Charlie Jordan, three, of Ham Road, was walking with his mother Sarah alongside the seafront cycle path in Brighton Road, East Worthing, when he accidentally got in the path of a young cyclist and was knocked to the ground.

Charlie was covered in blood and was taken to Worthing Hospital, where doctors transferred him to the children's neurological department at Southampton Hospital for surgery to repair his fractured skull.

He is now on the road to recovery – but while his mother, Sarah, 34, realises the accident was not the cyclist's fault as he was using the cycle path, she felt the path should not be there as the pavement was too narrow.

She is now calling on the council to take action.

Path action

Sarah said: "What happened to Charlie was terrible.

"Me and my family are not against cycling as we enjoy doing it ourselves, but the pavement is very narrow there and having the cycle path there as well is dangerous.

"I just think the scheme has not been very well thought-out. I think the cycle path should be on the road."

Separated by path

Sarah and Charlie, along with his sister Poppy, five, and children Sarah looks after in her role as a childminder, were walking along Brighton Road towards the town centre at 1.15pm on Thursday, August 21, when the accident happened.

Charlie was walking along the seafront wall, while Sarah and the others were on the pavement – they were separated by the cycle path, which runs down the middle.

Sarah saw a bike coming towards them.

She called to Charlie, who was slightly behind her, to stay on the wall, but the next thing she knew there was a loud bang and she looked round to see Charlie on the ground under the bike.

Didn't hear

"I told him twice to stay on the wall as the bike was coming, but he did not hear me and must have jumped down on to the cycle path.

"The bike wasn't going too fast.

"Charlie was screaming and the young boy riding the bike was very upset.

"It is a bad place for the cycle path because if a child is walking along the wall, their parents have to walk on the pavement and they are separated from them as the cycle path is in between.

Parent alert

"I decided to speak to the Worthing Herald as I want other parents to be vigilant.

"I would never walk along there again."

Charlie was in surgery for over an hour and needed 16 stitches.

County response

A West Sussex County Council spokesman said: "This is the first we have heard of the incident and would encourage your reader to write to our cycling officer with the details.

"Unfortunately, there is little we can do in terms of a road solution as it would mean eastbound cyclists crossing the road twice within a few yards.

"It is also important to remember that the route is also very well used by young children on bikes as part of family rides and we would be equally criticised if we created a break and put everyone back on the road.

"However, we could look at some extra signs, both on poles and on the surface, to raise awareness of this particular part of the cycle path."


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