A cyclist has been seriously injured following a collision involving a left turning articulated lorry in Central London this afternoon.The cyclist is in a critcical but stable condition in hospital.
The crash appears to have taken place as the lorry, which had been heading east on Old Street just 100 yards or so past the Look Mum No Hands cycling café, turned left onto Central Street.
A police officer at the scene told road.cc that the cyclist had been taken to hospital with “life threatening injuries.”
A member of the public who witnessed the cyclist being treated said that the victim appeared to have sustained serious upper leg injuries.
At 4pm, the road was cordoned off with police officers, paramedics and the London Fire Brigade still in attendance.
Subsequently, the Metropolitan Police confirmed to road.cc that the incident happened at 3.37pm and that a 52-year-old female cyclist is being treated for critical injuries.
A spokeswoman added that a 23-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
35 thoughts on “London cyclist critically injured in HGV crash”
I hope (s)he’s OK.
The
I hope (s)he’s OK.
The article is ambiguous. It refers to a cyclist injury (singular) but then quotes a witness saying *they* appeared to sustain serious upper leg injuries.
One or more cyclist injured?
Changed to “the victim”
Changed to “the victim”
Serious crash on a Sunday
Serious crash on a Sunday afternoon, just when you expect the roads to be safe. Let’s hope the rider recovers.
Again
Again 🙁
Left turning HGV. Now there’s
Left turning HGV. Now there’s a surprise.
I happened to pass by the
I happened to pass by the scene moments after it happened and she looked in a very bad way indeed, I really do hope she gets through it. I was also shocked (but sadly not surprised in this day and age) to see people taking photos of her lying on the ground under the lorry, what is wrong with people?
In July 2014, Islington
In July 2014, Islington allocated £1m received from TfL to make cycling safe on Old St.
By October 2014 Islington had drawings ready for segregated tracks.
In December 2014, Victoria Lebrec lost her leg after being crushed by a lorry on this stretch of road.
Islington has been sitting on the plans.
The London Cycling Campaign has been colluding with the Council in this criminal behaviour.
Is it any wonder that people are killed or critically injured?
http://www.visionzerolondon.org/2015/07/how-islington-council-spent-half-of.html
andreacasalotti wrote:In July
How has the London Cycling Campaign been “colluding with the Council” in criminal behaviour?
I had been campaigning on
I had been campaigning on behalf of LCC to make Old Street safe.
Islington Council refused to talk to me because I was asking for Dutch standards.
I asked LCC HQ to get TfL involved.
LCC refused to help and sided with Islington Council in blacklisting me.
Maybe because I am European, and the Brits just refuse to learn from those who know better.
andreacasalotti wrote:I had
The LCC has spent 35 collecting subscriptions from people and campaigning for cycling but has very little to show for it. They support crap ideas and claim to be all “Going Dutch” but have no idea what that really means.
that road was closed off for
that road was closed off for a few weeks and has had temporary lights up for a while – possibly something to do with it…still, it shouldn’t be happening..i actually fell less safe cycling around day than at peak times – less cyclists about , drivers perhaps not used to cyclists on the road etc
I was in the shower when I
I was in the shower when I heard the witnesses blood chilling screams. Her leg was severed and the lower part of her upper leg was also badly mangled. First ambulance arrived fast, about five minutes. A paramedic bicycle arrived too. Police were great too and sealed off the traffic and people. Thanks to them all. That guy should never have been given a lorry to drive. A minority amongst the younger lorry drivers at Smithfields meat market nearby are frankly psychopathic too and nearly ran my bicycle down at night a few times. Most are not from city areas, lacking urban experience. Of course also not far away at the end of Fleet street a couple of people on bicycles have been killed in the last year or two. Couple of hundred yards away from yesterday’s tragedy too, we’ve had a white bicycle for some time now since the last fatality at the junction.
Basically when I see any kind of junction or left turning coming up, I make sure I’m BEHIND the lorries. Not only due to their potential blindspot, but many are simply reckless. Another reason is they turn late as the vehicle is large. If there is no left turning, at the worst I can dive onto the pavement. But left turning or junction coming up: I stay behind the lorry.
The lady’s condition after her first vital night is fortunately reported as downgraded from life threatening injuries to “Critical but stable”. Frankly given her age I thought she might not make it through the first night, huge shock to her system. By the time I got dressed and down there a couple of guys had slowed blood loss, was not sure if they used a belt or similar as the first paramedics had already arrived and I left. They needed about 45 minutes to stabilise her on the scene. Great job by them, otherwise she would not have made it through the first night. THANK YOU. I’d say she is still fighting for her life. Please take a moment to send some positive intentioned thoughts for her, she looked such a great person. May she recover and be happy once again.
washere wrote:
Basically when
Sound advice. But in many of these instances the cyclist is already at the junction and the lorry pulls up behind. There’s not much you can do. Which is why we should stop complaining about things that the victims could have done differently, and focus on the people doing the killing.
Yes true, in this case the
Yes true, in this case the lorry driver was actually reckless and imo turned without looking properly because he’d turned slightly right first to turn left in the tight corner and could have seen her if he was slightly mindful or not so fast. As I said, I would not give that person a lorry to drive. He was definitely at fault.
Another true point is even if you stay behind the lorry when a left turning or junction is coming up, another lorry could come up from behind. Which is why it’s good to check over the shoulder before major left turnings and junctions. Frankly in London I glance briefly over my right shoulder regularly, at least once a minute. Doesn’t have to be a full head turn, just a slight nod to the right and it increases the field of vision on the right greatly.
If there are junctions, major turnings, unusual noise or light, etc or some major activity I glance every thirty seconds or so. Till the situation calms. If not I get a proper look and more regularly till it does. Basically in the city you could do everything right and still get run over by those who are reckless, on drugs, alcohol, having rows or bad moods, psychos, etc. That lorry driver yesterday was not just reckless and at fault, imo he did not particularly care about people. At least that was my impression.
However staying well behind lorries before a left turning or junction is a rule I never break. The rubbish lorries are amongst the worst in London and the smaller shabby private contracted ones with tall side netting are even worse than the bigger council lorries, watch out for them.
danthomascyclist
Well yes we should try to stop this happening but it’s not either or. As cyclists we also have agency in how we ride. Washere is right. You make a good point too about the lorry pulling up beside you and altering the situation but that would have my alarm bells going full on. Get off and on to the pavement get over the barrier if there is one leave the bike if necessary or ride through and around that corner but get the hell out of there any way you can.
oozaveared
Well yes we should try to stop this happening but it’s not either or. As cyclists we also have agency in how we ride. Washere is right. You make a good point too about the lorry pulling up beside you and altering the situation but that would have my alarm bells going full on. Get off and on to the pavement get over the barrier if there is one leave the bike if necessary or ride through and around that corner but get the hell out of there any way you can.— washere
No doubt you are correct that running away from this is the best action at the time. That should not obscure the points that:
1. driver training (and preferably enforcement) needs improved to prevent this
2. the persistent suggestion that everyone crushed by a lorry brought it on themselves by bad riding is an offensive, insulting attempt to deflect blame from the place it often (usually?) belongs.
Is the photo a stock photo,
Is the photo a stock photo, or was it a Tesco lorry involved in this incident?
That is the actual incident
That is the actual incident photo but some time after the incident at 3:30p.m. She was taken away in about 45 minutes as needed great care and stabilising first. The police closed the area and took many measurements and photos with special tripods as it was rightly deemed a crime scene. Both sides of the road, major way into east London, was only cleaned and opened well into the night, after about 5 hours. He was turning left to deliver to the small Tesco only 200 yards away in that little street, Central St. Maybe he was driving fast because he was late.
washere wrote:…The police
A motor vehicle ran over a bike rider and the police classified it as a crime scene? Has something changed in police practice, or is this a London thing?
In my experience, the police usually call it an accident if there are not stolen vehicles or drunk drivers involved.
The facts as reported are he
The facts as reported are he was arrested on the spot and jailed overnight and only released on bail this morning till December while a special unit investigates.
severs1966 wrote:A motor
It’s not just a London thing, and your experience is quite a few years out of date now. (Or, perhaps, your local force is.) Standard police practice is to use “collision” or “incident”, not “accident”.
If “a motor vehicle ran over a bike rider” then maybe it wouldn’t be a potential crime, as there apparently wouldn’t have been a driver involved. But a driver drove a motor vehicle over a bike rider, and hence it is potentially a crime.
Washere,
Although not my
Washere,
Although not my place to hand out certificates of merit, thankyou anyway for going out of your way to go and see what you could do to help. It sounds like when you got there, a health care professional was on scene and there may have been first aiders before that who stabilised the casualty until the paramedic arrived.
Which brings me on to my point.
Any of the contributors to this site could potentially be first on scene at a similarly traumatic incident. Would you know what to do? What the priorities for basic life support are? Maintaining an airway, stopping blood loss, to move or not to move the casualty? identifying the need for and performing effective CPR if it came to it? etc. If you have not done a first aid course – what could you do to get yourself on one in the next few months? If you do have first aid skills, when was the last time you brushed up on them?
Heartfelt wishes to the lady involved for the best recovery possible.
Hi Mungecrundle,
After
Hi Mungecrundle,
After leaving the shower and getting dressed I got some large bandage rolls and went there which took about five minutes. The first ambulance and police car were already there so just went back. The paramedics had started work. When I got there and saw her leg and knee were cut off, I knew the only way to help her if the medics were not there yet was to take off my belt and tie the lower part of the leg as tight as possible to slow massive blood loss. But fortunately they were already there. I have heard if an arm is severed it can be more dangerous as its near the heart and can drain the blood faster. It’s generally advised not to move victims as it could exacerbate spinal injuries, which is why they often place a board under before lifting. The mouth and throat should be clear and not blocked by blood etc. It’s good if people do not shout as the victim’s system is already in great shock and needs mental strength and calm. Also not too many people around the body so there is plenty of air flow. I’d say slightly fanning helps. Fortunately they gave her oxygen and stopped the blood flow. But basically I’m a great ignorant on medical matters and looking to be educated by those in the know.
So your suggestion is a very good idea. Maybe there can be a first aid section and a detailed checklist poster made on cycling sites?
That young driver was bailed
That young driver was bailed and released this morning till December while investigations continue. Personally I hope he gets a jail sentence, will be good for him too, to reflect. Ubiquitous cowboy lorry drivers/small companies apart, I can not fathom how Tesco gave such a reckless person a lorry to drive for tight schedules in London. Unfortunately if Tesco are hiring so recklessly, their lorries will cause more accidents.
washere wrote:Ubiquitous
Do you know for sure that Tescos are not hiring agency drivers? If so, they just do the thing of calling the agency, telling them not to send that driver again and absolve themselves of any blame.
See it time and time again with bus companies, and freight firms are either using agency drivers, or offload culpability with making their drivers self employed entities.
zanf wrote:washere
It’s more than likely that Tesco uses a logistics company who then have a dedicated fleet of boxes and horses with the Tesco livery rather than the logistics livery. That company then determines how the deliveries are made. Tesco aren’t to bothered as long as the correct stock arrives at the correct store. it takes away the cost of maintaining and insuring a fleet of heavy vehicles. I’ve noticed over the years that certain logistics drive better than others but that is mainly to protect the brand that they are operating for, rather than risk that contract.
And as Zanf says. The freight/logistics company then make further cuts/savings by contracting out to other drivers some who may have their own unmarked rig.
Thanks to road.cc for using
Thanks to road.cc for using the word “crash” instead of “accident”. There was a good (although sad) blog entry on this distinction by Cory Doctorow yesterday:
http://boingboing.net/2015/10/04/car-accidents-arent-accident.html
My sympathies to the lady
My sympathies to the lady victim and I hope she pulls through after such a traumatic event.
In response to washere’s question, St John’s do a downloadable app for iPhone & Android called 1st Aid for Cyclists which may be of use. Road CC did run an article of the app when it was released & I’ve downloaded and shared the app. hth
I found the app in Android
I found the app in Android Play store and others too:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=first%20aid&c=apps&hl=en
Also for Apple iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/st-john-ambulance-first-aid/id347574230?mt=8
http://www.apple.com/business/st-john-ambulance/
I talked to the manager of
I talked to the manager of the Tesco where the lorry was directed to; he confirmed:
– the lorry was two hours late on his schedule
– the driver is not a Tesco employee
Best wishes to the lady and
Best wishes to the lady and hope for as speedy and well a recovery as can be.
Regards and thanks to Washere for their efforts and hoping they’re Ok too, sounds like a harrowing scene for anyone there.
Good to hear some useful comments rather than the usual uninformed stuff about people undercutting trucks.
The Tesco trucks up here in the NE are mostly Stobart ran vehicles but Stobart drivers can be as homidical as anyone. My commute passes Nissan, who use Stobart for their vehicle movements and the transporter drivers are generally bloody lunatics. Stobarts themselves don’t seem to give a stuff as I complained about a handful of incidents last year and received sod all back. Luckily for me the council has converted the barely used paths to shared use. Adds a few seconds, but I feel safe away from them
So it looks like this poor
So it looks like this poor lady has at least lost a leg.
I wonder if she’ll get the same sympathy and publicity that the Alton Towers victims received? Despite their impeccable safety record Alton Towers got dragged through the dirt, I wonder if this vehicle operator will be?
Unlikely, she’s just a cyclist.
???? zanf
Hundreds of
???? zanf
Hundreds of millions of pounds are being invested in transforming the cycling environment in London. All that is the direct result of London Cycling Campaign work, including our Love London > Go Dutch campaign and the Space 4 Cycling campaign.
More relevant for this story is the London Cycling Campaign’s inspiration to introduce Direct Vision lorries which will transform the whole road transport industry, reducing the danger to cyclists and pedestrians. http://lcc.org.uk/pages/direct-vision-lorries
“Transforming the cycling
“Transforming the cycling environment”. Interesting.
If you look where bike lanes and ASLs are, they are directly in the HGV blind spots/danger zone. Safest practise is to take a very strong primary to avoid being left-hooked – but then you’ll be shouted at the “get in the fucking bike lane” (and you may be rear-ended).
Should we really be spending money on more bike lanes that encourage riders into hazardous positions?
SteppenHerring
Well, no – we should be spending it on good separated, bike lanes. And (my personal favourite option) on blocking many side-roads to motorised through-traffic.