Poppy seller, 74, injured as he is struck by cyclist
MAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CITY CENTRE ACCIDENT
A POPPY seller was taken to hospital after being hit by a cyclist as this year’s Royal British Legion Appeal launched in Newcastle.
The 74-year-old was struck as he stood near the Centenary Soldier sculpture outside the Theatre Royal on Grey Street.
Police and paramedics were called to the busy street at around 11am following the incident yesterday.
One bystander, who rushed out of a nearby cafe when she heard the noise, described the collision as “a total accident”.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said officers were called to the scene at 11.20am.
They added: “The cyclist was spoken to at the scene and enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
“The man has been taken to hospital by paramedics.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 10.57am to Grey Street in Newcastle to reports of a road traffic collision. We dispatched one ambulance to the scene.” The man’s injuries are not believed to be serious. The incident came as members of the Royal British Legion formally unveiled the giant soldier sculpture to the public yesterday. The Centenary Soldier stands 10 metres tall on a plinth of limestone sourced from the Somme, and is encased in a perspex obelisk. Award-winning artist Mark Humphrey was commissioned to produce the sculpture by the Royal British Legion to celebrate the Every One Remembered campaign. See page 11 for report on the launch of this year’s Poppy Appeal.
The cyclist was spoken to at the scene and enquiries into the incident are ongoing Police spokesman