Man 'kicked' off bike did not die from fall - specialist

A 76-year-old cyclist who died from a brain haemorrhage did not die from injuries caused by being "kicked" from his bike but as a result of having a stroke, a neurosurgeon told the court today.

Lower Hutt man Todd Young, 24, has pleaded not guilty in the High Court at Wellington to charges of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm relating to the death of William McEwen in December 2008.

The Crown alleged Young, who had served in the armed forces in Afghanistan, deliberately kicked Mr McEwen's moving bike while Young was on his way to a liquor store to buy alcohol for a Christmas work party.

Mr McEwen fell off, fractured his nose, right collar bone and three ribs, and suffered bleeding to his brain. He died from a brain haemorrhage six days later.

Specialist neurosurgeon Agadaha Wickremesekara said the results of CT scans of Mr McEwen's brain were not typical for people who had suffered a haemorrhage as a result of trauma and were instead more typical of people who had suffered strokes.

In cases of haemorrhages caused by trauma there was generally only a blood clot close to the surface of the skull and not in the deeper parts of the brain, he said.

He disagreed with pathologist John Rutherford's view that the haemorrhage was caused by the fall from the bike and that blood seeped from the point of impact deeper into the brain.

He instead asserted the haemorrhage began deeper in the brain as a result of a stroke.

Earlier the court was told how Young's memory about the incident was "patchy" because he had been drinking.

The defence also disputes the allegation that Young kicked Mr McEwen off his bike, instead claiming the incident was an unfortunate accident.

The trial continues.

- NZPA