Police asked cyclist who was victim of brutal hit and run to track down CCTV footage himself
Josh Dey was left with serious injuries, but had to track down the footage after leaving hospital
A cyclist who was the victim in a horrific hit and run was asked by police to track down CCTV footage himself.
Josh Dey was riding his bike on Easter Sunday (April 21) when a BMW being driven on the wrong side of the road hit him head on.
Mr Dey suffered multiple injuries including a brain bleed as the car drove away from the scene.
The 22-year-old medical student reported the incident to police, when officers asked him to track down CCTV footage of the incident himself before it was deleted.
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Mr Dey, from Archway in London, told ITV News: “I don’t remember anything. I only remember waking up in hospital and wondering what’s going on with needles in my arms and in a lot of pain.
“So the police said they’d send an officer more than a week after the incident.
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“With the software at the restaurant [the CCTV footage] would be deleted after a week, so by the time they got there it would have been deleted.
“So they said if you can get the footage yourself that would be really helpful.
“As soon as I got out of hospital I made that my first priority.”
Mr Dey was able to track down the video, which he then shared with a local newspaper.
The crash happened on Swain’s Lane, near Hampstead Heath in north London.
Injuries Mr Dey suffered in the crash included multiple fractures to his nose, ligament damage in his knee, a bleed on the brain, a fractured toe and bruising to his left leg.
Video footage of the awful crash shows the car licence plate, Mr Dey said police told him they would send a letter to the owner to confirm who was driving the car.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the incident and added that it was grateful to Mr Dey’s help in sending him the footage, the BBC reports.
No one has been arrested.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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