Taranaki charity cyclist badly injured

Former Taranaki representative cricketer Brendan Dallas is in an Auckland hospital after being hit by a van or a truck while on a charity bike ride.

The 24-year-old and his friend Ben Scully, 23, were left for dead after being hit on State Highway 1, just north of Mercer, early on Saturday morning.

Brendan suffered a broken vertebrae and injured the ligaments around his spine and was taken to Middlemore Hospital, where he will have further tests this week.

The accident stunned Brendan's mother Sharon who was remaining positive despite the shock news.

"He will be OK, that's the main thing," she said.

Brendan and Ben had raised $17,000 for Cure Kids, a charity dedicated to researching life-threatening childhood illnesses, by cycling from Cape Reinga to Bluff in December last year.

But they were not able to complete the Auckland to Wellington leg after Ben injured his knee.

The pair planned to finish the ride at the weekend and set out from Auckland about 2am on Saturday.

They were about 72km north of Hamilton when the accident happened.

Brendan was thrown over a roadside barrier and slid about 30 metres before ending up in the Waikato River.

The men had lights on their backs and were wearing high visibility reflective gear.

Mrs Dallas said she did not have many details about what had happened.

"All I know is what I heard from him, that he got hit from behind," she said.

Brendan could have broken ligaments and would have an MRI scan today. Mrs Dallas described her son as a good all-round sportsman who enjoyed cricket, rugby and basketball.

He studied accountancy at Victoria University, Wellington, and recently moved back to work for his father's company, McCallum and Dallas, in Hawera.

Mrs Dallas said Brendan's girlfriend, Sarah, and friends were at his bedside. Mrs Dallas would be heading to Auckland later this week to be with her son.

Police say the men were lucky to be alive and believe they were hit by a van or a truck which would have damage to the left-hand side and be missing a wing mirror.

- © Fairfax NZ News