cyclist mown down by horsetrailer

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Suechoccy

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Anyone know who the driver might have been? If so, the cyclist and the police would like to know please.

Accident on the A386 at Roborough, near Plymouth, Devon, just before midday on 28 August 2011.

The BBC news report says horsebox but witnesses report it was a 4x4 towing a horse trailer. The horsetrailer clipped the cyclist as the outfit overtook him.

The driver didn't stop but following drivers did stop and treat the cyclist on site until the ambulance arrived. The cyclist sustained a punctured lung, shattered right hip and three broken ribs. He's now in Derriford Hospital with surgery on his hip to come.

What horse events were on in that area that day that would see horse-trailers on that road around midday?
 
Jesus! Poor poor man.

Maybe the driver did not realise they had hit him, well I would like to think that anyway :(
 
Omg that's terrible, I would imagine that they didn't realise they hit him, although they should have been looking in the wing mirror as passing!!!!
 
>show at Lydford and PC meet at Merrington

thanks. Does anyone have contact details (pref email) for either organiser please? I'd like to get something out to them to pass around to people who took part.
 
Oh, poor cyclist!

It might be also worthwhile finding out if any trailers have been stolen? I could imagine that if someone had stolen a trailer and hit someone, they might not stop...
 
Trouble is cyclist's don't always check to see if there is a trailer, they see the vehicle but not the trailer. Maybe the truck went past and the cyclist moved out into the road?? You probably wouldn't know you had hit anyone.
Awful for everyone involved and i hope the cyclist makes a fast recovery. I am not defending the driver at all, I have cycled 1000's of miles and know how vulnerable you are but also how easy it is to not to check behind you before manoevering.
 
This is terrible. A friend of my dad's (in our cycling club) was hit by a car recently and has broken his neck, currently in hospital.

As someone who drives a car, cycles and rides horses, I can say that the scariest time I experience on the road is as a cyclist. Car drivers genuinely do not care about cyclists and don't bother to look for us.

To say the 4x4/lorry might not have realised he'd hit the cyclist is unbelievable - you feel it if you drive over a bird on the road, never mind a man on a bike. I hope they catch the driver and he goes to prison. And I really wish car drivers would pay more attention to cyclists. IMHO the only reason most cars slow down for horses is because they're worried the horse might kick their car...
 
The cyclist is not a novice cyclist but a very experienced club cyclist (and a talented racing cyclist too though he wasn't racing at the time, just riding his bike). With that sort of expertise and experience in his background over many years, I think he would have been cycling defensively and well-aware that he was being overtaken by both a 4x4-and-trailer.
 
I think this is a terrible accident and I hope the driver genuinely didn't know (I tow a lot and am always mindful of cyclists-some of my best friends are cyclists and motorbike riders too) I guess it may be possible for them to be hit by the far end of the trailer and to not know, it's a horrifying thought though to think you may have hurt someone and not know about it.

I hate overtaking cyclists (particularly when they're in large groups on twisty, hilly narrow roads) they get irritated if you hang behind them for ages because there isn't room or visibility to give them a wide berth and pass safely without being in the path of oncoming vehicles you can't see because of the hills and bends, sudden maneuvers are not advisable when towing so you can't take chances, and they seem unwilling to pull over for a minute to let you by, I guess once you've got your momentum you don't want to keep stopping to let large vehicles by.

That said, I hope the driver didn't callously leave the poor cyclist knowing they'd knocked them off their bike and I hope the cyclist makes a full and speedy recovery.
 
Poor guy - really hope he makes a full recovery and returns to race fitness.

Incidents like this remind us why the highway code states that vehicles overtaking cyclists should give the same space as they would when overtaking another car (ie, move to the next lane).

I hope you manage to track down the driver.

Good luck and best wishes to all involved.
 
"To say the 4x4/lorry might not have realised he'd hit the cyclist is unbelievable - you feel it if you drive over a bird on the road, never mind a man on a bike."

I appreciate if you actually drive over something you would/should be aware of it but a glancing blow could be different and could cause the same sort of injuries.
You are so vulnerable on a bike, i was threatened by one driver because i wouldn't cycle in the ditch, had water thrown at me, whilst moving, by a car driver who thought it was funny, he didn't reckon on me recognising him and turning up at his house 1/2hr later.
I'm not belittling the accident at all and i'm sorry if you thought that, we had a van wing mirror hit one of our group, driver kept going too.
On the other side of the coin though, we have a local group who cycle on sunday mornings, groups of 20-30 who ride 2 or 3 abreast and leave no gaps in the group so you can overtake some of them and pull in, they are even arrogant enough to try to stop the traffic on a road so they can ride straight through a 'give way' sign. Trying to pass them with a trailer is a no brainer. They give cyclists a bad name.
 
Horrible - poor cyclist.
I, too hope that the driver was unaware he hit/glancing blow and hope if he/she does get caught, will show remorse. Surely there has to be 'some damage' to the trailer to indicate something happened? Wouldn't a responsible person take note? Maybe they will hand themselves in?
Failing that, was there any CCTV footage of the road - cameras are everywhere these days.
 
I hope the poor an makes a good recovery.

Irene Whitson, who was BHS Chair for Central Scotland did a lot of campaigning for the safety of cyclists after someone she knew was killed, I think by an HGV.

She recognised that it is often difficult for drivers to see cyclists on their near side. She drove a horse box and commented how difficult it could be to overtake when groups of cyclists are on the road.

This was our experience too particularly in Scotland where roads might be narrow and with poor site lines. Also cyclists on racing bikes travel very fast and need a lot of space.
 
I have a friend who hit a cyclist with the back of her trailer some time ago now. She had pulled out around him & then cut back in but the back end of the trailer caught him and she genuinely didn't know she had done it. It wasn't until she was stopped by a car driver that she was aware of it. Luckily the cyclist wasn't seriously injured and all the correct channels of sorting it out were followed.

I wasn't in the car with her at the time so it's hard for me to comment but she really wasn't aware she had clipped him, so just maybe the driver in question here also isn't aware.

I have seen the incident boards have now gone up so it is probable the driver will pass them and hopefully hand themselves in if they haven't done so already.

Let's hope the cyclist makes a full and speedy recovery.
 
Suechoccy said:
The cyclist is not a novice cyclist but a very experienced club cyclist (and a talented racing cyclist too though he wasn't racing at the time, just riding his bike). With that sort of expertise and experience in his background over many years, I think he would have been cycling defensively and well-aware that he was being overtaken by both a 4x4-and-trailer.
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The trouble with these racing types is that they dont want to brake and loose the speed and do take horrible chances in my experience. The idea of moving out the way and letting a queue of traffic pass never seems to enter their heads. Neither it seems does looking and staying aware of the traffic. I would bet there is a lot more to this incident than just a negligent driver.
 
Agree with Mike, these 'professional'/serious cyclists are the worst, they won't use cycle lanes on pavements, they cycle virtually in the middle of the road, they will NOT pull in (I had to follow one for a MILE along a country lane not long ago) and they go so fast it makes passing them quickly and safely a hard job, paticularly when towing.

When I'm towing I am very careful when passing cyclists and always make sure I'm clear of them in my wing mirror. Hope he gets well soon.
 
marmalade76 said:
Agree with Mike, these 'professional'/serious cyclists are the worst, they won't use cycle lanes on pavements, they cycle virtually in the middle of the road, they will NOT pull in (I had to follow one for a MILE along a country lane not long ago) and they go so fast it makes passing them quickly and safely a hard job, paticularly when towing.

When I'm towing I am very careful when passing cyclists and always make sure I'm clear of them in my wing mirror. Hope he gets well soon.
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We cycle "in the middle of the road" because it is dangerous to ride in the gutter - the edge of the road is more often than not either badly surfaced, covered with potholes or stones/leaves/gunk and is slippery. You're more likely to come off your bike by hitting something like that. Also, by riding out of the gutter, you force ignorant car drivers to slow down.

Car drivers are not the only people who use the roads and cyclists have just as much right as cars to be there. A cyclist who is racing is likely to be more aware of other road users than kids or other people just pootling along on bikes. I've lost count of the amount of times I've overtaken, say, an old lady or a middle aged bloke cycling home from work who genuinely had no idea a car was near them. At least racing cyclists tend to have an awareness of what is going on.

If a cyclist is racing, he could be getting up to 25-30mph (if he's good). Do you really expect them to use a cycle lane, which usually has pedestrians wandering all over it anyway? This really annoys me - car drivers will say "well, they shouldn't be racing on the roads anyway" and then overtake, whizzing off over the speed limit. Presumably you are not driving an ambulance or police car so it doesn't do drivers any harm to wait a couple of minutes to find a safe place to pass. If the cyclist you mention was going so fast that it wasn't safe to overtake then it can't have taken you that long to drive a mile...

Please remember that cyclists are very vulnerable and we break easily - we have just as much right to be on the road as cars (and before anyone trots out the "you don't pay road tax or insurance" line... the majority of racing cyclists will have driven to the race in their cars, which they pay tax on, and they should all have insurance for their bikes/riding on the roads).
 
Hey guys, this thread is about trying to find a driver who hit a cyclist and caused him serious injuries.

it's not a thread to discuss the whys and wherefores of cyclists versus drivers, or cyclepaths versus roads. Save that for another thread if you want to discuss that please.
 
chestnut cob said:
We cycle "in the middle of the road" because it is dangerous to ride in the gutter - the edge of the road is more often than not either badly surfaced, covered with potholes or stones/leaves/gunk and is slippery. You're more likely to come off your bike by hitting something like that. Also, by riding out of the gutter, you force ignorant car drivers to slow down.

Car drivers are not the only people who use the roads and cyclists have just as much right as cars to be there. A cyclist who is racing is likely to be more aware of other road users than kids or other people just pootling along on bikes. I've lost count of the amount of times I've overtaken, say, an old lady or a middle aged bloke cycling home from work who genuinely had no idea a car was near them. At least racing cyclists tend to have an awareness of what is going on.

If a cyclist is racing, he could be getting up to 25-30mph (if he's good). Do you really expect them to use a cycle lane, which usually has pedestrians wandering all over it anyway? This really annoys me - car drivers will say "well, they shouldn't be racing on the roads anyway" and then overtake, whizzing off over the speed limit. Presumably you are not driving an ambulance or police car so it doesn't do drivers any harm to wait a couple of minutes to find a safe place to pass. If the cyclist you mention was going so fast that it wasn't safe to overtake then it can't have taken you that long to drive a mile...

Please remember that cyclists are very vulnerable and we break easily - we have just as much right to be on the road as cars (and before anyone trots out the "you don't pay road tax or insurance" line... the majority of racing cyclists will have driven to the race in their cars, which they pay tax on, and they should all have insurance for their bikes/riding on the roads).
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I am very considerate towards other road users as a driver, and I expect the same courtesy in return. A lot of these 'pro' cyclist seem to have an attitude of 'I have the right to be on the road and **** everyone else'!
 
i was taught in my B+E test to always do a follow through, if you pass anyone on the road or pavement wether it be a pedestrian or cyclist you check your left mirror once passed to make sure they are still there basically and havnt been hit by your trailer or have stepped out into the trailers path. They clearly didnt do this or they would have noticed the cyclist miraculously (sp) dissapeared.
 
Cyclists & car drivers are human beings with a wide range of abilities & temperments, none of us perfect. It is to be hoped that the driver was unaware of the knock as it could have been the most glancing of blows but with a bad outcome for the poor cyclist. I travel a lot of country lanes & have found some considerate people cycling & some that get very ratty that you will not overtake them as they can't see the danger involved( in some circumstances ie bends or road is too narrow.) if you tried to pass giving them the required 'falling off' room we were always taught to allow them. I ALWAYS ignore their arm waving until it is safe to pass unless they stop & pull over.
 
I'm another who has noticed that the arguments being used against cyclists are just the same as those used against riders. For goodness sake, shouldn't there be a bit of solidarity between vulnerable road users?
To be honest I can't make up my mind whether it's worse to do a runner or to be so unaware of other road users that you don't realise you have done them such serious damage.
 
Surely the priority is to locate the driver concerned. The area I live in is frequented by racing cyclists, but on this occasion I will refrain from expressing my views. This could easily have happened to a walker or horse rider.

Once the driver is found, blame can be assessed.
 
Mike007 said:
The trouble with these racing types is that they dont want to lose speed.... I would bet there is a lot more to this incident than just a negligent driver.
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tut tut, they are entitled to freedom of the road, if they slowed down for every car they would never get anywhere, I will pass on your remarks to the bus driver who decided to drive over a friend of mine [downhill on the main road doing a legal 20 mph] rather than wait at a junction.
Twenty witnesses as one would expect on a bus!
 
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