Caught on camera: Bicyclist hit by car on South Congress

AUSTIN, Texas - A bicyclist says he’s lucky to walk away after video footage captured the moments he was sent flying over the hood of a car.

What we know:

"South Congress was my main commute to work, so I’ve taken that road so many times," says Anthony Arredondo Jr. 

It was last week when the bicyclist was taking his usual route down the busy road to get to Mellow Johnny’s, a bike shop in downtown Austin.

"As I was rolling through, of course, it left me no reaction time, he kind of just dipped right in front of me," he said.

Video captured from a nearby dashcam shows Arredondo Jr. traveling in the bike lane north on South Congress. A silver sedan can be seen in front of him, which then takes a righthand turn onto Mary Street. Arredondo can be seen slamming into the front right side of the vehicle before being thrown over the hood.

"I wish that there was audio that came down to it because as soon as I got pretty close to them, his windows were open. So, I was like yelling at my brakes, knowing that the brakes were only going to do so much," says Arredondo Jr., who told FOX 7 he had almost no time to react to the vehicle.

Dashcam video shows Arredondo Jr. immediately getting up after the accident. The driver of the silver sedan initially pulled over and exited their vehicle to check with Arredondo Jr., but then fled the scene moments later.

"I could have seen so many different ways we could have gone about this. But since he fled, since he did try to go that route, then yes, I'm going to go try to pursue, go all the way with pressing charges and all that," Arredondo said.

Arredondo Jr. says he walked away from the crash with a few scratches and a sprained shoulder. It’s estimated that the bike he was riding at the time will take $6,000 to replace.

"The reality is, is that whether it was a red or green light, the car should have been more careful in making that turn," says Adam Loewy, who has practiced personal injury law for the past 20 years in Austin. 

He says through law, drivers are expected to yield to bikes just as they would cars, leaving the driver of the silver sedan at fault in the accident.

"The car really accelerated into the turn. And what I would argue, if I had this case, is it was the car's fault because they made the turn too sharply and too quickly, and the bike could not get out of the way," says Loewy.

With the driver of the silver sedan fleeing the scene, Loewy claims it won’t help their defense if the case ever makes its way to court.

"I'd be very, very happy if I was representing the bicyclist if the car left the scene. That is a piece of evidence that is not good for the driver of the car," says Loewy, who also told FOX 7 that the driver could face felony prosecution charges for leaving the scene.

What's next:

For Arredondo Jr., he’s just happy to walk away, and wants to use this as a reminder to be aware of who you share the roads with.

"We're all here as part of this community. Cyclists are part of it. Pedestrians are a part of it. Let's start taking care of each other," Arredondo said.

He also wants to see more methods implemented which ensure safer travel for cyclists on busy roads, especially like South Congress where the accident occurred.

For now, Arredondo Jr. is using a rental bike from Mellow Johnny’s to make his way to and from work. 

He tells FOX 7 that Austin police have not yet identified the driver of the silver sedan.