disappointed with the outcome, reeling from the impact it will have on my life, and concerned by the precedent that it might set for other cyclists.’

He said he was ‘extremely touched’ by messages of support from strangers after the case became public.

Yoga teacher Gemma Brushett was on her phone when she stepped into the road in front of Mr Hazeldean’s bike (Picture: Champion)

Mr Hazeldean added: ‘I feel that most cyclists would not have appreciated the consequences of not taking the opportunity to put forward a counterclaim which meant that I was unable to rely on the legislation in the same way that the Claimant has to protect myself against a destructive costs award.

‘This was not because I was not injured, but because I do not advocate the claim culture.’

He added: ‘Covering the costs and the compensation is going to exceed £20,000 and will leave me bankrupt.

‘I can only hope that the focus on this case highlights the vulnerability of cyclists, both physically and against the courts, and that it might help reform a legal system that appears to leave certain road users disproportionately exposed.’

He urged other cyclists to take out insurance to prevent them going through the same ordeal.

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