E-bike rider ‘ploughed’ into father on pavement, leaving him inches from death

A dad was left ‘hours from death’ after a horror collision with an e-bike rider, new CCTV footage has shown.

Mohamed Ressum, a 44-year-old builder, was left sprawled on the pavement in Surbiton, south-west London.

‘I was hit really suddenly by the Forest bike and knocked over with force. I smashed my head and lay on the pavement for several minutes before anybody even came over to check on me,’ he said.

‘The pain in my head was excruciating, but I was told to sit in A&E for hours. When I finally had a scan, a bleed on my brain was found, and I was transferred to another hospital for surgery.’

It was here, he says, that surgeons told him the shocking news – that he was just hours away from losing his life.

Mr Ressum, who also suffered broken ribs, now lives with constant headaches, nightmares and is afraid to leave his house.

He has now asked lawyers to fight for compensation from e-bike operators Forest.

‘Before the accident, I was easy-going and now I am terrified of a lot of things, like walking under trees or seeing a bike. I wake up with a headache like I have been drinking all night, suffer nightmares, and I can’t work on building sites. It’s changed me completely,’ he said.

Mr Ressum has so far been unable to reach a settlement with Forest.

He says he has so far been unable to claim compensation for his injuries and loss of earnings as the type of incident is not covered by Forest’s public liability insurance.

‘There needs to be a change in the law to protect people who get hurt by these bikes. Nobody knows that if you are hit by a Forest bike, then you are in serious trouble and won’t get any support,’ he said.

‘Bike hire companies should be compelled by law to have insurance to protect other people. Children are riding these bikes and they aren’t protected. This needs to change now as I don’t want anybody else to go through what I have suffered.’

A Forest spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply saddened about this accident, and our thoughts are with the individuals involved.

‘In line with most of the industry, Forest has comprehensive public liability insurance which covers incidents arising from a mechanical fault or failure of our bikes.

‘Our focus is on maintaining our bikes to the highest possible safety standards and helping riders use them safely and with care. The vast majority of Forest riders use our service considerately, and all new users complete in-app safety training before their first journey.

‘While we do everything we can to encourage and support good riding behaviour, cyclists ultimately have a duty to follow the rules of the road and ride safely.’

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