A London cyclist has told a court how he believed he was going to die when he was dragged beneath a petrol tanker as he cycled home from work. The incident happened in Leytonstone last May as James Moore, aged 40, was riding home to Wood Green from his job at the Independent newspaper, reports the London Evening Standard.
Mr Moore suffered broken bones including his left tibia and fibia, his pelvis and a number of ribs as well as a collapsed lung. He spent three weeks in a medically induced coma and three months in total in hospital, and needs a wheelchair and crutches to get around.
Giving evidence at Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court where the tanker driver, Nigel Gummer, faced a charge relating to careless driving, Mr Moore gave his recollection of the incident. CCTV footage of the incident, which took place at the junction of Leytonstone High Road and Cathall Road was also shown.
"I do remember quite clearly cycling along past the junction,” Mr Moore said. “Suddenly, without any warning I could see, the lorry turned on me.
"I remember screaming 'Stop, stop', I think, and I think I'm going to die. Then I can remember being under the lorry and in considerable pain.
"I'm reliving it now. I wake up in the middle of the night. I generally have to sleep with the television on. An empty room in the dark is not good for me."
Collision investigator PC Clive Austin told magistrates that it would have been possible for Mr Gummer, who was waiting at the junction, to see Mr Gummer in a rear view mirror for a minimum of 12 seconds as he approached from behind, riding along a cycle lane.
The front of the lorry, which was indicating a left turn, was inside the Advanced Stop Line box and the cyclist drew alongside its front axle of the lorry just as it began pulling away. He tried to ride straight on but was dragged underneath.
PC Austin added that although it was Mr Moore who had the right of way under the Highway Code, it would have been "a pertinent move" for him to have exercised some level of caution".
Mr Gummer, who had a clean driving record and had worked as an HGV driver for more than 30 years, was acquitted of careless driving after maintaining that he had checked his mirrors before moving away from the junction.
The Standard reported that Mr Moore is now seeking compensation from the insurers of the tanker company through the civil courts.
He has also said that lorries should be equipped with sensors to warn their drivers when vulnerable road users such as cyclists are alongside. "If it saves lives, and saves people being put in the same position as me, it's a damn good thing."
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34 comments
oh, no argument there! Add = and/or a complete numpty to the end of that one...
Not condoning using it as a standpoint, just suggesting that particular scenario is a *bit* of a two-way FAIL. Lorry not helping issues by trying to force its way through rather than waiting. But in the end, as you say, there's only going to be one winner. Not worth the risk in the slightest.
I cycle with one simple rule in mind. Assume every vehicle will do the one thing you don't want it to do. For example, if you REALLY don't want that car to turn left, it will, therefore cycle assuming it will and when it does, you're ready for it.
As others have said, a cyclist should never travel up the inside of a large vehicle, indicating or not. It is simply not worth the risk. Also, I find it is cyclists who are the most impatient road users, always fighting to get to the front no matter what. As Bez said, just wait your turn!
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ HELLO RIDGEBACK...Sensors? Detection equipment? THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM! Buses are pretty big, aren't they....no visibility issues on them, or I imagine we'd hear plenty about it. Bus-drivers do often appear to ignore cyclists just before bus-stops, which is annoying, but I don't hear of many bikies getting knocked about (accidentally) by bus drivers. Might they just possibly be LOOKING IN THEIR MIRRORS before turning left, or pulling in to the kerb?
P.R.
People need to judge when to filter or not, I commute by bike up the A56 in manchester a dual lane road with lots of trafic lights, It soon becomes apparent on any given day whether it is worth filtering at lights as if you filter and stay ahead it is worth doing if you filter and then the cars overtake it is not.
The number of times I have seen slow cyclist filter to the lights set off and cause all the cars to slow down , wait , pull out and then overtake only for at the next lights the cyclist to slowly filter back to the front and the process start again, You can see the drivers getting crosser and then start overtaking closer and closer, Me I just keep my position and keep well out.
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