A cyclist hit by a Countdown delivery truck on Queenstown’s Frankton Road almost two months ago is frustrated with the supermarket’s poor communication as he tries to get compensation for his ruined bike.
Harry Hartstone went from travelling 48.5kmh to completely stopped in under two seconds at the end of October, when a Countdown delivery driver turned in on him and his $3500 bicycle.
The 22 year old was taken to hospital with minor injuries and says he’s ‘‘all healed up now’’, but there was no hope for the bicycle, which slid under the truck.
‘‘My life was on the line,’’ he says.
Police arrived shortly after the crash and attributed responsibility to the driver, whom Hart stone says was shaken up but accepted fault.
The driver’s since been given a formal warning by the cops.
Since the crash, Hartstone has been back and forth with Countdown and insurance companies trying to find out whether he’ll receive full compensation and finally be able to replace his bike, which had about an extra $2000 worth of gear on.
His bicycle wasn’t insured, but with the scale of the situation he’s confused why they’ve only offered to pay him the excess so far.
That communication was two weeks after the crash, and since then he’s been consistently trying to get in touch with someone who can help him, with little luck.
‘‘Silence sounds like nothing is happening,’’ he says.
Hartstone, who was on a training ride when he was hit, says all he wants is to get a decent replacement for his bike.
Mountain Scene approached Countdown Queenstown for comment — a response wasn’t received by deadline.
