Cyclist's plea after skull fractured in hit-and-run

A woman who was seriously injured after a driver knocked her off her bike and fled the crash scene has urged motorists to pay more attention to cyclists.

Adrianna Przeniosło, 25, is recovering after a driver struck her with their car door on Fishponds Road in Bristol on 3 July, which left her with concussion and a fractured skull.

She does not remember the collision, but said after she felt sick, her head ached and she saw that her knees were smashed. Witnesses later told her the driver quickly left the collision scene.

"Drivers, they just don't really see us...I don't know if I'm going to ride a bike again after that," she said.

After scans on her head and being given an intravenous drip, Przeniosło spent two nights in hospital.

"I had a small concussion, two broken fingers and they found there was a fracture in my skull," she said.

After returning home she was bed-bound for a week, but is now on the mend.

Only through her boyfriend going back to the scene of the incident and speaking to people did she find out what happened.

"The lady was parked and opened her door right in front of me," she said. "Witnesses said a couple of people spoke with me and gave me some water.

"The passenger came out and asked me if I needed help, but the driver was inside the car and just drove away.

"I think if they saw that I hit my head on the road they should have called an ambulance immediately and not let me go home."

She said she does not remember calling her boyfriend, but if she had not done so then she might not have got the medical help she needed.

Przeniosło reported the incident to Avon and Somerset Police, but was told the CCTV was too low quality for the car registration to be visible.

A spokesperson for the force said: "We have carried out CCTV enquiries in the area, but the footage was insufficient for us to identify the vehicle involved."

The force urged any witnesses to come forward with information about the car involved.

Przeniosło usually cycles to her job as a pastry chef in Henbury.

But she said the collision has left her unlikely to get back in the saddle again anytime soon.

"I definitely don't feel safe anymore on the streets and I won't be able to cycle for some time," she said.

"I think people should be more aware to call an ambulance even though someone might look alright.

"It's important to remind people to be aware of others on the street - it might be a good idea to put more road signs to make drivers more aware of cyclists."

She called for more cycle lanes away from roads and for helmets to come with rented bikes and electric scooters to make them safer.

Earlier this year, thousands of people signed a petition calling for cycling safety to be prioritised after Alan Hydes, 68, was killed in a hit and run on North Street in Bedminster.

A cyclist in his 80s was also killed near the M32 in Hambrook in February, while a teenager was left with life-threatening injuries after a collision in Hengrove just weeks before.

According to the latest government data, there were 238 cyclist casualties in 2024, which was higher than the year before but 25% lower than the pre-pandemic peak.

Of these collisions reported to police that year, 38 were serious and one was fatal.

Bristol City Council is developing a plan for how to reduce the number of road deaths to zero by 2030, which could include more cycle paths, wider pavements and 20mph speed limits.

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