Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses after two cyclists were killed in a collision involving a grey Volkswagen Golf R car in High Wycombe.
Paramedics attended the incident but the victims, men aged 52 and 56 who lived locally, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident happened at around 6.30pm yesterday evening on the A40 Wycombe Road, near the junction of Old Dashwood Hill.
Thames Valley Police said that the victims’ next-of-kin were being supported by specially trained officers, and that the driver of the car is assisting officers with their enquiries.
Inspector Andy Tester of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: “This incident has tragically led to the deaths of two cyclists. Our thoughts remain with their families at this difficult time.
“We are carrying out a thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances of this collision.
“As such we are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision to please come forward.
“Additionally we would ask anyone who may have seen a Grey Volkswagen Golf R or the two cyclists travelling on the A40 Wycombe Road near to the junction of Old Dashwood Hill prior to 6.30pm to please get in touch.
“We would also ask anyone who was travelling on the same stretch and has dash-cam footage to please check it to see if it may show either the cyclists or the Golf,” he added.
Anyone with information should call Thames Valley Police on 101 quoting reference 1111 01/06/20.
Around 100 cyclists are killed each year on Great Britain’s roads, but individual incidents in which more than one rider is killed are very rare – indeed, during the past decade, only two such cases spring immediately to mind.
In February 2014, John Morland, aged 30, and 39-year-old Kris Jarvis, were killed on the evening of 13 February when they were hit by a black BMW car in Purley-on-Thames, Berkshire.
The driver Alexander Walter, was jailed for 10 years three months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and other offences including aggravated vehicle-taking, driving while disqualified, and driving while uninsured.
He lost a subsequent appeal to try and have the jail sentence shortened.
> Drunk, speeding driver who killed two cyclists loses appeal against length of sentence
The previous year, disqualified driver Nicholas Lovell, 38, was jailed for 10 years and six months and banned from driving for life for killing husband and wife Ross, 34, and Clare Simons, 30, when he crashed into them in Bristol as they rode their tandem bike while he was trying to get away from a police car.
> Killer driver sentenced to 10 years and 6 months for deaths of Bristol tandem couple
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14 comments
I'm a 54 year old and ride that road a lot, it's a nice grind up to Stokenchurch from West Wycombe.
Lots of trees overhead, quite dark when the sun is dropping, no houses and a 60mph limit.
Traffic flies past, up and down the hill, without much regard to the speed limit. If the riders were turning into Old Dashwood Hill as they were hit the driver probably wouldn't have seen them on the slight bend.
Especially in sunglasses under the tree canopy. That's obviously speculation, so please ignore.
So sad, my condolences to their families.
Terrible ;-(
Thats fucking Awful
Thoughts to all families & friends.
Back to normal after the lockdown, death returns to the roads
RIP guys
That's really, really shit.
'Volkswagen Golf R' - speeding perhaps?
If this country really is serious about getting people onto bikes, it has to introduce Presumed Liability. The UK is one of only 5 European countries where it does not exist - the others being Malta, Cyprus, Romania & Ireland
Indeed it is. V. sad. That's my neck of the woods too. Not that it matters for the victims.
However...
And also perhaps not. There is no information either way. Could also have been drink/drug driving, simple inattention (aka carelessness).
Indeed it is. V. sad. That's my neck of the woods too. Not that it matters for the victims.
However...
And also perhaps not. There is no information either way. Could also have been drink/drug driving, simple inattention (aka carelessness).
Indeed; you are correct. I shouldn't postulate without more information.
I stand by my Presumed Liability statement though.
Indeed it is. V. sad. That's my neck of the woods too. Not that it matters for the victims.
However...
And also perhaps not. There is no information either way. Could also have been drink/drug driving, simple inattention (aka carelessness).
288 hp hatchback, could be anything really.
RIP.
On a road where the speed limit is routinely broken as people ratrun to/from the M40
Have you written to your MP? We're in a very peculiar position at the moment, what with C19 and the most incompetent government in living memory, but they do seem to be receptive to improving things for cyclists.
Do it today; who knows how much longer it'll last.
Agreed.
Presumed liability is a purely civil process not a criminal one.
In this case, it would be up to the driver/insurance company to show the driver wasn't at fault in any compensation action by the families. It would have no bearing on any criminal proceedings brought against the driver.
Given we have presumed liability to an extent with regards to one car driving into the rear of another, which doesn't seem to have stopped tailgating and indeed seems to have encouraged a new dangerous behaviour of brake checking the vehicle behind, I fail to see how its introduction would be a panacea for all of the driving ills we all experience on a daily basis.
Many disagree with your point of view.
https://www.slatergordon.co.uk/media-centre/blog/2015/08/cycling-acciden...
https://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/dutch-cycle-because-strict-liabi...
https://www.bikecitizens.net/presumed-liability-shrinks-cycling-levels/