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Boss of lorry firm killed in collision involving one of his own truckshighway-3392100_1920

Boss of lorry firm killed in collision involving one of his own trucks

The driver of the lorry heard 'shouting and screaming' and got out of his truck to discover he had run over his boss...
by Will Bolton
Sun, Apr 11, 2021 14:23
6

The owner of a HGV firm was killed while out cycling in a collision involving one of his own lorries, an inquest heard.

Jeff Atkinson, 76, was riding along when the driver of the vehicle hit him while turning out of the haulage firm's yard in York.

Mr Atkinson's staff said they didn't blame the driver of the lorry instead insisting that they thought it was dangerous for him to cycle up the inside of the vehicle as it approached a turn. 

The driver, Russell Bowe, had checked his side mirrors but was not aware of his boss's presence, York Press reports.

North Yorkshire Coroners' Court heard Mr Atkinson had told his staff and children 'never to cycle along the near side of a HGV' unless they were sure the driver had seen them.

However, the inquest was told Mr Atkinson, who had run J Atkinson and Sons Ltd since 1969 'broke his own rule' and was tragically killed in the crash on August 27 last year.

Mr Bowe told the inquest he heard 'shouting and screaming' and stopped to find he had partially driven over his boss.

Mr Atkinson's son Philip, who is also part of the family business, said in a statement to the inquest: "I don't hold Russell responsible."

He added he had viewed the company's CCTV which had captured the incident.

Tony Yates, another employee, said he was in a van following Mr Bowe's lorry and Mr Atkinson's bicycle up the private road from the base to the public road.

He saw Mr Bowe pause at the junction and Mr Atkinson cycle up the lorry's near side.

He told the inquest: "I thought it was dangerous for him to go down there and I wondered why he was going down there."

One of the lorry’s tyres appeared to be under inflated and he thought Mr Atkinson may have been intending to tell the driver about it.

North Yorkshire Police investigator Nigel Varney confirmed one of the tyres was less than half the recommended pressure.

Assistant coroner Jonathan Leach concluded that it was possible Mr Atkinson had seen the deflated tyre and decided to go round to the driver's door to tell Mr Bowe.

He concluded Mr Atkinson 'made a conscious decision' to do what he did and the cause of death was given as a road traffic collision.

Collision with HGV
York

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6 comments

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Gkam84 | 3 years ago
11 likes

So even when it's "one of their own" they still deflect.

"dangerous for him to cycle up the inside of the vehicle"

"'never to cycle along the near side of a HGV' unless they were sure the driver had seen them."

The driver IS responsible, no matter what his colleges and the mans family say. You should be aware of what is around you at all times. Yes, it is silly to be going up the inside of a truck, but that doesn't negate that they have huge blind spots and these need to be addressed, they should be factored into new truck designs before being allowed on the road. It wouldn't take much for a couple of cameras like they do in some high-end cars instead of wing mirrors...

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joules1975 replied to Gkam84 | 3 years ago
0 likes

You seem to contradict yourself here. If the driver is unable to see around his vehicle properly due to poor design, and there are no automated warning systems in place, then if something moves into a blind spot between the driver checking fully, and then rechecking, then how can he be held responsible (he can't be looking in all directions all the time).

This incident seems to be a tragic case where a mixture of fundimental design flaws combine with a less than ideal descision on the part of the victim.

The final mistake in this case is/will be the inquest not recomending improvements to the design of heavy good vehicles.

My sympathies go to the family.

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jh2727 replied to joules1975 | 3 years ago
1 like

> This incident seems to be a tragic case where a mixture of fundimental design flaws combine with a less than ideal descision on the part of the victim.

Except in this case the victim chose the vehicle with the design flaws and didn't rectify them. It would seem that rather than investing in measures to make his lorries safer he "told his staff and children 'never to cycle along the near side of a HGV' unless they were sure the driver had seen them".

Also it does make you wonder... did he deviate from his rule, or was he sure the driver had seen him?  Who stood to gain from his death?

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Gashead | 3 years ago
7 likes

Very sad and feel for his family and friends having to come to terms with this tragedy. The only heartening aspect is to read the owner of an HGV firm was a cyclist as well, removed chapeau sir.

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ktache | 3 years ago
7 likes

My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Jeff Atkinson.

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Sriracha | 3 years ago
26 likes

This is a tragedy for all who knew and loved Mr Atkinson. The fact that it can happen to someone with his knowledge and understanding must indicate that relying on the victims to compensate for the design of lorries is wrong. Vehicles where the driver routinely can not see where they are going should not be on the roads.

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