Hurt cyclist critical

A motorist saw the young woman clip his car and fall under a trailer in downtown Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday

A young woman cyclist is in a critical condition after clipping a car and falling into the path of a trailer.

The woman was alongside cars at the busy intersection of The Strand and Quay St in Central Auckland just before 10am yesterday when she lost control of her bike. Apparently she was not wearing a helmet.

Errol Sanders, from Kohimarama, was on his way to pick up a friend from the city when he stopped at the lights. He said the cyclist was beside him and, when the lights went green, she wobbled as she stood on the pedals and knocked into his car.

"She clipped me and then got trapped under the wheel of the trailer," a still shaken Sanders said.

"She was a young cyclist in her 20s."

The distressed motorist said two doctors, who were passing by, helped out immediately.

"There were a lot of people around her helping and calling on their phones," Sanders said. "I was trying to call but I couldn't use my phone, I couldn't get it to work."

He said the accident was a family's worst nightmare.

"I'd rather see cyclists on the path than this. It is too dangerous. It was as quick as that."

The driver of the car with the trailer said everything happened in a moment and he didn't want to talk about it.