Afghan tech entrepreneur at Oxford criticises bystanders after bike crash

Sara Wahedi, a 30‑year‑old Afghan‑born tech entrepreneur studying law at the University of Oxford, said she was badly hit by a car while cycling near central Oxford and criticised passersby for not stepping in to help.

Wahedi posted the account on X, saying the collision left her "alone and scared" and calling attention to what she described as the "bystander effect." In her post she wrote, "I'm going to delete this eventually, but I got hit badly by a car on my bike today and no one helped. It was a jarring experience, and I felt alone and scared. Bystander effect is real, and it's scary to intervene, but sometimes we have to try to help." She said she was later flooded with messages of support and thanked followers for their kind comments.

Wahedi co‑founded the civic‑tech company Ehtesab and is currently CEO of Civaam, a civic‑technology firm launched in 2024 that focuses on public accountability and community engagement. She emigrated from Kabul to Canada with her family in 2004 and moved to the United Kingdom last year to study law at Oxford. In 2024 she completed a bachelor's degree in urban studies with a concentration in architecture at Columbia University. Wahedi has said she previously interned at Apple, where she worked with teams specialising in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and announced in March that she is writing her first book.

Her profile includes recognition from several organisations: she was named one of Time magazine's Next Generation Leaders in 2021, appeared on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for Social Impact, was included in MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 in 2022, and was listed among the BBC's 100 inspiring and influential women in 2021. She also serves on the board of Rukhshana Media, a news organisation focused on women's issues in Afghanistan.

Attempts to reach Wahedi and Thames Valley Police for comment were made by the publishing outlet. There was no immediate public statement from local police at the time of publication. Wahedi's public account of the incident has drawn attention to the risks faced by cyclists and the role of bystanders in post‑accident situations, while highlighting the continuing public profile of a tech founder involved in civic technology and AI‑related work.