A CYCLIST is fighting for his life after being hit by a Dublin Bus wing mirror prompting claims that the company has continually been warned by drivers of their potential danger.

The victim, a cleaner at Beaumont Hospital believed to be a 37-year-old Polish man, was hit on his way home from work on the Artane Road earlier this month.

It is understood the blow knocked him under the bus where he sustained serious injuries and was in a "critical but stable" condition last week.

Dublin Bus sources told the Sunday Tribune that the extent to which mirrors protrude from the sides of buses has been a cause of concern to staff for years.

Drivers frequently hit their mirrors off bus stops, lamp posts, other vehicles and people, according to company insiders.

Last week, members of the Dublin Cycling Campaign (DCC) – an organisation set up to safeguard and promote safe conditions for cyclists – met with officials from Dublin Bus.

Although unaware of the recent accident, they raised their concerns over wing mirrors, particularly as buses often encroach on cycling lanes due to their size.

A former Dublin Bus health and safety official said he had an official meeting with a senior company engineer as far back as 1999 or 2000 to discuss the issue.

He claims that while plans were drawn up to individually modify mirrors on buses to prevent them from sticking out as far as they do, these were never put into practice.

Dr Mike McKillen, a co-coordinator at the DCC, said: "I have drawn attention to bus wing mirrors. We met with officials from Dublin Bus and that was one of the issues.

"We asked them to declare the number of head strikes their mirrors caused in the last year or so and they would not give us a direct answer."

Gardaí are continuing to investigate the incident with the cyclist which occurred at around 8.30pm on 14 October at Skelly's Lane, Artane.