But cyclist Alice Stirton told officers that he never slowed at all.
And when the driver, George Wanjiku, 29, of Church Road, St Sampson’s, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court, he admitted causing serious injury by driving without due care and attention.
A prison sentence of six months, suspended for two years, was imposed, and he has been banned from driving for three years.
The court was told how the incident happened at 1.30pm in May.
The cyclist, who had right of way, was exiting Vale Road at the Halfway, with the intention of getting on to the coastal cycle path. Before she could do this she was hit by a van coming from the direction of the Bridge.
She said the van had not slowed down.
The bonnet and windscreen of the van were damaged in the incident.
A witness said the defendant had braked late after the initial impact and the cyclist had been pushed in front of the van.
Another said that the defendant had stated that the woman should have stopped, and another recalled him saying he had not seen her.
In interview, the defendant said he had slowed to about 10mph and looked right before entering the junction to see if the road was clear. He braked immediately.
But examination using GPS technology showed the vehicle had been travelling at 29-30mph before it stopped suddenly.
In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, Mrs Stirton said she now had to walk with a frame following the accident.
She said the whole experience had been horrific.
She had suffered with post-concussion syndrome which had affected her everyday life, her sleep had been affected, and she had had nightmares. She had only returned to work four weeks ago and now was unable to do some things she used to do. She dressed differently to cover her scars.
Defending, Advocate Clare Tee said it was clear that her client had failed to give way at the junction.
But his primary concern had been for the victim.
He was no longer employed in the window cleaning job he was doing at the time and there was uncertainty over whether he would be able to stay in the island.
Judge Sarah Brehaut said that while this had been a momentary lapse of concentration, considerable harm had been caused and the victim had found it harrowing.
The defendant would not be sentenced on the basis that he intended to cause harm, which was not the case, and he got credit for the way he had focused on the victim’s welfare.
But the sentence had to reflect the seriousness of the offence and the harm that was caused, she said.