THE victim of a callous road rage bashing says he is struggling to get his life back on track six weeks after he was beaten.
Cyclist Mark Gilligan was set upon by a group of men in Coburg, moments after his attackers narrowly avoided hitting him with their car while drag racing.
The attack come only four weeks after Mr Gilligan had a heart operation.
The 37-year-old Coburg man said the assault left him shaken and his bicycle co-ordination had become “terrible”.
“I just want my life back,” Mr Gilligan said.
“It’s been a while since the incident but I’m struggling.
“To have it happen just after my heart surgery is more than unbelievable.
“Six weeks on I am still riddled with anxiety when I hear a motor vehicle suddenly accelerate or sound their horn, and I am now hyper cautious when I approach an intersection.”
Mr Gilligan said road users needed to take care and look out for each other.
“We all need to look out for each other. This is about mutual respect. There is no place for violent behaviour like this,” he said.
“These days there are many reasons to not be active. We need to encourage people to ride.”
About 8.30pm on the day of incident Mr Gilligan recalls feeling fatigued due to his recent operation.
“I just wanted to get home and crawl into bed,” he said.
“The next thing I knew I was staring at the hospital roof; it was surreal.”
He said in the following days memories of the incident started returning.
“I remember two utes were drag racing, driving side-by-side on a two-way street,” Mr Gilligan said.
“There was nowhere to go as they were approaching fast, a rolling roadblock. I recall being directly in front of one of the utes. They may have even collided with each other in their attempts to avoid me.
“I have a memory of a Maori man who got out of the passenger side of the black VE Commodore ute and walked towards me and then that’s it.”
Witness statements to police indicated three or four men were involved in the assault.
Mr Gilligan was found concussed on the side of Station St and the offenders remain at large.
Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/...s/news-story/92f4c4a501d5e4bb7d66807be7f4fd53
Cyclist Mark Gilligan was set upon by a group of men in Coburg, moments after his attackers narrowly avoided hitting him with their car while drag racing.
The attack come only four weeks after Mr Gilligan had a heart operation.
The 37-year-old Coburg man said the assault left him shaken and his bicycle co-ordination had become “terrible”.
“I just want my life back,” Mr Gilligan said.
“It’s been a while since the incident but I’m struggling.
“To have it happen just after my heart surgery is more than unbelievable.
“Six weeks on I am still riddled with anxiety when I hear a motor vehicle suddenly accelerate or sound their horn, and I am now hyper cautious when I approach an intersection.”
Mr Gilligan said road users needed to take care and look out for each other.
“We all need to look out for each other. This is about mutual respect. There is no place for violent behaviour like this,” he said.
“These days there are many reasons to not be active. We need to encourage people to ride.”
About 8.30pm on the day of incident Mr Gilligan recalls feeling fatigued due to his recent operation.
“I just wanted to get home and crawl into bed,” he said.
“The next thing I knew I was staring at the hospital roof; it was surreal.”
He said in the following days memories of the incident started returning.
“I remember two utes were drag racing, driving side-by-side on a two-way street,” Mr Gilligan said.
“There was nowhere to go as they were approaching fast, a rolling roadblock. I recall being directly in front of one of the utes. They may have even collided with each other in their attempts to avoid me.
“I have a memory of a Maori man who got out of the passenger side of the black VE Commodore ute and walked towards me and then that’s it.”
Witness statements to police indicated three or four men were involved in the assault.
Mr Gilligan was found concussed on the side of Station St and the offenders remain at large.
Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/...s/news-story/92f4c4a501d5e4bb7d66807be7f4fd53
