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Teen cyclist hit by two 'racing' cars in hit-and-run in Blean, near Canterbury

06:00, 04 March 2021

updated: 14:41, 04 March 2021

A father has spoken of the terrifying moment his teenage son rang him "screaming in pain" after being hit by two cars.

Ted Warne-Harvey, 15, was cycling up Blean Hill, near Canterbury, when he was struck by the vehicles that were on the wrong side of the road as they raced one another down the hill.

Ted Warne-Harvey, 15, was struck by two cars while he rode his bike. Picture: Stuart Harvey
Ted Warne-Harvey, 15, was struck by two cars while he rode his bike. Picture: Stuart Harvey

The youngster suffered multiple fractures and was rushed to hospital.

Dad Stuart Harvey, 53, recalled how he had phoned his son at about 6.20pm on Saturday, asking him to return home for dinner.

"Twenty minutes later I got another call from him, screaming down the phone to me in pain, saying he'd been hit by a car," he said. "It later turned out to be two cars.

"I was beside myself.

"I had been expecting him to come home and the next thing I knew he was asking me to come quickly because he'd been hit."

Stuart Harvey. Picture: Stuart Harvey
Stuart Harvey. Picture: Stuart Harvey

Mr Harvey rushed to the scene in Blean, where he found his son lying on the side of the road, having made his way across to the opposite kerb.

"He had blood all over his hands," he said. "We didn't know the extent of his injuries.

"He was shaking profusely. He wasn't making any sense."

It transpired that Ted had been making his way up the hill in the direction of Whitstable, cycling on the left-hand side, when the two cars came hurtling over the hill on the wrong side of the road, heading towards Canterbury.

"They were racing each other and Ted was pushed over to the edge of the road," said Mr Harvey.

Ted Warne-Harvey was hit by two cars as he cycled up Blean Hill. Picture: Stuart Harvey
Ted Warne-Harvey was hit by two cars as he cycled up Blean Hill. Picture: Stuart Harvey

"There's no pavement. He had nowhere to go and both cars hit him on his right-hand side."

Paramedics soon arrived, along with police.

Ted was rushed to the QEQM Hospital in Margate, where he remained until the following evening while medics assessed him and put his right arm and leg in plaster.

The schoolboy had suffered multiple fractures to his foot, ankle and lower leg, along with his arm, wrist and hand.

The handlebars and frame of the bike he had been riding were left bent by the impact of the cars.

"It could have been worse," said his dad. "He could have been killed, there's no doubt about it."

An ambulance at the scene in Blean Hill. Picture: Stuart Harvey
An ambulance at the scene in Blean Hill. Picture: Stuart Harvey

Ted is due to have an operation on his hand in the coming week and must spend six weeks on bed rest - which Mr Harvey says will be especially tough for the "very, very active boy".

"He boxes, he plays the drums, horse rides, he's always out on his bike," he said. "He's going to find it quite difficult."

Mr Harvey says it is not yet known whether Ted's injuries will impact his activities in the long-run. "It's very early days but that is a possibility," he said.

He says he and Ted's mum, Laura Harvey, are keen to see the drivers responsible brought to justice.

"They hit him and left him in the road, knowing they had hit him," he said.

"Morally they should have stopped and helped him."

"That's the thing I'm very upset about - that they just left him.

"Morally they should have stopped and helped him."

Mr Harvey says his son has no recollection of the type of cars that were involved.

Police are investigating. A spokesman said: “The vehicle involved was not at the scene when officers attended and enquiries are ongoing to locate the driver.”

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury

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