A cyclist has described the "incredibly frightening" moment he was hit by a truck in Sydney's south at the weekend, knocking him to the ground and leaving him with serious injuries.
Michael Long, from Annandale, set off for a regular 6am ride from Waverley to Sutherland on Saturday morning with around 24 others from the Eastern Suburbs Cycling Club.
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Truck allegedly crashes into cyclists
Two cyclists were taken to hospital with serious injuries after they were hit by a truck in Sydney's south.
The group had been on the road for about 15 minutes and were cycling southbound on Southern Cross Drive in Eastlakes when a truck ran into the back of them, leaving two of the riders in hospital with serious injuries.
Mr Long, 55, told Fairfax Media he was riding second to last in the group, which was travelling two abreast. He was chatting with the rider next to him when suddenly he heard the beep of a horn and a sickening crunch.
He was picked up and thrown to the ground, falling hard on his left-hand side. The fall left him with seven broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a punctured lung, a bruised pelvis and a damaged spleen.
As he lay on the ground, he feared he would be run over.
"All I heard was a beep, a single beep, then a crunching noise," Mr Long said from his hospital bed on Monday afternoon. "It was incredibly frightening. It just felt like a tsunami hit me and I was down on the ground.
"I was very conscious the entire time. I was laying there, thinking 'I hope nothing's coming over me'."
Other riders in front of him stopped immediately, as did several motorists - including a doctor and nurse who happened to be driving past.
Mr Long said he sat up immediately after the accident, then was unable to lie down because he was in so much pain. Another cyclist sat behind him, propping him up with his legs.
"As I sort of sat up I couldn't breathe and the pain was intense," he said.
"I knew I had broken some ribs, but I didn't know I had broken seven. When I had an x-ray, the doctor didn't say 'broken'. He said 'shattered'."
All I heard was a beep, a single beep, then a crunching noise
Michael Long
Mr Long is due for an extended stay in hospital, with doctors advising him on Monday that his punctured lung seems to be getting worse. He is hopeful he can eventually get back on his bike, as he did after another accident in 2012 where he broke his neck and fractured his spine.
"It's just an unfortunate, unnecessary thing," Mr Long said. "It was such a beautiful day. No-one was doing anything silly."
One of the riders behind him, the first in the Isuzu truck's path, suffered a fractured shoulder and was also taken to hospital. A third rider was treated at the scene.
Photos taken immediately after the crash show a truck belonging to delivery company DHL stopped in the left-hand lane, with several cyclists including Mr Long sitting on the road. A number of damaged bikes lean against the road's railings, while one bike appears to be wedged underneath the truck.
NSW Police confirmed to Fairfax Media that officers attended the crash, at 6.15am on Saturday, and found two men with "serious but not life-threatening" injuries.
"The driver of the truck, a 22-year-old man from Brighton Le Sands, stopped following the crash and was spoken to by police. Investigations into the crash are continuing," a spokesman said.
The crash site is "exactly opposite" the site of another serious crash involving cyclists from the same club two years ago. In that crash in March 2014, seven cyclists were left with injuries ranging from abrasions to serious spinal fractures when a 28-year-old Sydney man crashed his SUV into them in Southern Cross Drive's city-bound lanes.
Edward Hore, the president of the Australian Cycle Alliance, said Saturday's crash was "horrific" and called for authorities to educate road users about cyclists.
"Rather than targeting cyclists for menial things like bells, we need them to look at things like actual ways roads are used by those, especially professional drivers, and ensure that the safety of all vulnerable road users are considered," Mr Hore said.
DHL said the truck involved in the accident was being driven by a sub-contractor and was found to be in "excellent running order" in an inspection by Roads and Maritime Services.
"DHL takes road safety very seriously and has been cooperating with authorities in their investigations of this unfortunate incident," the company said in a statement.
"After the police complete their investigations and share their findings we will ensure we review those findings fully and take all necessary actions and recommendations. We hope the cyclists involved make a quick recovery."
The company emphasised that the accident is still under investigation, but said police have ruled out that it was caused by mobile phone use or road rage.
