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news
Statue of Justice, Old Bailey (licensed CC BY 2.0 on Flickr by Ronnie Macdonald).jpgLorry driver acquitted of killing London cyclist
An Old Bailey jury has cleared a lorry driver of causing the death of a London cyclist by careless driving.
Magda Tadaj, aged 25, was killed on 23 May last year when she was struck by a Scania lorry being driven by Darren Anderton, aged 49.
He had left his depot in Coventry at 4.00am to make deliveries in London, 140 miles away.
The court heard that Ms Tadaj had been dragged for 14 metres by Anderton's lorry during the crash in Selhurst, south London.
The driver got out of his cab and waited for paramedics to arrive then drove off to continue his delivery round.
He was subsequently arrested by police after they managed to track him down, but told officers that he had been driving past when he saw a female cyclist get hit by a car.
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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39 comments
I have noticed a real pattern now that whether driver or cyclist, whoever is foreign born will have the decision go against them. There was also the heartbreaking case of the German girl Janina Gehlau, whose killer walked free simply because she had filtered down the left of his lorry 10 seconds before the fatal impact. Compare this with a case a couple of years ago, the names of which escape me, where a student cyclist who jumped a red light while cycling back from a night out drinking, he was hit by a speeding driver who went through a green turning amber on his side. The driver was Polish and he was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. It's sad really to see just how xenophobic the British have become.
The anger shouldn't just be directed at the proceedings of the court case, and the role of the driver in all of this, but also on the local council.
From some news reports:
"Prosecutor Ian McLoughlin told jurors Miss Tadaj had been in the cycle lane until it ran out at a narrowing in the road."
It sounds like there was a painted cycle lane that ran out precisely at the point where it was needed most. It would appear that, once again, low standards of cycling infrastructure have contributed to another death
As I understand it, the cycle lane ended, the road narrowed.
Using the cycle lane, the victim had advanced so that she was marginally ahead of the lorry at the point of narrowing.
I am sure the cycle lane ending and the advancement of the victims position compared to the lorries will have been a massive factor in the not guilty verdict.
I am sure the argument put forward would be that whilst riding in the cycle lane, the victim would have likely been in the lorries blind spot, therefore the lorry driver would not have been mindful to look for a cyclist immediately infront of him when the road narrowed.
So, he would have been scanning the road ahead to judge hazards, and completely missed the hazard right in front of him.
If this was indeed the case, then the not guilty verdict outlines a number of areas for reform, such as;
- Lorry blind spots. These seem perfectly accepted by law. Everyone knows about them, everyone knows lives are lost because of them, the technology is there to negate them... why do they still exist?
- If blind spots are not going to be addressed, then the mixing of vehicles with known blindspots and other forms of traffic, including more vulnerable road users need to be addressed. We can't continue to share the roads with dangerous vehicles if those vehicles can't be revised.
- Infrastructure - the ending of the cycle path was probably due to the narrowing of the road. Because a cyclepath could not be maintained due to the width of the road. This scenario of road infrastructure lends itself very effectively for the type of incident we see here. Therefore either cyclepaths have to be removed from roads that can't sustain them in entirety, or there needs to be clearer signage, better processes for ending these paths than current. For instance a sign on the road saying look for cyclists emerging from the cycle lane. Or similar.
- Training - both cyclist and driver. Cyclists need to know not to undertake lorries... ever... Cyclepath or no cyclepath. Lorry drivers need to be aware of the hazard that if a path exists, then a cyclist is likely to fill it. Unfortunately I'd suggest that of these two options, the fact that lorrry drivers have to pass a test to drive commercially the emphasis should be about educating lorry drivers to do a blind spot check whenever a cycle lane ends alongside their carriageway.
This whole, take to trial, fail to convict, everyone go home and not think about it bullshit has to end.
His fitness tracker doesn't appear to be helping much.
I'm going to leave instructions for my son that in the event some wanker runs me down and gets away with it i'd like him to seek 'justice'/revenge and mow the fucker down. He knows the full list of acceptable excuses.
You don't even need to spend a shit load ordering 'services' on the dark net, just hop in a motor and then leave the scene stating all the accepted excuses.
CPS aren't fit for purpose and the 'justice' system is fucked if you're riding a bike.
Tell him to lob a bike out of the boot onto the roadside beside them and tell the police they were riding the bike at the time....
People tend to dehumanise these days.
Drivers seem to only think of themselves and see all others as obstacles. It also happens in other things too, especially in customer service where people only see you as the face of the company and not as a human.
To run someone over and to then carry on your round is shocking, and is surely enough to justify a conviction, let alone actually killing someone.
This. When I used to write for Londonist, I got interviewed on BBC London and LBC Radio a lot. I'd always make sure I use phrases like 'man/woman on a bike' rather than cyclist as far too many drivers don't see you as people, only as an obsticle that means they get to their destination about 30 second slower than they would of.
I'm pretty sure most dangerous drivers wouldn't pass as closely if it was their son/daughter/brother/sister/mother/father on two wheels in front of them.
Humanising cyclists is the very first step in behaviour change.
Mototcyclists had a campaign a few years ago where they started wearing hi-viz tops with things like "Alfie's Mum", or "Gracie's Dad", - I still see one around occasionally.
Not sure it made much difference, but the idea was to "humanise" the rider and make other road users stop and think about the person hidden behind the leathers and helmet.
I can't believe this guy got away with it, though - the whole judge and jury should be locked up with him.
This is just sad.
RIP sister.
This why I exclusively ride rollers if i'm on my road bike. Mind you on the very short stretches of road linking my off road routes I have had nearly been killed several times. Even forced into a metal railing, resulting in broken ribs and the guy just drove off. Driving in Hertfordshire is mental.
In the same way as it was impossible in 1950s Alabama for a white jury to convict a white person of killing a black person, so too is it impossible in 21st century britain for a jury of drivers to convict someone driving a car of killing a cyclist.
Firstly RIP Magda, condolences to all who knew her.
To sum up we have witnesses and a CCTV camera in the cab of the lorry and yet he is acquitted, I despair. In another article on the internet a guy runs down two pedestrians in a car park, their injuries are not life threatening. Driver now serving five years in prison having pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, but found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Consistent approach to poor driving standards, errm no.
Ask the question, if this had happened on his driving test, would he have passed the test?
Who are the most dangerous drivers in this country? The ones on the jury.
Things like this shouldn't be left to juries. Too many people hate cyclists. I was almost killed by a bus this morning and arrived in work in a state of shock. When telling a colleague about it her first response was to tell me I should stop at red lights. The fact I was on a 30mph dual carriageway with 2 lanes and was almost taken out by an impatient bus driver nowhere near any traffic lights was irrelevant. After putting her straight she said "I find it hard to find any sympathy for cyclists. They get what they deserve" This is someone I've worked alongside for months who suddenly decided she hates me because of my choice of transportation...
This is frightening.
To me, it translates as "the roads are for cars, trucks, and buses, and perhaps motorcycles. Anyone else better stay off OUR roads."
Never mind what the laws say.
Unfortunatley, the justice system often parrots this sentiment, I think.
Piss in her coffee.
Increasing doses of laxatives is far more amusing... Especially if you can get a hold of some picolax.
You just have to smile and bear in mind that there are a lot of very, very stupid people in this world. She's obviously one of them.
I think I'd do the real life equivalent of blocking her Facebook profile. If she has a problem with it, tell her it's what she deserves and that you have no sympathy.
No, that won't fix anything!
KevM should offer a similar hypothetical scenario where she or someone she cares about is treated with the same disregard for their safety with some victim-blaming thrown in. If that doesn't work then tell her she is devoid of that basic human quality of empathy and possessing the intellect of an amoeba (a bit like Trump but without the money).
A big part of the problem is too many people considering 'cyclists' as an outgroup instead of people just like themselves but who happen to be getting from A to B by using a bicycle. To us it's odd (and worrying) but is a very well known phenomenon.
I hope you gave her a good fucking kick in the fud!!!
Surely ask her what it is that we should get and why we deserve it. Then smack her in the mouth for wearing a red/yellow/blue/green/black/white blouse because she desreves it.
agreed, I'd really struggle to not punch her teeth in, she'd get the hairdryer treatment at the very least.
Pure hate crime - replace "I find it hard to find any sympathy for cyclists. They get what they deserve" with "I find it hard to find any sympathy for gays/women/disabled people. They get what they deserve" and see how lng she keeps her job. She is utter utter scum.
I could not have bit my tongue if I'd have told this. Just because you ride a bike you deserve serious injury or death??? Fucking retard.
My campaign against her would be long and very underhanded.
As for the jury finding this fuckwit not guilty it shows there is total disregard for life if you decide to cycle. For some reason hop a leg over the bike and ride away you become meaningless.
Let me guess.....she's a smoker, fat and self-absorbed?
I had to listen to some twat rattling on about held up by cyclists the other day. The irony was lost on them that when I'm in my car they are usually holding me up doing 40 in a 60. Amazing how the argument about it being a maximum speed suddenly doesn't apply when you're behind a cyclist.
When you think of how mentally and physically slow a lot of people are it's really frightening they are out there on the road.
Absolutely.
There's a section, about a mile long, on my commute that is a 20, along a residential street and past a school. It's flat and I'm always doing pretty much bang on 20 there, in both directions.
Every, and I mean every, driver behind me *has* to overtake. There's about a 50/50 split then as to
a) the ones who do way more than 20 to overtake and then just sit in front, at the same speed I'm going at, so at least they obey the speed limit for the rest of the stretch, and
b) the ones who do way more than 20 to overtake and then just ignore the speed limit for the rest of the stretch anyway.
All it takes to confuse every single idiot driving a car - even those who will swear they follow the speed limit on that road - on my many commutes on that bit of road, is a cyclist going at the speed limit.
I'd be tempted to take those comments to HR if I were you. Say how distressing you found her comments as to you it sounded like a veiled threat.
I'd then cut her off entirely.
But not before reminding her that women who wear short skirts deserve to be raped... as per he argument.
Unforgiveable to acquit this killer, but then it was only a cyclist. Right?
You're a far better person than me if you didn't react angrily to that.
Pretty awful - not just that she thinks it but feels no shame about saying it to your face.
You'd be quite entitled to be as angry as other posters suggest - but that's unlikely to make her see sense. Maybe - as someone she might see as more than "just a cyclist" - you can help her examine her prejudice and her conscience? That would be a service to everyone.
Why even bother stopping if you know you are going to get let off?
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