This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A man has been arrested after a hit-and-run collision between an electric bicycle and pedestrian that left the victim with life-threatening injuries.

The 56-year-old woman was struck by the bicycle just after 5pm on Tuesday as she crossed Kingsland High Street in Dalston, east London. Police and paramedics were called and she was taken to hospital.

The man riding the bike was also thrown to the ground by the collision, but reportedly left the scene. The bike – an electric-assisted Specialized pedal cycle – was found abandoned on Approach Close in Stoke Newington.

Late on Wednesday officers arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm under section 35 of the Offences Against the Person Act – “injuring persons by furious driving” – after he contacted police.

Caleb Garba, 30, witnessed the aftermath of the accident from his office. He told the Evening Standard a colleague used a towel as a pillow for the victim’s head. “Her breathing was really bad,” he said.



The rider was bleeding from the head and appeared dazed, but left the scene after a couple of minutes, Garba said.

Police have asked for more witnesses to come forward. DC Darren Case said it was a “shocking incident that has left a woman in a life-threatening condition in hospital”.

Electric-assisted bicycles are equipped with battery-powered motors that take some effort out of pedalling, allowing riders to get moving more easily.

Because they do not have combustion engines, there are fewer restrictions on their use on UK roads: riders do not need a licence but have to be aged 14 or over to use one; the power must be activated by pedalling rather than a throttle; and the power has to cut off at 15.5mph. There is also a 250W power limit on the motor.

Specialized electric-assisted bikes, of the kind involved in Tuesday’s collision, range from just over £2,000 to almost £9,000.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said it was unclear how many times such bicycles had been involved in collisions as the force’s criteria for recording such incidents had not yet been brought up to date with the relatively new technology.