The inquest has opened into the death near Canberra in March last year of British ultracyclist Mike Hall, who was killed near the Australian capital while taking part in the Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
The 35-year-old died from head, spinal and back injuries after being hit from behind by a car driven by 19-year-old Shegu Bobb, who was on his way to work in Canberra when the fatal crash happened at 6.20am on the morning of 31 March 2017.
ABC.net.au reports that the motorist was travelling at almost 100 kilometres an hour and that Hall’s death would have been “almost instantaneous.”
Hall, the founder of the Transcontinental Race and one of the top riders on the ultracycling scene, had been lying in second place in the race from Fremantle to Sydney when he was killed.
The inquest was told that Hall was wearing dark clothing that did not have reflective materials and that his rear light was at the same height as roadside marker posts, making it difficult for drivers to see.
Senior Constable Adam Potts said that as a result Bobb – driving on P-plates, which drivers who have passed their test within the preceding year are required to display – said that he would not have had enough time to avoid hitting the cyclist.
However, the motorist – who initially believed he had hit a kangaroo – admitted that he had been distracted by a truck parked in a closed petrol station immediately before hitting Hall.
He has not been charged with any offence to date in connection with Hall’s death, and counsel assisting the inquest is reportedly unlikely to recommend to the coroner that the case ne referred to prosecutors.
Counsel assisting the inquest also read extracts from the rules of the last year’s race, saying that they were “effectively silent” on issues related to safety.
It had been planned for the race to return this year, with organiser Jesse Carlsson saying last October that the second edition would have “some pretty strict visibility restrictions in place.”
In February, however, he announced that the 2018 race would be cancelled due to the inquest and its potential outcome.
The inquest is expected to last three days.
38 thoughts on “Inquest opens in Canberra into Mike Hall’s death”
Victim blaming already.
Victim blaming already.
rct wrote:
Australians. What did you imagine they were going to say…?
brooksby wrote:
one hell of a lot more if this had been an Australian citizen killed on a road in another country – this looks like [i]local roads for local commuters, local police defend local driver[/i] ….you’d be mad to ride a push bike on there, drive at the limit, don’t expect anything to slow for you, cyclist got what was coming
rct wrote:
And it would seem people are rather quick to jump in and claim ‘victim blaming’ too, and all too often with little actual insight in whatever case they are commenting on.
Can we wait for the inquest results, and I’d also be very interested to hear what Mike Hall’s partner (Anna, if my memory serves me) thinks after the conclusion, given she is attending.
joules1975 wrote:
Agreed we should be a little less hasty, but she’s already expressed her concern about the direction this inquest seems to be heading:
“She has supported a statement ahead of the inquest by advocacy group Australian Cycling Alliance that Hall’s GPS tracker showed he appeared to have rested sufficiently on the previous two nights and a video showed his lights were “sufficiently bright” before the collision.
Ms Haslock is concerned about how Hall and this form of racing are represented at the inquest.
“Anybody who knew Mike knows he was very capable, very experienced, very intelligent, very aware of risks and very capable of managing risks,” she says. “So having anybody who didn’t know Mike maybe [suggesting he was] reckless or anything like that would be unjust. It’s important for me to be able to say that if I need to.”
Ms Haslock has no concerns about the organisation of the Indian Pacific Wheel Race – a test of endurance that involved riders buying food and supplies along the route and grabbing short bursts of sleep, often camping beside the road, before getting back on the bike.”
I do think the messages that
I do think the messages that seem to be coming out of this are pretty worrying, the usual stories about dark clothing (yes not the best idea but not exactly illegal) and that the light wasn’t suitable, despite the fact that the driver admitted to being distracted and video footage from the documentary makers have shown how Mike’s setup was highly visable.
The fact the race has been described as ‘hunger games on wheels’ is pretty worrying, I don’t see a huge distinction between this and long distance lorry driving, at least the bike is a lot less likely to cause any damage.
The Hunger Games on wheels
The Hunger Games on wheels comment is disgraceful. It’s clear the trial is already prejudiced .
a1white wrote:
it’s not a trial, the police have already decided not to charge, this is an inquest, totally different thing.
a1white wrote:
That appears to have come from a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald from March 2017 before the race. It’s attributed to the organiser. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/the-hunger-games-on-wheels-indian-pacific-wheel-race-a-crazy-bicycle-ride-20170314-guxkxx.html
An unfortunate comment to make but how would he have known. But now it’s being used as a click-bait headline by AAP and mentioned by the coroner in the inquest. The Guardian ran with the AAP article and headline earlier today but they’ve now changed it. Earlier I was sure it read the “prosecutor” said it but that’s clearly incorrect in an inquest. There’s no prosecutor.
Quote:
I think then that is a serious problem with the infrastructure on their roads, isn’t it? Bicycles tend to be a pretty standard height
Typical police bullshit
Typical police bullshit regarding dark clothes and lights/reflectives. If the driver is going at a speed they can stop well within the distance they can see to be clear even if MH had no lights at all there would be no collision.
Facts are that he had a legal rear light, his clothing type is immaterial, if the driver didn’t see the lights or see him by his own lights then he was not fit to drive and/or clearly distracted that he’d have crashed into anything on the road.
It doesn’t sound like there was any braking by the killer either, bunch of wankpuffins have already effectively let this cunt go free!
Anna’s reasoning as to why
Anna’s reasoning as to why she wants to be at the inquest. The crowdfunding has allowed her to have legal representation at the inquest so hopefully some questions will be answered.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/anna-s-long-journey-to-bear-witness-for-cyclist-partner-at-inquest-20180923-p505hp.html
The more I read what’s already being said the more angry I’ve gotten, if Mike’s light was at the same height as the reflective strips on marker posts then surely that is sufficient to be seen right, aren’t the markers there as a warning! It gets fucking worse the more I realise what a bunch of cunts Australian police are, in exactly the same mould as the twats in Ryhll and London etc.
What do you expect from a
What do you expect from a country in which drivers jump out and threaten to attack cyclists with massive knives and not actually get sent to jail but yet fine cyclists massive amounts for next to nothing.
My brother moved over there and said driving standards are garbage compared to the UK. I’m not quite sure why he’s still there as nothing much seems better than over here.
Just found this, the bullshit
Just found this, the bullshit about MH lights is exposed massively!
https://www.facebook.com/Bikepacking/videos/691735341190480/?q=mike%20hall%20inquest
Also it seems that Mike Hall’s clothing were not kept so that no-one can actually know for sure if his clothing had any reflective parts to it, not that that should matter one jot in any case!
However I can see that he has a reflective strip on the back of his jersey and possibly his helmet, if you can’t see someone lit as Mike clearly is then what the fuck are you actualy doing on the road. I hope the police are exposed as liars following this massively important video!
The guff about the light
The guff about the light being at the same height as marker posts seems like yet more reason to be cynical at all the pious advice directed at vulnerable road users about ‘being seen’.
No matter what you do the authorities will find some reason to excuse drivers for not seeing you (cf Michael Mason and the ‘lights blending in with all the other lights on the street’). You’ll never be visible enough (until your lights are ‘dangerously dazzling’ of course).
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
that point seemed misleading to me too – even it was at the same height and was mistaken for a marker post, unless the driver was deliberately trying to hit a marker post (albeit a moving marker post….) then there would have been no collision. Marker posts are there for drivers safety and meet state standards so if his light was as bright and at the same height (i.e. Where it can be seen) then there should be no need to discuss his visibility to drivers
Strongly suggest people check
Strongly suggest people check out the blogpost on the inquest by the Australian Cycle Alliance, who have members in attendance.
Key questions they raise:
Summary: here comes another incompetent inquest.
hughsain wrote:
Is this significant? eg. Would the driver not have been able to get to work on time if he’d left at 5:30am and therefore had to have driven faster than the speed limit to get there?
hughsain wrote:
Yep agenda driven.
The same thing happened in the Allison case. The police used a different type of bike, different tyres, different braking system to test stopping distance using a line the office could see. This was used as EVIDENCE in a court.
These people are meant to handle national security, dna etc. to prosecute beyond reasonable doubt yet they can set up deliberately misleading evidence to present.
Are you suggesting it’s an accident?
Here is a picture taken not
Here is a picture taken not long before the incident.
dodgy wrote:
Thats pretty damn visible, if you ask me. Even if you dont, its pretty damn visible.
The driver must have been looking the wrong way or something. Maybe he got confused about which window was the front window, or which seat was his and was in the process of scootching over? Maybe the truck that distracted him had, oh I dont know, pictures of tits on it or something? Maybe he had gotten to a really good bit in his book (which I can only assume was a colouring in book).
Either way this crock of shit about MH not being visible enough is enough to make my stomach turn. And tgat the Aussie police are buying then propagating it is fucking reprehensible.
That roadside marker post is
That roadside marker post is in the middle of the road. What gives?
So it’s OK to kill a cyclist?
So it’s OK to kill a cyclist? Even one with a working back light?
I hope Australian cyclists take the police to court.
Latest report from the
Latest report from the Grauniad: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/25/mike-hall-inquest-two-other-drivers-almost-hit-ultra-endurance-cyclist-court-hears and I take this as the pertinent point:
But a third driver, who had enhanced lights on her car, said she saw reflective strips on his arms and legs which were visible with headlights on low beam.
Jennifer Perrin spotted Hall on her way to work in Canberra, saying it was possibly the first time in 31 years living in the region she had seen someone riding on that road.
“It was very odd to see a cyclist on the road and particularly at that time of day,” she said.
Basically – Australians don’t expect to see cyclists, so they are, with the best will in the world, not looking for them.
I suspect that this is what has happened – hurtling down the freeway, making sure you stay on the road but that’s it, because if you hit wildlife then ‘Meh!’ and you “know” you don’t need to look for vulnerable road users.
the guardian story
the guardian story incorrectly states that the driver involved in the fatal collision held a “provisional” license – should read [i]”probationary”[/i] license in Victoria this means has logged hours as a Learner driver and passed a driving test (min age in Vic 18) but like all newer drivers has some restrictions and higher points penalties for offences – pick up on this in case anyone thinks he should have been supervised at the time – nope
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/licences/your-ps/p1-and-p2-probationary-licence-restrictions
the guardian story
I can’t spell germane…
Bob F]
Will take that one I thought had crossed from Victoria into ACT bit dumb as not possible
Looks like reporters aren’t
Looks like reporters aren’t highlighting an extremely important point (from https://cycle.org.au/index.php/articles/mike-hall-inquest/169-day-1-of-the-mike-hall-coronial-inquest):
So, a driver with a non-roadworthy car hits and kills a cyclist and yet there’s no Allison style call for a harsh sentence.
hawkinspeter wrote:
This is looking shocking –
This is looking shocking – what a catalogue of errors by the Police !
I remember driving a fast dual carriageway in the Lakes once – pitch black – no lights around.
I still spotted a bloke all in black with no lights cycling along. Thankfully he had pedal reflectors on- and you could see him for a massive distance. I’d not risk it myself but this worked really well. If you have to have reflective kit on – bung it on your feet or legs. The movement really shows you are a cyclist.
From the video and the pictures there should be no debate that Mike was visible. Do they think he’d cheated death all the way along his route ? Are they ignoring the other witnesses ?
Or are they covering their arse as they didn’t charge the young driver in the first place and now have to make the evidence agree with their decision.
fenix wrote:
This all day long. We can only hope that police are exposed and IF Anna does decide she wants to take matters further then I for one would put some money toward her taking down the corrupt Australian police, they’re clearly agenda driven/discriminatory, not least incompetent, it’s not a surprise in NSW really is it!
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
“agenda driven”? what when it comes to someones death? A real persons death? Pull your head in mate.
lork wrote:
You don’t think that might happen? Really…?
lork wrote:
I’m not your ‘mate’, nor would I wish to be, the police clearly are agenda driven, or are you ignorant of the unlawful acts by police and rife discrimination that occurs every single day against cyclists to the point were people are being forced off the roads and/or unlawfully penalised for doing nothing wrong.
Are you so utterly blind?
Just seen the video on
Just seen the video on Facebook just few moments ago. Investigating the rear light if sufficiently bright to meet the standard of road rules..
Now they’ve some witnesses
Now they’ve some witnesses saying that they nearly hit Mike too.
We need to know how recent that video was I guess – had his light faded away ?
I know when I ride at night I’ve two lights on the back and a shed load of reflectives. I don’t trust motorists to look out for me.
fenix wrote:
He was using a dynamo light so that’s extremely unlikely and supposition, the police have not mentioned that the light was broken/failed in any case, just that in their opinion it was difficult to see despite it being at warning post level which by definition means it was the correct height to be seen. We can see in the video that the light is more than adequate in both height and brightness to be seen from a very long distance away.
Lest we forget the road was straight so should have seen the light from hundreds of metres away if not further.
Problem is with adding more and more we always get into the light war scenario which we will never win and because of weak government allowed ridiculously bright lights for motorists and indeed people on bikes. Hi-vis is futile and proven to be bunk. Either you’re looking or you aren’t, we’ve had this discussion so many times abut the efficacy of reflectives and hi-vis.
Again, putting the onus of safety onto the vulnerable never, ever works, all it does is cause victim blaming to be more prevalent and motorists to carry on driving like wankers.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-47396799
“A coroner noted the accident happened in the dark and said it should prompt a thorough review of local road and bicycle laws.
…
“Police testified that Mr Bobb [the motorist] had been distracted by a parked car as he turned on to the highway, and had no time to avoid the collision.
“Dr Boss [the coroner] said the incident should provide a “catalyst” for better safety rules, making six recommendations – including calling for a review of local road intersections.
“She also recommended that Australia consider making it mandatory for all cyclists to have flashing rear lights when riding at night.”