A TEENAGER has appealed for help after a driver knocked him off his motorbike and drove off, leaving him in agony with injuries to his legs and hand.

Robert Ward, 17, of Upper Poppleton, York, was riding his 125cc Yamaha on the A19 towards Shipton-by-Beningbrough, where he works at a farm, when he was hit by a driver who was heading in the opposite direction.

Robert said: “He was maybe 10 to 15 metres ahead of me, and all I saw was his headlights as it was so foggy.

“I couldn’t interpret what angle he was coming from.

“I thought he was going to come past me on his side of the road, but as he got closer to me he came into the middle of the road and collided with me. If he uses that road on a daily basis, he will be aware of the pothole that’s at that junction and moved out to avoid it and that’s the reason why I got hit.”

Robert, who is studying agriculture at college and looks after piglets at Shedden Farm, just off the A19, suffered cuts and bruises to his legs in the crash, and the flesh between his middle fingers on his right hand was torn open by the impact of the collision.

Joanne, Robert’s mother, said she was disgusted that the driver did not stop, and hoped someone may have information that could help police track them down.

She said: “It was lucky he wasn’t more seriously hurt.

“It was foggy and dark but the person who hit him must have seen they knocked him off as their wing mirror was left at the scene. He’s had a lucky escape.”

Robert said: “I was sat there for five or ten seconds processing what happened, then took my gloves and helmet off and looked around, and saw the vehicle had already gone onto the A19 and driven away. After that, I realised my phone was flat so had to walk to the farm I work at up the road. I felt pretty calm and managed to wave someone down and they phoned an ambulance for me.

“At the time I was sat in the ambulance and thought I was hit by a new Ford Transit, but did some research on my phone after looking at the wing mirror, and found it was either a Nissan Navara or Pathfinder.”

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police urged anyone with information which could help trace the driver or the vehicle involved to phone 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 quoting reference 12160223519.