'Get off the pavements' plea to cyclists after Fenland mum is hurt in hit and run

A young mum who was left lying on the pavement with her screaming baby after being hit by a cyclist has spoken out of the dangers of riding on footpaths.

Ashlie Tucker was left with a dislocated shoulder, badly bruised ribs, bruising to her left leg, and a grazed and bruised face, after the incident on Tuesday in Wisbech.

The community first responder was out for a walk with her 10-week-old daughter Jasmine and pet Yorkie and was on her way home when the incident happened in Ramnoth Road at around 2pm, close to the College of West Anglia.

Ashlie, who is in her 20s, said: "Mum had given me a sling for Jasmine and I was trying it out for the first time. We were just on our way home and I was talking to Jasmine when all of a sudden this cyclist appeared out of nowhere.

"He was going at a terrific speed along the pavement heading straight towards me. I had a matter of seconds to react, but with a car coming along the road, I had nowhere to go. I put my arm up to shield Jasmine and tried to pivot out of the way.

"But he just slammed into me and sent me flying. He was going so fast I don't think he had time to react. I landed really hard on the pavement, Jasmine was screaming and I was stunned.

"Fortunately I had managed to protect her, but by doing that I landed heavily on my knee and left arm. My shoulder was dislocated and to be honest I don't think there was a bone or a muscle in my body that hadn't been shaken.

"The man picked up his bike and just rode off. He never asked if we were hurt or attempted to help me up.

"I was so shaken my legs had turned to jelly and I really just wanted someone to ask if I was OK. Then this man appeared. He'd heard Jasmine screaming and realised something was up when he saw me on the ground. He came over and offered to call an ambulance, but I didn't want to take a vehicle off the road to take me to hospital, and I didn't want to take Jasmine there either. We called my partner Kerry, and he came straight home from work.

"I managed to get home and Kerry then took me to A&E – we were there nine hours, I needed an orthopaedic surgeon to reset my shoulder."

The experience has left Ashlie determined to raise awareness of the dangers of cycling on the pavement.

She said: "I know the man didn't deliberately run into me, but he was going so fast there was nothing he could do. However, he should not have been on the pavement in the first place, he was a grown man in his 20s and there was no excuse for him to be riding on the pathway.

"I'm also hoping to track down the man who helped me. I was so shaken I didn't get a name and I would really like to say thank-you to him, he really helped me when I needed it most.

"Finally I haven't reported it to the police because it all happened so fast I only have sketchy details, but if anyone witnessed what happened and can provide more details then I would like them to report it to the police.

"This person knows what he did. He needs to feel ashamed of what he did and warned off cycling on pavements in the future."