Video captures elderly cyclist spinning through the air after driver ploughs into her

Horrifying CCTV shows the moment an elderly cyclist was sent flying through the air after a reckless driver ploughed into her.

The 71-year-old woman was left with a bleed on the brain after being hit by a Citroen C3 Flair being driven by Thomas Freeman, 29. Shocking footage captured the horror collision, which happened on Wildcroft Road at the junction with Brookside Avenue, in Coventry. Freeman pulls out in front of the cyclist, who is in hi-vis clothing, sending her spinning 360° through the air before she slams into the ground.

The driver and his passenger then rush from the car to the woman's aid as she lies motionless in the street. She spent five days in hospital being treated for multiple injuries, which also included a broken shoulder and a broken ankle.

Freeman, of Coventry, admitted causing serious injury by careless driving and was jailed for a year at Warwick Crown Court last week. He was also banned from driving for two years.

West Midlands Police released the footage of the May 6 incident this week, with the agreement of the victim, to 'highlight the responsibility drivers have to more vulnerable road users'.

T/Sgt Jordan Keen, from the force's Traffic Investigations Unit, said: "This was an appalling piece of careless driving which left the cyclist badly injured. She is an experienced cyclist and a member of a local cycling club, but it’s clear from the footage that Freeman’s careless driving when crossing the junction meant she stood no chance. I hope that drivers who see this footage know that they have a responsibility to more vulnerable road users out there, such as cyclists and pedestrians."