Cyclist deliberately rammed by laughing driver “blown away” by public support

An injured cyclist who was deliberately knocked off his bike by a laughing motorist says he has been “blown away” by the public support he has received since the shocking incident.

A GoFundMe page created to raise money for cyclist Mark Rogan, who broke his collarbone in what one local councillor described as a “horrendous attack in broad daylight” in Dundalk, Co. Louth, has already racked up €1,500 in donations in under two days.

Rogan was seen riding through the Irish town, which is located halfway between Belfast and Dublin, at around 3pm on Sunday 27 November when he was struck from behind by a motorist.

In a short clip uploaded to social media at the weekend showing the incident, which also appears to have been recorded by the driver of the vehicle, a voice can be heard saying: “How heartless I am, see him on the bike, look, look.”

As he intentionally steers into the cyclist, the motorist then apparently laughs before saying, “LOL, LOL”.

*Reader discretion is advised, the following footage is shocking and distressing*

@GardaTraffic Castletown Road Dundalk .. Find Him ! pic.twitter.com/uDQDaWdBbU

— Curious Charlie VLC (@Curious_Eire) November 28, 2022

Following the hit-and-run, Rogan, who is in his 50s, was taken to Drogheda’s Our Lady of Lourdes hospital, where he was treated for a broken collarbone and injuries to his arm.

In the wake of the distressing incident, fellow Dundalk resident Graham Donnelly set up a GoFundMe page to help the cyclist, who works in a local takeaway, as he recovers from his injuries. At the time of writing, over €1,500 has been raised by 110 donors.

Donnelly, who doesn’t know Mr Rogan personally, told the Sunday World that he was shocked when the fundraiser was almost immediately inundated with donations from the local community.

“It’s raised over a grand in less than 24 hours. It’s crazy,” he said.

“He [Mr Rogan] was blown away by the response and was very appreciative of it, so it’s gone down well on both ends.

“It shows that there’s more good people than bad in this town by the reaction. People were really quick to rally around and wish Mark the best and slam the actions of this individual, whoever he is. Everybody just can’t get their heads around why someone would do that.

“I’m just blown away by everyone’s reaction. It just shows what kind of town it is. Every town has its bad articles but overall, when something like this happens, people really look after each other in this town. We have each other’s back.”

The deliberate hit-and-run has also been condemned by local politicians.

“It’s a horrendous attack to happen in broad daylight,” Fianna Fáil councillor Sean Kelly (not to be confused with the two-time Paris-Roubaix winner) told the Sunday World.

“It’s a scary prospect for people that are out and about, both on bicycles and pedestrians that are walking on the street, that something like this can happen.

“I wish the gentleman in question who has been injured a quick and speedy recovery. I hope he gets well soon and can get back to work.”

An Garda Síochána has released a statement appealing for witnesses or anyone with information concerning the incident, which took place on Dundalk’s Castletown Road on Sunday afternoon and is currently being treated by Gardaí as “endangerment”.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dundalk Garda station on (042) 9388400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.