An upstate motorist ran into a cyclist — then sued the two-wheeler for damaging his car.
Javonte Cook, 22, struck Bryan Agnello, 37, from behind in Rochester around 8:30 p.m. Jan. 10 as Agnello, who was riding on the left side of the lane, slowed down to turn left, the Rochester’s City Newspaper reports, citing police reports.
“It felt like I was getting run over, until I landed and I found myself on my back in the middle of the intersection looking up,” Agnello told The Post.
Agnello was hauled to the hospital in an ambulance, but was not seriously injured, and no charges were filed.
But a month later, Cook filed a $700 claim in Rochester City Court alleging that the cyclist — whom he claims not to have seen — was traveling 60 miles per hour at the time of the collision.
In an interview with the City Newspaper, Cook later claimed that the bike could have hit 80 miles per hour “depending on if it’s an expensive bike.”
“There was a lot of damage that was done to my car and I couldn’t even use it the whole weekend to make money off of my car,” he told the news outlet.
The fastest speed recorded at least year’s Tour de France was 63 miles per hour — on a downhill in the Alps, the newspaper noted.
“It’s just bizarre,” Agnello said. “The claim keeps changing. I keep getting 10 miles faster in every count.”
Agnello has now fired back with his own suit — for $2,500 for damages to his bike.
But he says he doesn’t want the money so much as a mea culpa.
“There’s this attitude against cyclists that we’re just this inconvenience. I get heckled, I get screamed at maybe twice a week, in different areas of the city,” he said. “I want to make sure that he understands… that when you’re behind the wheel of a car, you need to exercise utmost caution.”
Both men are scheduled to appear in court March 25.
Cook could not be reached for comment.