Westminster attack witness: I chased terror suspect after he sent woman 'flying onto bonnet'
A witness describes how the Fiesta came "whipping round the corner" and drove through about a dozen cyclists.
Tuesday 14 August 2018 18:04, UK
A man has described how he jumped off his bike and chased after the Westminster terror suspect after the car "rammed" a group of about 15 cyclists, sending one woman flying up on the bonnet.
Robert Nicholson told Sky News that he saw the incident unfold as he was heading to work and waiting in a "safe cycling box" near Parliament.
"Usually you get anything from 10 to 30 cyclists waiting - there were about 15 cyclists there this morning," said Mr Nicholson.
"You could kind of see just round the corner of Big Ben there was an ambulance with its lights on and siren blaring.
"All of a sudden, whipping round the corner - just from the traffic lights - was this small Ford Focus-type car and just rammed straight through the group of 10 to 15 cyclists that were stood there (and) probably hit the lady cyclists a couple of foot to my right."
Mr Nicholson said he initially thought it might have been a car accident or someone being chased by police.
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"My immediate reaction was I wasn't hit on the bike so I jumped off my bike and ran after him," he said, adding that he was "not really sure" what he was going to do.
"He (the driver of the Fiesta) obviously carried on, swerved into the lane for the Houses of Parliament, crashed into the barrier.
"And at that point, when armed police yelled 'clear out, get out the way' I realised it was a little more serious."
Mr Nicholson said the driver - a 29-year-old British citizen - smashed into the barrier and made no attempt to slow down.
The barriers erected around Parliament brought the hatchback to a halt.
"The police officers at the barrier were obviously quite shocked at that sort of sudden impact but very quickly responded," said Mr Nicholson.
He said there "were three or four walking wounded" but that one woman was left motionless in the street after being hit "full on by the car directly".
"She'd kind of flown up onto the bonnet," said Mr Nicholson." Very luckily she had a helmet on, so that probably reduced any head injuries she had.
"She was lying stationary in the middle of the road.
"Very luckily because there was an ambulance just behind them, paramedics were there within seconds and able to respond to her."
Part of the frame of one of the bikes also snapped because of the force of the impact, said Mr Nicholson.
Asked whether he was shaken by the morning's events, he told Sky News he had already "compartmentalised" the incident and moved on.
"As a cyclist you probably get a little bit used to that anyway, of just the odd near miss and stuff like that happening in London.
"And, also being English, you have a cup of tea and a biscuit and you carry on the next day.
"I'll just carry on cycling in, carry on walking in. I hope the other cyclists recover quickly and they start cycling in again."