Men tried to free cyclist from under van using car jack

Two men have tried to rescue an injured cyclist from under a van using a car jack after the man was knocked down and then run over by two different vehicles in Notting Hill.

According to witnesses the cyclist, believed to be in his 40s, was hit by one car, whose driver was doing a u-turn, and then run over by a van, whose driver, rounding a corner, failed to stop in time.

The incident happened at 3pm yesterday on Holland Park Avenue, just yards from where cyclist Eilidh Cairns was killed in 2009. A 400 yard stretch of road was closed off to traffic for about two hours as fire crews freed the victim.

The man was then taken to hospital to be treated for serious head injuries. The Met Police say these injuries are not life-threatening.

The Evening Standard reports Emile James, 22, was walking alongside the road when the crash happened.

He said: “A black Golf had done a U-turn in the road, hadn’t seen the cyclist and knocked him to the ground.

“I was about to go to help him when a van came around the corner. The van tried to brake but didn’t stop in time and ended up on top of him.

“Two guys jumped out and tried to lift the van off using a car jack. People were shouting at them to stop. They said they didn’t know how bad the injuries were.”

A neighbour said: “I came home after the crash happened and saw police vans in the road and the ambulance treating the man. I hope he is going to be ok.”

The Evening Standard reports the Metropolitan Police made no arrests following the incident. The Met did not respond to road.cc's request for clarification on this.