Inquest hears how cyclist died after head-on crash with bus

A coroner’s inquest has heard how an experienced cyclist was killed when he lost control of his bike as he rode down a descent in Snowdonia, with the driver of the vehicle unable to avoid the collision.

Dr Andrew Fowell was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened on 25 September last year on the A4086 between Pen-y-Pass and Nant Peris, reports the Daily Post.

He was riding along the road, which is on the northern side of Snowdon, with a friend. As the pair came round a corner, they encountered a queue of vehicles on their side of the road which had stopped to allow a bus which was coming from the opposite direction to pass.

According to a report from North Wales Police, Dr Fowell moved onto the right-hand side of the road to try and avoid the stopped traffic, but lost control of his bike and hit the bus head-on.

The inquest heard that the bus driver tried to avoid the crash but was unable to do so due to the vehicles to the right and a stone wall on the left, with Sarah Riley, Assistant Coroner for North Wales, saying he did “everything he possibly could to avoid the collision.”

Dr Fowell was thrown under the bus by the impact, and died as a result of multiple injuries to his head and chest, according to a post mortem.

Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner said he died after “the pedal bike he was riding lost control and collided with a bus travelling in the opposite direction.”

Dr Fowell retired as a palliative care consultant in 2013, although he continued to work as a lecturer.

His widow Anne attended the inquest and said: “I just want to say thank you to everybody who was at the scene and tried to save him. And thank you to the police for all of their work."

The couple, who lived in Llangoed near Beaumaris, Anglesey, had been married for 43 years, and Der Fowell is also survived by their two children and two grandchildren.