A cyclist has been left too traumatised to bike into work after she was pushed into a canal during her morning commute. Klaudia Mitura was cycling next to Ashton Canal in Manchester on her way to the office on July 19, when she crossed paths with a couple walking their dog in the opposite direction. Footage taken on Ms Mitura’s bike camera showed her hitting the brakes after one of the passersby yelled at her to “slow down”.
The 34-year-old cyclist protested that the couple had a dog, to which they responded: “Yeah, but you’re on a f**king bike.” The man then called her a “f**king idiot” before seemingly pushing her into the waterway. Ms Mitura, who can’t swim, said her feet were strapped to the pedals – making her fear for her life.
The mum-of-two managed to find her footing on a rock, but remained in the canal for around five minutes before another walker spotted her and helped her out.
The good samaritan then called the police on his phone, because hers had been broken in the fall.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the incident, but no arrest had been made.
The machine operator, who is originally from Poland, told the Manchester Evening News: “I was on my way to work, I cycle everyday this way. As you can see in the video, I was just trying to pass the couple.
“He did not want to move out of the way. When he passed me, he just pushed me into the water. [Then] they were gone, and didn’t turn their heads to see if I’m alive or not.”
“I was very scared because I can’t swim,” she added. “I thought I would drown. I don’t know what I would do if no one had walked past. [The couple] didn’t look back to see if I’m ok or if I’m drowning.
The 42-year-old shared the video of the encounter on TikTok, where it has racked up over 600,000 views, and told viewers of her lasting “trauma”, which has put her off cycling – despite it being her main mode of transport.
“I’m scared of walking or cycling down there,” she said. “I took two days off from work. I haven’t cycled since Tuesday [and] I don’t know when I will do it again.
“I need help with my mental health. I’m on my own with that. I’m traumatised. It’s the first time anything like this has happened. I’m physically ok but mentally, it’s really bad.”
A police spokesperson said: “This is an open investigation, no arrests have been made so far but enquiries are ongoing.”
