A FATHER is furious that his son was scalped by the handlebars of a speeding cyclist on a popular Weymouth footpath.

Four-year-old Timothy Jorge Williams, known as TJ, was walking with his family along the Rodwell Trail when the collision occurred.

His dad Karl Williams, 23, of Portmore Gardens, is now calling for cyclists to take more care when travelling along the route, which is shared by both bicycles and walkers.

He said: “I want to warn people about the dangerous issue of cyclists going down the Rodwell Trail really fast and endangering walkers.

“My family were walking along the path after watching the Red Arrows at Weymouth Carnival when two people on bikes came screaming through the Rodwell Trail tunnel, just before Portmore Gardens.

“Our son TJ happened to step slightly out to hold his mother’s hand and as he did so, a woman cyclist caught him on the top of his head with the handle bars.

“She went flying over the handlebars and TJ ended up in A&E with the skin taken off the top of his head.

“The doctors said if it had been a head-on collision he could’ve died, the speed she was going.”

Hospital porter Mr Williams said the cyclists were on holiday in the area and said they had assumed the Rodwell Trail was a bike trail.

He said: “They came bombing down and it just so happened to be my son who got caught by the handlebars.

“My partner’s friend called 999 and when the paramedics arrived, people on bikes were still speeding through even though an accident had occurred.

“Luckily a doctor in the area was also able to offer assistance.”

The drama occurred at around 5.30pm on Wednesday last week and both the cyclist and TJ were taken to Dorset County Hospital to be treated for head injuries.

Mr Williams added: “My partner’s mother walks her dogs on the Rodwell Trail on a daily basis and she’s been told by cyclists before that it’s a cycle track and she shouldn’t be on there – which isn’t true.

“There’s no signs or speed bumps on there and it can be dangerous for people walking.

“I want people to realise that it’s for everyone and they need to take more care.”

Bernard Franklin, chairman of the Friends of Rodwell Trail group, said: “It’s a trail for walkers and cyclists and both need to take care.

“It is a problem but I don’t think trying to separate it into lanes would work, you’d still get people wandering into the path of cyclists and vice versa.

“It’s quite easy for children to wander into the way.

“More signs telling people to take care may be worth a try but the signs themselves get vandalised and graffitied.”

n laura.kitching@dorsetecho.co.uk