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Lorry driver charged over incident that left Times reporter Mary Bowers in a coma

Journalist who inspired newspaper's Cities fit for Cycling campaign making a very slow recovery but still not fully conscious...

The Times has reported that the lorry driver whose vehicle struck journalist Mary Bowers as she rode to work at the newspaper’s headquarters in Wapping last November, leaving her seriously injured and in a coma, has been charged with dangerous driving.

Petre Beiu, aged 39 and a Romanian national living in Stanmore, will appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 10 April, reports the newspaper. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, as well as an automatic 12-month ban from driving, and would be required to take an extended test before having his licence returned.

Bowers remains in hospital and has still not regained complete consciousness, although her colleague Kaya Burgess, who has led its Cities fit for Cycling campaign which The Times launched in reaction to the incident, told road.cc last week that she was making a very gradual recovery.

"She's making very, very slow progress," he said. "It is still progress, which is good to see, but there's really no way of telling how far she'll get. She's still not really aware of anything particularly, and she's still got a very long way to go."
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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Vikeonabike | 12 years ago
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There butfor the the grace of the Gods go us all. We as a community need to make a big thing of the court result.
Wishing Mary a full recovery.

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downfader | 12 years ago
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I have to echo what Pedalismo wrote. Get well soon!!

Cyclists must not give up hope for change. Do not rest on your laurels, keep the pressure on the Government, the Police and your local authorities!

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pedalismo | 12 years ago
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Thoughts are with Mary Bowers and her family and friends and we all hope she makes as full a recovery as possible.

I appreciate it will be harrowing for them, but it will be enlightening to hear what comes out in the trial about how much the driver or his haulage company was at fault. Whether he received any training, whether the lorry was fitted with safety/extra visibility?

It's so sad that tragic events like the one involving Mary are still so common. How many more cyclists have to die or be seriously injured before things change?

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