Cyclist who hit yoga teacher who stepped into the road while staring at her phone faces bankruptcy after being ordered to pay £100,000

A cyclist who knocked over a yoga teacher when she stepped into the road while staring at her phone is facing bankruptcy after being ordered to pay up to £100,000 in compensation and legal fees.

Robert Hazeldean crashed into Gemma Brushett as she crossed a busy junction in London Bridge, and they were both knocked unconscious.

Ms Brushett, 28, sued for compensation after suffering damage to her front teeth and facial scars in the crash, which happened when she stepped out with a “throng” of other people, a court heard.

She was awarded a payout despite Judge Shanti Mauger accepting Mr Hazeldean, right, is a “calm and reasonable road user” and ruling Ms Brushett was equally to blame for the accident and could have been sued herself.

At Central London county court yesterday, Judge Mauger awarded Ms Brushett £4,161.79 in damages and said Mr Hazeldean must also foot most of the bill for the two-day court case, which Ms Brushett’s lawyers claim totals about £100,000.

Today Mr Hazeldean, a garden designer who now lives in the south of France, spoke of the “great toll” the court fight had taken on his mental health.

He called on other cyclists to take out insurance, saying: “I am of course deeply disappointed with the outcome, reeling from the impact it will have on my life, and concerned by the precedent that it might set for other cyclists.”

Emma Farrell, from Levi Solicitors acting for the cyclist, added: “If Mr Hazeldean had been insured, the claimant’s legal costs would have been limited to a mere £6,690.”

Lawyers acting for Mr Hazeldean say they are disputing the £100,000 costs claim “in the strongest terms”, while a fundraising page set up to help the cyclist has set a goal of £21,300.

“The case has cast a shadow over our new life in France and left our future uncertain,” Mr Hazeldean said. “Covering the costs and the compensation is going to exceed £20,000 and will leave me bankrupt.”

The court heard that Ms Brushett, who works for a finance firm in the City as well as running yoga retreats, tried to dart back to a traffic island but the cyclist, who had been travelling at between 10-15mph, swerved in the same direction and hit her on July 20, 2015. Mr Hazeldean had come through a green traffic light and had tried to catch her attention by sounding his bike horn and shouting.

Judge Mauger said the costs “appeared to be disproportionate”. The case will return to court at a later date to decide exactly how much Mr Hazeldean must pay in legal costs.