- Group of cyclists forced to brake when SUV drove out
- Driver claims they didn't see bikes approaching
- Cyclist is suing the driver for $12,000 for bike repairs
- READ MORE: Former Victorian Premier's legal saga over bike crash
Footage has captured the heart-pounding moment a cyclist goes flying over their handlebars after braking to avoid a car which was pulling out of a parking spot.
The bike rider, known as Sam K, has lodged a case in the New Zealand Disputes Tribunal for $12,805 he claims is needed for repairs to his $20,000 custom-built bicycle.
The 68-year-old woman who was driving the SUV during the January 1 incident in South Auckland said she looked behind her but did not see the cyclist and she could not remember if she had indicated.
The cyclist was second in a pack of four who were travelling along Boundary Rd in Clover Park about 8am when the black SUV pulled out from between other cars.
'I was forced to brake and, as my brakes locked up, per the footage, I flipped 180 degrees in the air and landed on my back, nearly breaking my neck in the process,' he told the NZ Herald.
He said the group was travelling about 30-35km/h.
The crash left him with bruises, grazes and 'shock' and he was forced to take a week off his job as a Wellington-based road and traffic safety engineer.
He added that his helmet had a large dent in it and likely 'saved his life'.
The cyclist is taking the driver of the SUV to the NZ Disputes Tribunal claiming she owes him more than $12,000 more bicycle repairs after he had to quickly brake to avoid hitting her
Both the cyclist and the woman are uninsured.
The driver of the Mitsubishi ASX - a grandmother who had just popped in to her priest's house on the first day of the new year - said she had driven off slowly and has no idea where she will get the money to pay for the repairs.
'They may have to take it off my pension every damn, bloody fortnight', she said.
The cyclist is claiming for items such as a buckled carbon wheelset valued at $3,800, a buckled carbon frame at $3,290 and a $699 Garmin Edge GPS.
Footage has also been shared to social media of the cyclist and his cousin confronting the grandmother at her home a day after the crash.
'I didn't hit him. He bumped into my car', the woman said in the video.
She also questioned why only one rider fell out of the group.
The claim will go before the Disputes Tribunal in March.
The cyclist said he had also contacted police who were looking into the incident.
