Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => On The Road => Topic started by: Domestique on 20 August, 2010, 05:40:29 pm
-
I have put this here because even though it about a cyclist being crushed to death it is the motorist who seems to have stopped, then driven off.
They would particularly like to speak to the driver of a silver vehicle, believed to be a Ford C Max, who initially stopped at the scene.
Seems quite a shock that someone could witness a serious/fatal incident, then drive off.
Very sad story.
BBC News - Cyclist killed when container falls from lorry in Hull (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-11035869)
*Now realise I have put this in the wrong forum, was meant to be in Vroom, if the mods want to move it.
-
While stopping, then driving off may be reprehensible, that driver is responsible for little in this scenario.
Driving a truck with an insecure container is homicidal and should be treated as such.
-
I saw this earlier in the local paper website.
The video shows the empty truck and the container.
Hull woman cyclist Susan Russell, 54, killed in A63 accident (http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Woman-killed-A63-crash-named/article-2553321-detail/article.html)
The driver has been arrested and rightly so, looking at this
-
The video shows the empty truck and the container.
Err, what video? All I can see on that link is a still photo of a car, a tent arrangement covering presumably the accident location, and something which may be the container.
-
Scroll down.
-
Scroll down.
There's a big blank area, but no video.
Is it possible it only works with certain browsers, and doesn't have any mechanisms to detect when a non-compatible browser is being used (I've got NoScript set to temporarily allow any scripts on this page, I'm still seeing nothing).
-
NoScript?
-
I give in, I can't be arsed to dig through the badly formatted and munged Javascript to work out why the video is utterly blank. Even the bit which looks like it's written to return something when scripting isn't allowed or supported, seems to return blankness. It's probably not worth sorting out why some random local newspapers website is written incompetently.
-
You are not missing anything. Truck + Portakabin.
-
It's fairly depressing when this sort of event occurs, since it's so easily avoided generally. Loads like this falling off, often seems to be someone who can't be arsed to secure a load to move it a short way, or who isn't competent to handle the equipment they're using.
Luckily this sort of thing is almost invariably treated very seriously, although that's of no benefit to the deceased. :(
-
NoScript?
An addon for Firefox which stops scripts running, you allow them on a site by site basis. That and adblock will stop most of the crap that sites throw at you.
-
It is possible that the driver's details were simply not taken at the scene.
When we were involved in a fatal accident - an out of control car narrowly missed us and ploughed into the car behind - they forgot to get my details. They got my wife's details, as she rang the emergency services. I was busy directing traffic and trying to get the road clear for the fire engine & ambulances to get through. When I finally got to speak to the police they just told me I could go. It wasn't until I enclosed the statement I wrote at the time with my wife's that they realized they needed me as a witness. ::-)
Let's not read too much into the story.
-
I don't think the story says any more than they would like to talk to the driver (and possibly other occupants) of the silver car. Nothing said suggests that they think it was actually directly involved in the event. I think it's just a general call for witnesses, and specifically for the occupants of that car. People sometimes don't think what they saw was important, or think that others will be adequate witnesses, so don't bother leaving details. I doubt it's much more than that.
-
I agree with WJ and Tim.
What the article doesn't say is how long the driver of the car was stopped for. Was it seconds, minutes or longer? The driver of the car may have stopped to check that the police and ambulance had been called and, having been assured that they have, carried on.
Frankly, having been involved in a number of accident scenes (both as 'first on scene' and as the injured party) the last thing you need is loads of people stopping and giving advice.
-
However, to introduce some action by the unknown silver car driver to suggest it caused the event that caused the portakabin to be released, may assist the driver of the lorry. So rather than be surprised by something that is probably a non starter, the police would like to investigate that avenue of enquiry, establish if the silver car was a good witness.
Perhaps they saw it.
Perhaps they saw the standard of riding of the cyclist immediately beforehand, or the driving of the lorry etc.
-
Saw the video OK. I was less than impressed with the insensitive animated advert in the midle of the piece 'avoid disappointment when out and about'.
-
Saw the video OK. I was less than impressed with the insensitive animated advert in the midle of the piece 'avoid disappointment when out and about'.
Thats the Hull Daily Mail for you. Its an awful paper with an awful website
-
However, to introduce some action by the unknown silver car driver to suggest it caused the event that caused the portakabin to be released, may assist the driver of the lorry. So rather than be surprised by something that is probably a non starter, the police would like to investigate that avenue of enquiry, establish if the silver car was a good witness.
Perhaps they saw it.
Perhaps they saw the standard of riding of the cyclist immediately beforehand, or the driving of the lorry etc.
An entire shipping container should not just roll off - thats what the portakabin is made from.
The driver left his yard/depot with an unsafe load - silver car or not the driver is one hundred percent in the shit over this one, the buck stops with him.
If it had been cargo strapped down as it should it would have stayed put, it might have rolled the trailer at a push if it where a loaded container - I bet it would have missed the cyclist though.
That drivers going to jail for several years at least.
-
An entire shipping container should not just roll off - thats what the portakabin is made from.
The driver left his yard/depot with an unsafe load - silver car or not the driver is one hundred percent in the shit over this one.
If it had been cargo strapped down as it should it would have stayed put, it might have rolled the trailer at a push if it where a loaded container - I bet it would have missed the cyclist though.
That drivers going to jail for several years at least.
The driver should go to jail but I doubt he'll be locked up more than two years.
I wonder if any associates (dockers, hauliers, shipping companies) will be prosecuted.
-
I doubt it.
His wagon his fault, he should have checked it before he left the yard/depot/site.
-
More likely 3 points and a £60 fine. It was only a goddam cyclist for fecks sake!! Not a real person. Probably deserved it for not cycling on the pavement!
-
But if you were cycling on the pavement and were hit by a vehicle on the pavement the people of Edinburgh would condemn you for it. (http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Taxi-hits-boy-while-cycling.6485602.jp)
-
However, to introduce some action by the unknown silver car driver to suggest it caused the event that caused the portakabin to be released, may assist the driver of the lorry. So rather than be surprised by something that is probably a non starter, the police would like to investigate that avenue of enquiry, establish if the silver car was a good witness.
Perhaps they saw it.
Perhaps they saw the standard of riding of the cyclist immediately beforehand, or the driving of the lorry etc.
An entire shipping container should not just roll off - thats what the portakabin is made from.
The driver left his yard/depot with an unsafe load - silver car or not the driver is one hundred percent in the shit over this one, the buck stops with him.
If it had been cargo strapped down as it should it would have stayed put, it might have rolled the trailer at a push if it where a loaded container - I bet it would have missed the cyclist though.
That drivers going to jail for several years at least.
Zoiders,
Where is the evidence that the load was not strapped down?
One of the important aspects of investigating is reviewing all angles and looking for weaknesses and trying to explain the unexplained.
-
However, to introduce some action by the unknown silver car driver to suggest it caused the event that caused the portakabin to be released, may assist the driver of the lorry. So rather than be surprised by something that is probably a non starter, the police would like to investigate that avenue of enquiry, establish if the silver car was a good witness.
Perhaps they saw it.
Perhaps they saw the standard of riding of the cyclist immediately beforehand, or the driving of the lorry etc.
An entire shipping container should not just roll off - thats what the portakabin is made from.
The driver left his yard/depot with an unsafe load - silver car or not the driver is one hundred percent in the shit over this one, the buck stops with him.
If it had been cargo strapped down as it should it would have stayed put, it might have rolled the trailer at a push if it where a loaded container - I bet it would have missed the cyclist though.
That drivers going to jail for several years at least.
Zoiders,
Where is the evidence that the load was not strapped down?
One of the important aspects of investigating is reviewing all angles and looking for weaknesses and trying to explain the unexplained.
Hey... who needs evidence or facts? Assumptions are much more fun.
;)
-
Hey... who needs evidence or facts? Assumptions are much more fun.
;)
Didn't you mean compulsory? :demon: ;) :demon:
-
Hey... who needs evidence or facts? Assumptions are much more fun.
;)
Didn't you mean compulsory? :demon: ;) :demon:
Only for some it would appear. :P :demon:
-
It's very late, replying again to this story, but I came across it, searching for something else, and wondered what had ultimately happened.
Summary: The driver had an 8 tonne blast-proof cabin on his lorry, secured by at most two straps, when it probably should have had a lot more (one story said dozens, another said 40). He was convicted of death by dangerous driving, and given a 2 years and 3 months jail sentence, with his license suspended for four years. He seems to have shown some remorse, but that's not a great deal of use after you've killed someone. :(
Hull Daily Mail - Family of cyclist killed by falling fridge 'hope lorry driver rots in prison' (http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/family-cyclist-killed-falling-fridge-hope-lorry/story-13528853-detail/story.html)
Hull Daily Mail - Family of Susan Russell, killed in cabin fall on A63, hit out at lorry driver Mark Smith's sentence (http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/family-susan-russell-killed-cabin-fall-a63-hit/story-15542343-detail/story.html)
-
Those cabins are a frequently seen load passing that roundabout. I'll certainly pay more attention to how they are secured before I pass the next one.
Back in the day when I organised road transport I am pretty sure such a load would have needed a police escort, but that was a long time ago.