Edinburgh crime: North Bridge hit and run crash sees cyclist ask witnesses to contact police

An Edinburgh cyclist who was allegedly hit by a car on North Bridge last year is appealing for witnesses who helped her at the scene to contact police.

Dawn Latto, 49, first reported the incident to police last October but she said they were unable to file a crime report due to lack of witnesses and available CCTV. Ms Latto said she knows there were people at the scene who witnessed the incident at 12pm on October 31, 2022 and is now calling on the public to come forward.

The seasoned cyclist of 24 years said she was travelling up North Bridge when a silver Mercedes attempted to overtake her on the narrow single lane. She said the car then collided with her resulting in her falling to the ground and sustaining minor injuries. Ms Latto said: “People stopped and there were definitely three young people in their twenties who were really upset, concerned and angry at what the driver had done.”

After falling to the ground, she cycled after the driver to get pictures to help with police inquiries, catching up with the driver at a pedestrian crossing near Hunter Square. But this move meant she no longer had contact with the witnesses to the incident. She said: “In hindsight I should have told the witnesses to call the police.”

In a bid to locate witnesses she put up posters on North Bridge last year but these were to no avail. Now Ms Latto is calling on the public to contact the police if they remember seeing the incident. Six months on, Ms Latto said she experiences reduced mobility due to damage sustained to her rotator cuff, affecting weekly tasks including carrying shopping, gardening and exercising.

She said: “This driver injured me and he didn’t care – I could have been unconscious on the road and he just drove off. When I hit the ground I sustained an injury on my shoulder - it’s not life changing but it’s still ongoing.” Ms Latto, who turns 50 next month, said it affected her ability to exercise and also caused her increased anxiety when cycling in the city.

She said: “For a good month or two I had heightened anxiety when cars were passing me on my bike and for the first three or four weeks [after the incident]even walking was an issue because moving my arms was painful. Swimming was pretty much impossible for a while. I still can’t do the weights I used to be able to do, I don’t have the strength in my shoulder I used to have when it comes to lifting bags out of the car etc.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report of a collision involving a cyclist and a car which failed to stop on North Bridge, Edinburgh around 12.10pm on Monday, 31 October, 2022. There were no reports of injuries. Following enquiries no criminality has been established at this time. Anyone who saw what happened or has relevant dash cam footage of the area at the time should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference 1437 of 31 October, 2022."