A CYCLIST who went viral after hitting a five-year-old girl has won a court case against the girl’s father for sharing footage of the incident online.
Shocking footage shows a cyclist throwing out his knee and knocking over a girl on a snowy track in Baraque Michel, Belgium on Christmas Day 2020.
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The video shows the cyclist throwing his knee out Credit: Newsflash
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He hits the girl and sends her flying. Credit: Newsflash
Her dad, Patrick Mpasa, was filming his family on a walk and filmed the incident.
The video shows the little girl, dressed in an all-over pink outfit, carefully walking along the icy path next to her mum when a cyclist comes up behind them.
Instead of waiting for the girl to move out of the way, he goes down the side, and just as he approaches her, he sticks out his leg, seemingly on purpose.
His knee then slammed into her back – knocking her to the snow-covered ground.
Mr Mpasa said he chased the man, whose name has not been publicly named, and managed to get him to stop, but the rider was relentless.
A furious Mr Mpasa then posted the clip on social media and asked viewers if they agreed he was right to complain to the police.
The cyclist was later ordered to pay only 1 euro in damages and given a suspended sentence because he had already been criticized enough on social media.
But the family believed that if it had been an accident, the man would have stopped to check if the child was okay instead of just running away, which is why the dad posted it online.
He said he was not seeking revenge but wanted to share the images on social media to “raise awareness” of dangerous situations.
But the cyclist has now successfully sued Mr Mpasa for posting the now-viral footage online, allegedly based on the reaction the video caused to him feeling so threatened he was afraid to leave his house.
He previously sought €4,500 (£3,911) in damages, equal to the value of the bike he claims he can no longer use.
In April next year, the court will determine how much compensation he is entitled to.
At the time of the incident, Mr Mpasa said: “Many people tell me I should have hit him but I don’t agree and anyway, I was in front of my children which would have made things worse for them. I also don’t want a witch hunt, I just want him to apologize.”
Local cycling association GRACQ, which saw the video, described the man’s behavior as “unacceptable” at the time.
They said that he has an obligation to give priority to weaker road users, which in this case are people walking. He said that this also applies to nature reserves.
The organization said they understand cyclists don’t want to stop, but that doesn’t justify knocking over a child.
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The girl’s father shared the shocking footage onlineCredit: Newsflash
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The cyclist successfully sued the girl’s father Credit: Newsflash
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