Christmas will be a little harder this year for Legana resident Stuart Craddock whose back was broken after he was hit by a cyclist in Launceston's Brisbane Street Mall earlier this month.
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The 70-year-old was walking through the mall on December 3 about 4.30pm when he was hit by a cyclist near Edge Clothing at the St John intersection.
"It happened so quickly ... the girls in Edge Clothing were brilliant, they came out and helped me," Mr Craddock said.
"He [the cyclist] came up to me and said 'get up, you're not hurt ... you're putting it on', [it was] very abrupt."
Once Mr Craddock realised what happened, police and ambulance crews were called.
He said once he told the cyclist that emergency services were on the way, the rider fled the scene.
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Mr Craddock was in the mall while his wife was undergoing cancer treatment at a nearby clinic.
"I was just walking through, my wife had an appointment with a cancer specialist," he said.
"I had some time so I went for a walk and that's how it happened."
The incident left Mr Craddock hospitalised - his grandson picked up his wife and informed her of what had happened.
It would be nice if he came and said sorry but in this day and age I can't see that happening.
- Stuart Craddock
Mr Craddock's broken back requires him to wear a brace, limiting his mobility for the next four to six months.
Mr Craddock considers himself fortunate given his fit condition, and cautions mall-goers to be alert of cyclists over the holidays.
"As far as I'm concerned, there should be no cyclists there during retail hours - they're [cyclists] asking for problems," he said.
"I'm reasonably fit for 70, I only finished working last year. But if I was an 80 or 90-year-old walking through there doing shopping I'd either be paralysed or dead."
Mr Craddock said the incident has left him frustrated over Christmas, and called for more to be done to monitor cycling through the mall.
"Pardon the expression but the little sh*t didn't care less ... It would be nice if he came and said sorry but in this day and age I can't see that happening," he said.
Bike riding in the Brisbane Street Mall is prohibited between 9am and 6pm.
City of Launceston Council chief executive Michael Stretton said the council was aware of the collision.
"While the City of Launceston has enforcement powers under its by-laws, Tasmania Police responded to this incident and remains the most appropriate authority to conduct further investigations," he said.
Tasmania Police has confirmed it's investigating the incident.