A cyclist, who lost her leg when she was run over by a lorry driver, is calling for HGVs to be banned from the narrow and unsuitable stretch of road in Hertfordshire and redirected to the bypass. 

Nicky Bull, 62, a highly experienced cyclist and triathlete who has competed in events across the globe, was hit by an articulated lorry driver on the A507 in Baldock, Hertfordshire in April 2022. 

She told Cambridgeshire Live: “I do not recall the impact at all. But I understand that the HGV swung out to the right to turn left, and he hit me.

“I remember lying face down on the road and the wheels driving over my right arm and shoulder. I was counting them and there were six wheels. I remember thinking ‘he’s got to stop; he must feel me’.”

She was rushed to hospital and surgeons were forced to amputate her left leg below the hip. During the surgery, she had to be resuscitated four times, and then spent nine months in hospital. 

Nicky hopes her experience will push authorities to act before more lives are lost. 

“Losing my leg feels like a kind of death – the life I had before is gone. If anything good can come out of this, it would be to prevent someone else suffering the same fate,” she said. 

“It is not suitable for HGVs at all – it is a very tight area with a 15th-century house on one side and a 17th-century building on the other, designed back in the days of the horse and carriage, so it’s clearly really unsuitable for huge lorries.” 

Nicky is now campaigning for HGVs to be banned from using the A507 through Baldock and redirected to the bypass instead. Restrictions already apply to parts of the road, but she wants them extended to the dangerous junction where she was struck.

“There is very little difference in terms of time, but perhaps it is slightly shorter in distance, which is why drivers continue to use it.

“The driver who hit me said he used this route frequently, which is unbelievable really, that HGV drivers who know how very tight and difficult this junction is continue to travel this way.” 

North Herts Council’s Growing Baldock Plan identified the need for a new road connection between the A507 and A505 by 2030, but Nicky has called for action sooner. 

“While I understand there will be a cost to this, my NHS rehabilitation has cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to date, and as well as the cost, we are talking about people’s lives and wellbeing, which you just can’t put a price on. This is urgent and must be a priority for now,” she said to Slater and Gordon Lawyers. 

She has the support of Chris Hinchliff MP for North East Hertfordshire, added: “The White Horse Crossroads has become a symbol of preventable tragedy. 

“Nicky’s devastating injuries and the tragic death of Peter Day in 2018 are not isolated incidents – they are stark reminders of how dangerous this junction has become.

“I fully support Nicky’s campaign to ban lorries from travelling through the junction. It’s time we put lives before the convenience of freight companies and take bold, decisive action to make this area safe for everyone who uses it.”

> “They want you to cycle, but roads have to be safe”: Cyclist killed by lorry driver in crash so horrifying it took ten days to identify his body – but council says junction is “safe for all road users”

Due to the injury, the former triathlete went through extensive rehabilitation.

“At first, I was terrified I’d never get outside again, but I worked as hard as I could at every opportunity. Swimming has been my salvation. The moment I got back into a hydrotherapy pool, I realised I could still do it,” she said. 

Colette Shaw, Co-Founder of STEPS Prosthetics and Nicky’s Prosthetist, added: “Nicky sustained an extremely high trans-femoral amputation injury, which made her rehabilitation needs and prosthesis requirements complex.

“Her determination and tenacity demonstrated during her months of residential rehabilitation with us was remarkable, and no doubt she is bringing that same level of commitment to her campaign for change.”