Bradley Wiggins crash: witnesses describe shock of collision A wing-mirror lies on the grass at the scene of the incident in Wrightington, where Bradley Wiggins was injured after a collision with a van (not pictured). Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Witnesses have described the scene after the Tour de France winner and multiple Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins was hit by a van while out training on Wednesday evening. A police source said the injuries from the crash were thought to have been very serious at first, but that it appeared the 32-year-old had suffered only a number of broken ribs and cuts and bruises. He was conscious when taken by ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital. Wiggins was out riding at about 6pm close to his home in Eccleston, near Chorley in Lancashire, when he was hit by a white Vauxhall Astra Envoy which is said to have emerged from a garage forecourt on to a main road, the A5209, next to junction 27 of the M6 near the village of Wrightington. A member of staff at the garage, Yasmin Smith, told ITV's Daybreak she was in the back room when she heard a screeching of tyres and a loud bang, and rushed outside to help. I came straight outside to see a gentleman sat on the pavement, but I didn't realise who he was. I just went over to help. The ambulance and the police had been called. [The driver] was very upset, even more upset when the police actually said: 'Do you realise who you've hit?' That really put her back, because obviously she felt bad enough. Ms Smith, who said Wiggins's wife Cath was on the scene within about five minutes, earlier told the Lancashire Evening Post: "By the time I got there he had moved to a safer place but was still on the ground and he was in a lot of pain. He said he thought he had broken his ribs and while a lot of police cars arrived it was about 15 minutes before the ambulance got there, by which time he was blue. Another witness, truck driver Barry Blacklidge, told the Sun: "I could see a pushbike, like a mountain bike, and the front wheel was all buckled. I went into the garage and asked what was going on. She said: 'Bradley Wiggins has just been knocked off his bike'. In a statement on its website, Team Sky said: "We can confirm that on Wednesday evening Bradley Wiggins was involved in a road traffic accident whilst riding his bike near his home in Lancashire. He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation but the injuries he has sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery. We will announce more details in due course. A spokeswoman for the hospital in Preston said she was unable to give out any information on its patients, while Lancashire police said: "We plan to speak to the driver later today as part of our inquiries." The AA's president Edmund King said: "This collision should act as a reminder to all drivers that we need to be more vigilant particularly when pulling out of entrances and turning at junctions. With autumnal weather and darker evenings it is essential to check and double-check for cyclists, pedestrians and indeed other road users before pulling out. We need to break down the 'two-tribe' mentality on the roads and co-exist in harmony. Wiggins was due to attend a number of interviews to promote his book My Time, which is published today, including a recorded item for the Graham Norton Show on BBC One to be broadcast on Friday night.