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Cyclist's widow awarded £200,000… but what she really wanted was an apology

Compensation in death by dangerous driving case but still no apology for death of top time triallist

The wife of a cyclist killed on the A1 in 2009 has accepted a £200,000 out of court compensation settlement but says she still hasn't received what she really wanted - an apology from the lorry driver who killed her husband.

65 year old Basil Clarke, known as Bas, died from his injuries in September 2009  two days after being hit while riding  on the A1 at Tickencote in Rutland by lorry driver Karel Sedivy from the Czech Republic. The incident happened as Bas returned home from his regular Saturday morning ride around the lanes near his home.

In a statement released by her solicitors, Mr Clarke's widow, Jane said:

“This settlement won’t even come close to making up for losing Bas, he was such a big character and a friend to so many people – we miss him every single day. Cycling was his passion. He had been a member of various cycling clubs for fifty years and was incredibly fit for a man of 65 years old.
 
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Bas had excellent road sense, he cycled on the A1 every week for years. All I ever really wanted was an apology from the driver of the HGV but, despite being given the opportunity to say sorry, he never has.

As reported at the time, Sedivy was convicted and sentenced to 16 months in jail on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.  Evidence presented at his trial showed that Sedivy had neither slowed down nor attempted to alter the direction of his 7.5 tonne lorry during the course of the incident that claimed Mr Clarke's life - he served six months of his 16 month jail sentence.

At the time of his death Mr Clarke was one month in to his retirement from his job as a stonemason, he was a well known and highly respected breeder of ornamental water-fowl. Mr Clarke had been a cyclist all his life joining the Rockingham Forest Wheelers at the age 14 and winning many trophies for the club and for VC Slough the club he rode for in the 80s and 90s. He was a renowned time triallist  in his prime reckoned to be amongst the fastest men in the country.

Commenting on the settlement Mrs Clarke's solicitor, Jonathan Reid of Russell Jones & Walker, said: “The settlement finally draws to a close what has undoubtedly been a devastating time for Bas’s family.
 
“We work with many families whose loved ones have been killed or seriously injured and many find the prospect of reliving the tragedy in court almost too much to bear.  When a family feels like this, we always try our best to keep cases out of the courts, while also ensuring those left behind receive a full and realistic settlement.
 
“Of course, no amount of money will ever bring Bas back, or go any way to filling the void that he has left, but hopefully it will provide his family with some financial security for the future.”

road.cc's founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony's journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he'd like to own a carbon bike one day.

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13 comments

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tired old fart | 11 years ago
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i have recived abuse from motorists there is always a way to obtain appropriate retribution i.e. the waggon driver ??? ???? from ??? ???, ???, ???? was recently made to understand that you cannot just ram people out of your way on the public road. Thank god I was in a car when he drove his overladen speeding articulated lorry into me and not on a bike. On a bike it helps to go a bit nuts on inconsiderate drivers.

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hairyairey | 11 years ago
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Oldridgeback - an apology can easily be part of any settlement, in fact most disputes are settled this way. (What scary times we live in when people daren't apologise for fear of being sued)

Without minimising the loss in any way, I would completely advise against cycling on the A1. It is busier than many motorways. The same goes for cycling on any busy dual carriageway.

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OldRidgeback | 11 years ago
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Bear in mind that the truck driver will not have paid the £200,000 from his own account. It will have been settled by the insurance company. After an incident like this and such a payout, his insurance premium will be huge if he consiers driving a vehicle again. No responsible employer would consider him for a driving job again. Sadly, research shows that past offenders do have a bad record of re-offending and there is a risk the driver will either take to the wheels without insruance or choose employment with a firm that does not bother to check his past history.

It is entirely possible that the driver was advised not to apologise on grounds that the victim's family would then have a greater right to claim damages. But now damages have been paid, that would no longer stand.

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jamjam | 11 years ago
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I don't really think he should get more than 6 months in prison unless they can prove he did it on purpose, cause he's probably not an evil person, and prison is designed as a punishment for deliberate crime, like murder surely?  39

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s_smith replied to jamjam | 11 years ago
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jamjam wrote:

I don't really think he should get more than 6 months in prison unless they can prove he did it on purpose, cause he's probably not an evil person, and prison is designed as a punishment for deliberate crime, like murder surely?  39

From the article above:
"As reported at the time, Sedivy was convicted and sentenced to 16 months in jail on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Evidence presented at his trial showed that Sedivy had neither slowed down nor attempted to alter the direction of his 7.5 tonne lorry during the course of the incident that claimed Mr Clarke's life".

Sounds like he deserved far longer than just six months, death by dangerous driving should get the same jail time as a manslaughter charge. Perhaps then motorists will behave in a safer manner.

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Animal replied to jamjam | 11 years ago
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jamjam wrote:

I don't really think he should get more than 6 months in prison unless they can prove he did it on purpose, cause he's probably not an evil person, and prison is designed as a punishment for deliberate crime, like murder surely?  39

How do we deter people? "pretty please don't kill people"?

Doesn't work.

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A V Lowe | 11 years ago
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No need for a vocational licence on 7.5T GVW - can drive on standard D licence.

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headfirst | 11 years ago
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I've got to say, there's lots of good stories on road.cc, but recently I visit the site with a heavy heart as stories like this seem to be a daily feature, and they make me sad and angry! How many more cases like this will there be until we see a change for the better, in terms of law makers taking cyclists seriously and drivers showing us respect and consideration?

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ragtag replied to headfirst | 11 years ago
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headfirst wrote:

I've got to say, there's lots of good stories on road.cc, but recently I visit the site with a heavy heart as stories like this seem to be a daily feature, and they make me sad and angry! How many more cases like this will there be until we see a change for the better, in terms of law makers taking cyclists seriously and drivers showing us respect and consideration?

Agree, seems to be a regular thing these days. The road culture of this country has become incredibly aggressive over the years. Almost better off being a pheasant, people often slow down for those.

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LondonCalling | 11 years ago
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And he only served 6 months??? What a joke!!  14

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mad_scot_rider replied to LondonCalling | 11 years ago
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LondonCalling wrote:

And he only served 6 months??? What a joke!!  14

No mention of driving ban, forced extended re-test etc.

I'd love to know - is this numpty back in the cab of an 18-wheeler?

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cavmem1 replied to mad_scot_rider | 11 years ago
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mad_scot_rider wrote:
LondonCalling wrote:

And he only served 6 months??? What a joke!!  14

No mention of driving ban, forced extended re-test etc.

I'd love to know - is this numpty back in the cab of an 18-wheeler?

I didnt know 7.5 tonne lorries had eighteen wheels.

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Argy replied to LondonCalling | 11 years ago
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LondonCalling wrote:

And he only served 6 months??? What a joke!!  14

Totally agree, 6 months is nothing  14

Then again, is he a UK resident? maybe he was driving from Europe into UK and back out? this may complicate further charges? removal of licence etc?

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