The image is impressive. The shock of incredible violence. But the worst was ultimately avoided. On Saturday, a cycling race – the Salmor Bike – which was contested in El Hierro in the Canary Islands, Spain, ended in a spectacular collision between a participant thrown headlong towards victory and a spectator.
On the amateur images of another spectator of the event, we first see a man crossing the road and changing sidewalks. A few seconds later, a woman imitates him without worrying about the race.
Eyes on her cell phone, she sees only the last moment the runner who arrives at full speed for the final sprint after 88 km of race. The shock is terrible. The spectator is hit hard as the runner falls, head first, to the ground.
The spectator transported by plane to the hospital in Tenerife
According to local media the two people were quickly taken care of by medical services. The spectator was reportedly flown to Tenerife due to her injuries. The cyclist, who suffered memory loss after the shock, was transported to the Nuestra Señora de Los Reyes hospital. He suffers in particular from a moderate head trauma.
This incident is reminiscent of the one that took place during the first stage of the Tour de France this summer. A spectator held up a sign in German “Go opi-omi!” (Go grandpa, in French) and caused a massive fall on the roads of Finistère. Several runners had to retire afterwards. The 31-year-old young woman had been summoned to court for “endangering others”, as well as “involuntary injuries” resulting in incapacity for work “not exceeding three months”.
The prosecutor requested a four-month suspended prison sentence. The deliberation will be delivered on December 8.
