February 2011
At least nine people have been injured after a driver ploughed his car into a group of Brazilian cyclists staging a peaceful demonstration.
The driver of the black VW Golf appeared to intentionally accelerate his car into dozens of riders taking part in a Critical Mass sustainable transport event in Puerto Alegre.
Despite the shocking scenes that were captured on video, all the victims were discharged from hospital shortly after the incident, according to local media reports.
"What happened was very scary, and I did not understand what was happening, because we could hear screams and the sound of people falling on the ground, the sound of bodies on the hood, windshield, on the asphalt," one of the organisers said in a post on the Porto Alegre Critical Mass blog.
"I saw legs in the air, helmets, bicycles, arms, all mixed together with parts of the car all flying and making noise. It was like a horror movie."
Witnesses said that the car followed the group for about 100m before ploughing into them.
Richard Neis, the 47-year-old driver, has reportedly claimed that he acted in self-defence after being threatened by some of the cyclists.
Critical Mass events, which take place in more than 300 locations around the world, have sometimes been accused of deliberately obstructing other road users and refusing to obey traffic laws.
source : sky
A car has ploughed through cyclists staging a demonstration in Porto Alegre, hitting at least 20 people.
The incident happened on Friday, when riders in the town were taking part in their monthly protest against the number of cars on Brazil's roads.
Of those hurt, nine needed hospital treatment. All were later discharged.
The driver, 47-year-old Ricardo Neis, alleges that he and his 15-year-old son felt threatened when protesters began to hit and kick his car.
Source : BBC.co.uk/news
A motorist sped through a pack of more than 100 cycling activists in southern Brazil, sending bikes and screaming riders flying through the air and landing on the asphalt in a scene captured on amateur video and posted online.
At least 40 cyclists were injured, with most suffering cuts and broken bones, but nobody was killed, authorities said.
Police said the suspect, whose they did not name, fled the scene on Friday evening in Porto Alegre. He was brought in for questioning yesterday after authorities found his abandoned car at the weekend.
The man claimed riders surrounded his vehicle and began beating on it, causing him to panic and fear for his life, police said. But the lead investigator in the case called that version of events "fanciful".
Inspector Gilberto Montenegro told Globo TV network's G1 website that the man could face charges of attempted homicide. Under Brazilian law, prosecutors can decide whether to bring charges only after police close their investigation, which may take 30 days. The man is currently free.
Cyclists in the Critical Mass ride told the Folha de S Paulo newspaper that no riders were threatening the motorist.
"He drove behind us for two blocks, and people were trying to stay calm. Then in the third block he ... floored it on top of everyone," Marcelo Guidoux Kalil said. "It was a scene of war, with twisted bicycles and people bleeding on the ground."
In the video, thuds and sharp sounds of metal on metal are heard as the car accelerates directly through the pack of cyclists.
Scores of riders and eyewitnesses screamed and urged bystanders to call police and ambulances as they began giving first aid to the victims.
source : the independent
another one did the same in america in 2007, same sort of rally
