A 44-year-old father was left ‘hours from death’ after a horror collision with an e-bike rider.
Shocking CCTV footage showed the moment Mohamed Ressum was left sprawling on the pavement in Surbiton, south west London, after being hit by a rental Forest bike.
The builder was rushed to hospital, where doctors found a bleed on his brain and told him he had been hours away from losing his life.
Mr Ressum, who also suffered broken ribs during the incident, said he now lives with constant headaches, nightmares, and is afraid to leave his house.
He is now fighting for compensation from e-bike operators Forest.
Mr Ressum recalled being ‘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.
‘A police car stopped for one minute and the officers did nothing, not even checking if I was okay or if anybody was to blame.
Pictured: Mohamed Ressum, 44, in hospital with life-changing injuries following a collision with a Forest e-bike
Shocking CCTV footage showed the moment Mr Ressum was left sprawled on the pavement after colliding with a rental e-bike
‘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 blue lighted to another hospital for surgery.
‘Afterwards I was told I had been hours away from death.’
Mr Ressum added: ‘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.’
So far Mr Ressum has 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,’ Mr Ressum said.
‘Nobody knows that if you are hit by a Forest bike then you are in serious trouble and won’t get any support.
‘Bike hire companies should be compelled by law to have insurance to protect other people.
Mr Ressum (pictured) is now suing e-bike operators Forest for compensation after suffering broken ribs and a bleed on the brain following the incident
Pictured: passersby come to help after both riders were knocked off their bikes during the collision
‘Children are riding these bikes and they aren’t protected. This needs to change now as I don’t wany anybody else to go through what I have suffered.’
Laura Swaine, the lawyer representing Mohamed, said: ‘People who suffer terrible life changing injuries like my client must be able to access fair compensation to reflect their loss and I would urge Forest to do the right thing and offer him a financial settlement to help him rebuild his life.’
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.’
