Moment driver ploughs into elderly cyclist sending 71-year-old woman flying through the air in crash that left victim with bleed on the brain

This is the moment an elderly cyclist was sent flying after a driver crashed into her.

The 71-year-old woman suffered a brain haemorrhage after being hit by a Citroen C3 Flair driven by 29-year-old Thomas Freeman in Coventry.

Shocking CCTV footage captured the horror collision, which took place on Wildcroft Road, near the junction with Brookside Avenue, on May 6 this year.

Freeman is seen riding in front of the cyclist, who is wearing hi-vis gear, and spinning her 360 degrees in the air before crashing into the ground.

The driver and his passenger then run out of the car to help the woman as she lies motionless in the street.

Gruesome footage showed Freeman driving straight into the cyclist's path from an intersection

The crash sent the woman flying through the air and the impact caused her to suffer a brain haemorrhage

The cyclist spent five days in hospital and was treated for multiple injuries, including a broken shoulder and broken ankle.

Freeman, from Coventry, admitted causing serious injury by careless driving and was sentenced to a year in prison at Warwick Crown Court on December 21.

He was also banned from driving for two years.

Today, West Midlands Police released the footage, with the victim's consent, to 'highlight the responsibility motorists have towards vulnerable road users'.

Technical Sergeant Jordan Keen, from the police's traffic investigation unit, said: 'This was an appalling piece of careless driving which left the cyclist seriously injured.

'She is an experienced cyclist and a member of a local cycling club, but it is clear from the footage that Freeman's careless driving when crossing the junction meant she didn't stand a chance.

'I hope that motorists who see these images know that they have a responsibility to more vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.'