Downtown Reykjavík resident Elías Þórsson was hit by a car last night, whilst walking along a pedestrian street on Laugavegur, Vísir reports.
Þórsson told Vísir, “I was looking down at my phone, chatting with a friend and, of course, I did not expect a car to come driving along the pedestrian street.” He continued: “A giant, two-tonne Toyota Hilux arrives and does not honk or say anything to me, but just drives into me.”
When Þórsson pointed out that he was driving on a pedestrian road, the driver got out of his car, grabbed the pedestrian and started swearing at him. When Þórsson phoned the police, the driver got back into the car and proceeded to drive into him. “First he drives so slowly into me and pushes me. I say, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Then a few minutes pass and he drives back at me, and then violently, so I’m pushed some two metres by the car.” Police arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.
This is not an isolated incident, with stories arising from others who have had similar experiences. “I do not know how many tens, or hundreds of cars are driving down there. Like there, I’m two minutes from my house and I end up in this,” says Elías. “I just want the city of Reykjavík to do something about it. Why keep the pedestrian street if it’s not being taken care of?”
Elías states that he is not interested in suing the driver, but hopes that he is given a fine and that more is done to punish drivers who use the pedestrian streets illegally.
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