A Chinese tourist has pleaded guilty and apologised for hitting and seriously injuring a Canadian cyclist with a campervan on a Dunedin road.
Bernard Gendron - pictured at right, with his son Marc - suffered a serious head injury in the crash. Photo: Supplied
Wei Zhang, 34, appeared in the Dunedin District Court today where he took responsibility for an accident on Portobello Rd on 11 February.
According to the police summary of facts, Zhang was driving a campervan down the narrow two-lane road, which runs alongside Otago Harbour.
He saw Canadian man Bernard Gendron and his wife riding single file ahead of him, and moved to avoid them.
However as he passed Mr Gendron, who was riding in front of his wife, Zhang's wing mirror clipped him, throwing him over his handlebars.
Mr Gendron was rushed to Dunedin Hospital's intensive care unit with a serious head injury.
His son Marc, who was in court today, has posted regular updates on Facebook about his father's progress.
He said his father was placed in an induced coma and had bleeding to his brain.
Over the past week he had shown small signs of recovery. He could utter a few words - even asking his family as a joke if he could return to work soon.
Marc Gendron said in court his father was now stable and awake, but was still connected to feeding tubes and oxygen.
The family would try to send him back to Canada on an air ambulance later this week, he said.
Zhang's lawyer Anne Stevens told the court her client had apologised over the accident, and had sent flowers and fruit to Mr Gendron.
He was not a wealthy man - earning about $NZ40,000 per year - and could not afford to cover Mr Gendron's medical bills, she said.
He wished to pay as much he could towards reparations.
She told Judge Michael Turner her client had no previous driving convictions and did charity work in China.
Zhang appeared upset at the consequences of his actions. He nodded his willingness to engage in a restorative justice conference with Mr Gendron's family this week.
He was due to fly back to China on Thursday, but has been remanded on bail for sentencing on Friday.
