Video shows ‘Deliveroo’ rider smash into child after ‘cycling through red light’

Deliveroo is urgently investigating whether one of its fast food delivery riders crashed into a small child crossing the road after apparently running to a red light.

An eight-second clip posted to social media this week shows a small child scooting across the road at a pedestrian crossing followed by two adults a few paces behind.

As the child approaches the other side of the road, the footage shows a cyclist with a Deliveroo bag on their back crash into the young child with its front wheel. The child is knocked to the floor and the adults walking behind can be heard screaming and rushing over. The footage ends with the adults and cyclist huddled over the child.

It appears as though the cyclist had run a red light.

A Deliveroo spokesperson told Yahoo News: “This was a very shocking incident and we are extremely concerned by this footage. “We have launched an urgent investigation, and will support any police investigation.”

Yahoo News understands emergency services tended to an injured person at the scene. The Metropolitan Police told Yahoo News they do not have the capacity to look into a collision since a year ago.

It is not clear if the cyclist was working for Deliveroo at the time of the incident. Couriers working for takeaway platforms are self-employed and can be registered to deliver for several companies at the same time. Because of this, delivery riders sometimes deliver food in a backpack from a platform other than the one the customer ordered from.

The Deliveroo-branded insulated backpack worn by the cyclist is available to workers at onboarding once they have been accepted to start delivering. Some have posted on social media that they have been able to order the backpack for £20.

Other takeaway platforms also have insulated backpacks with their branding. UberEats sells them for £35.90, and JustEat sells them for £5.99. Restaurants sometimes require riders to use an insulated bag to keep the food warm.

Cyclists can be fined if they do not stop at a red light, and Deliveroo’s policy requires workers to follow the law and Highway Code.