WATCH: Austin cyclist OK after being hit by car that sped off
AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man's evening bike ride almost turned deadly, after video shows a car hitting the cyclist on Riverside Drive and then speeding off.
A video captured by a bystander shows cyclist Nick Gardiner riding in front of the Long Center, when a car appearing to change lanes hits Gardiner, and drives off. He said it happened a little before 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Austin Police said the incident happened near the 700 block of W. Riverside Drive.
You can see Gardiner roll over from the impact almost three times before he makes his way to the sidewalk and collapses on a grassy area.
In the video, bystanders run by to attend to the cyclist and make sure he is OK. The hit-and-run was captured on camera by Scott Thigpen, who can be seen calling 911 in the video.
Gardiner said the driver was "harassing" him for about half a mile, saying at one point the driver was rolling down his window to yell at Gardiner.
"It was a clear-cut case of road rage," he said. "No reasonable person would do that."
Gardiner tells KXAN he filed a police report with the Austin Police Department in hopes of finding the driver. He describes the car as a white coupe and guesses it is an early 2000s model of a Honda Accord.
Austin Police said the case is being investigated as aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.
The cyclist said he does not have any broken bones but has other injuries including a severe rash from impact with the road, a golf-ball-sized lump on his knee, bruising on his palm and other cuts.
"I got lucky. If it went any other way, I don't think I'd be talking to you right now," he said.
According to Texas bicycle laws, all bicyclists must ride alongside streets and roadways, as opposed to sidewalks, when a designated bike line is unavailable.
This is a developing story. KXAN will update this story once we have more information.