Cyclist fatally injured by truck turning left

Cyclist fatally injured by truck turning left

By Louise Roseingrave

A CYCLIST navigating a busy roundabout during rush-hour traffic sustained fatal catastrophic crush injuries when he was run over by a truck.

David Rynne (39), of Griffeen Glen Green, Lucan, was cycling home from work on a dark, stormy evening when the accident happened at around 5.30pm on January 27, 2014.

Citywest sign resized

Road conditions were hazardous with heavy rainfall as Mr Rynne cycled home from the Citywest campus through the Citywest roundabout.

He was positioned on the passenger side of an 11m-long two-axle rigid truck which was taking the first exit at the roundabout onto the M7 motorway when the accident happened.

Truck driver George Cooper, an employee of Laois Hire Service, drove back to the truck depot in Portlaoise, unaware the accident had happened.

“I never saw a cyclist at all,” Mr Cooper said. “This came as a great shock.”

Motorist Caroline Fleming was the only witness who recalled seeing Mr Rynne on his bicycle.

“I remember thinking it was a terrible night for anyone to be out walking or cycling, it was really dark and really wet. I noticed him in my passenger mirror when he passed me. I didn’t see him before that. The next time I saw him he was on the ground,” she said.

Mr Rynne was surrounded by members of the public who were conducting CPR when Garda Stephen Finn arrived at the scene. There were no direct witnesses to the accident.

Paramedic Brian Lamon, of Dublin Fire Brigade, said Mr Rynne was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when the ambulance arrived. He was wearing a helmet and was lit up with front and rear lights along with a light on his backpack.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy found a tyre mark on Mr Rynne’s thigh and multiple injuries to his trunk, pelvis and upper legs.

The cause of death was crush injuries to the trunk when, as a cyclist, Mr Rynne was run over by a truck identified as the one driven by Mr Cooper.

An investigation of the truck revealed damage to the cab step well on the passenger side, recent contact marks on the front passenger tyre and a recent ‘rub mark’ on a bar running underneath the truck.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said any cyclist or pedestrian on the inside of a commercial vehicle turning left was in a very dangerous place.

“Unfortunately I cannot tell you precisely what happened save that the cyclist came into contact with the truck and was run over,” the coroner said.

The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure and recommended increased night lighting at the Citywest roundabout and asked for a review of the legal minimum requirement for lighting and reflective wear for cyclists.

 

OurladyOfLourdesOvercrowdingTrolley large Enda Kenny

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
READ MORE: Trolley crisis in Tallaght
hospital is the Taoiseach’s fault, says
local group – Click HERE
 

lally rd 1 resized

 
 
 
 
 
 
READ MORE: Pensioner has stroke
after house ‘destroyed’ while attending
mass – Click HERE
 
Pfzifer resized
 
 
 
 
 
READ MORE: With over €3 bn in
investments, Grange Castle looks to
the future – Click HERE

TAGS
Share This