A Halifax cyclist who was badly injured in a hit-and-run a few weeks ago is urging others to be careful.
Tim Lane was biking to work along St. Margaret’s Bay Road on Aug. 22 when he was clipped from behind by a passing pickup truck, sending him 15 feet into the air.
As a result, he has fractures to his skull, jaw bone, orbital bone, several ribs, a ruptured spleen, and a broken leg.
“One of the worst injuries was to my femur bone, which was broken and actually protruding through my backside by several inches," Lane said.
Fortunately for Lane, an off-duty police officer witnessed the crash and called an ambulance, but the truck still hasn't been found.
"They told me all his injuries and then they told me that it was a hit-and-run, and I was almost more upset that somebody just hit him and left him," said Tim Lane’s wife, Stephanie Lane.
While Lane is an experienced cyclist, the road is narrow and doesn't leave much room for cars to pass.
"I rode at same time each morning and it wasn't a particularly busy time. I was pretty sure I was being passed by mostly the same people each morning," Tim Lane said.
"Occasionally trucks would pass and would pass too close, and you would be well aware of the potential danger."
Last week, a 24-year-old cyclist was struck by a vehicle in a Halifax intersection, -- the third serious cyclist-vehicle collision in the city this summer.
Kelsey Lane of the Halifax Cycling Coalition is pushing for a connected, protected network of bicycle lanes, making it easier and safer for cyclists to get around.
"The city really needs to put their money where their mouth is if they want to increase the safety on the roads for people who ride a bicycle,” said Lane.
Tim Lane agrees.
"If drivers are very aware, then there's no reason for a cyclist or a pedestrian to really ever get hit," he said.
After nearly three weeks in hospital Lane is well on the road to recovery, but it may be a little while before he gets his bike back on the road.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Allan April.
